The Breakwater-St Ives Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s talk about the waves coming our way.

The-Breakwater-St-Ives (point)

Well, it’s going to be a bit of a test of patience. Right now, the outlook is pretty grim for a solid stretch. There’s a gap of over a week where the surf is just poor, with no real recommendations. The first week or so is a write-off.

The water temp is sitting at 64°, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year.

We kick off on Monday the 20th, but it’s a non-starter. Tiny 2ft swell from the north with a weak period of 5 seconds, and the wave energy is pathetic at 34. That’s a glassy morning, but the swell’s got no power. The afternoon is even worse. Tuesday the 21st through to the end of July are all marked as "poor surf conditions". The wind is howling from the north, pushing onshore, and the swell is small and weak. Even when the swell bumps up to 5ft on the 26th, the wind is a messy cross-onshore, making it a lumpy, choppy mess. The combined energy gets up to 233, but it’s not surfable with that wind.

Now, the first real standout worth getting excited about comes on Friday the 31st of July. This is where the juice finally shows up. We get a solid 8ft swell from the west with a 9-second period, and the combined energy is a massive 1059. That’s a lot of power. The wind is a moderate cross-shore from the east, which is okay, but it’s a “marginal” call. This is a big, powerful swell, and over 8ft it’s only really for the experts. The afternoon drops a bit to 7ft.

Then, the real highlight of the whole outlook arrives on Saturday the 1st of August. The swell drops to a much more manageable 4ft from the west, 9-second period, with a combined energy of 359. But the wind is a clean cross-offshore from the southeast. That’s a beautiful, clean wind for The-Breakwater-St-Ives. This is the session to aim for. It’s a clean, user-friendly size with a well-shaped, long-period groundswell. Best on offer, without a doubt.

Into Sunday the 2nd, the swell fades to 3ft, and the wind stays clean cross-offshore, but it’s small. Monday the 3rd is a mix of small surf and rain showers, not great. Then Tuesday the 4th of August sees another pulse of energy, with a 7ft swell from the west and a 9-second period, ramping up to 7ft and a 10-second period by the afternoon. The combined energy jumps to 1293 in the afternoon. That’s a serious, powerful groundswell.

Overall, the best bet is that Saturday the 1st of August for clean, fun waves. The big swells at the end of the month are for the experienced crew only.

Rusty.

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