Surf Forecasts:
The Breakwater-St Ives surf forecast from 27 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Sunday 30 Aug, 4AM (local time) - 7.5ft (2.3m), 9s period, W swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Monday 31 Aug, 1AM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 10s period, W swell with 1,765 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Sunday 30 Aug, 4AM (local time) - 7.5ft (2.3m), 9s period with W swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for The Breakwater-St Ives this week:
The surf forecast for The Breakwater-St Ives over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Sunday (Aug 30) at 4AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 2.3m and 9s period. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at The Breakwater-St Ives in the next 16 days are 3.0m 10s and forecast to arrive on Monday (Aug 31) at 1AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.6m 6s period and expected on Friday (Aug 28) at 10AM.
| Wave Type | Time (BST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 4AM (Sun 30th Aug) | 7.5ft (2.3m) 9s |
| Best Surf | 4AM (Sun 30th Aug) | 7.5ft (2.3m) 9s |
| Most Powerful | 1AM (Mon 31st Aug) | 10ft (3.0m) 10s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for The Breakwater-St Ives over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Right, let’s have a look at what’s on the cards for The Breakwater-St Ives. To be honest, it’s a bit of a rough stretch ahead. For the next week or so, we’re looking at a lot of poor conditions. The swell is there at times, but the wind’s all over the place and the quality just isn’t happening. There’s a lot of chop and cross-shore junk to fight through.
Looking at the start of this, from Thursday the 27th, it’s small and clean but just not breaking with any real push. You’ve got 1ft to 2ft of swell with a gentle breeze, but it’s not worth the paddle. The energy is weak, sitting at 20. This carries into Friday morning, but then the swell starts to build and the wind jumps up. By Friday afternoon, it’s a fresh breeze and 7ft of short-period swell, but it’s messy and the energy is moderate at 401. Saturday gets bigger with 8ft and wind ramping up to a strong breeze, and by Saturday afternoon we’re looking at a solid 10ft of west swell with a massive energy reading of 1629. That’s a lot of water moving, but it’s cross-shore and lumpy as hell. This is more of a washing machine than a wave.
The gap of proper, clean surf is pretty long here. We’ve got days of this strong, wind-blown stuff, and while there’s swell on Sunday the 30th at 6ft and 8ft, it’s still with a fresh cross-off breeze and the energy is moderate to strong. It just isn’t nice. Monday the 31st is bigger again, but it’s choppy and cross-onshore. Not good. Tuesday and Wednesday are smaller, but the wind is still messing things up.
Now, here’s where the one standout moment in the whole 16-day stretch is. Saturday the 5th of September. The morning has 8ft of west swell with a long 11-second period. The energy is very strong at 1872, and the wind is a light cross-shore. It’s a bit marginal, but it’s the first real sign of life. The afternoon is the one to circle on the calendar, though. The swell jumps to 12ft from the WSW, the energy is still massive at 1493, and it goes glassy. The comment says it all: wind and tide are favorable, but the swell is just too big for this break. This spot is fairly exposed, and 12ft is a lot of water. For an intermediate spot, it’s going to be a washing machine. For the experts, it could be a proper, heavy session, but you’re going to need your big board and your wits about you. This is the one true standout, but it’s a caveat-laden one.
After that, things settle down but don’t really get good again. The 6th of September has clean 8ft swell with a 10-second period and a cross-off breeze, but it’s rated marginal. The energy is still strong at 985. It’s okay, but not that Saturday afternoon calibre. From the 7th onwards, it’s dropping back down and the wind is on it again. By Thursday the 10th and Friday the 11th, we’re back to tiny, weak surf with energy readings down in the 70s and 140s. A complete fade out.
Right, final call. The water temp is 63°F and the anomaly is 1°F, so pretty normal for the time of year.
Overall, this is a tough outlook. There’s a long stretch of nothing rideable, and the one potentially epic window is too big for the average punter. The Breakwater is a point break, so with these longer-period swells it might be a bit too straight, but the sheer size on that Saturday afternoon is the only thing that gets the heart rate up. For the majority, you’re probably better off keeping the board in the car for a while. Rusty out.
Short Range ForecastModerate rain (total 10mm), heaviest on Fri night. Very mild (max 19°C on Thu morning, min 17°C on Thu night). Winds decreasing (strong winds from the WSW on Sat morning, light winds from the SW by Sat night). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 8mm), mostly falling on Sun afternoon. Very mild (max 19°C on Sun morning, min 16°C on Sun afternoon). Winds decreasing (strong winds from the SW on Sun afternoon, light winds from the SSW by Tue night). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Thursday 27 | Friday 28 | Saturday 29 | Sunday 30 | Monday 31 | Tuesday 1 | Wednesday 2 | |||||||||||||||
AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | |
Swell Height Map | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 8 | W 10 | SW 6 | WNW 9 | WSW 7 | SW 6 | SW 7 | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 | WSW 8 | W 10 | W 10 | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 | W 8 | W 8 | W 8 | WNW 7 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
20 | 47 | 80 | 16 | 401 | 203 | 573 | 1629 | 1157 | 459 | 620 | 1765 | 1478 | 840 | 349 | 258 | 251 | 190 | 124 | 72 | 18 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | off | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-on | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-on | cross | off | off | cross |
High Tide | 5:43PM5.57m | 6:00AM5.50m | 6:15PM5.85m | 6:32AM5.73m | 6:47PM6.04m | 7:04AM5.88m | 7:20PM6.12m | 7:37AM5.93m | 7:54PM6.08m | 8:12AM5.86m | 8:31PM5.90m | 8:50AM5.66m | 9:11PM5.59m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 11:45AM0.81m | 00:07AM0.59m | 12:18PM0.52m | 00:39AM0.35m | 12:50PM0.32m | 1:11AM0.20m | 1:23PM0.23m | 1:43AM0.18m | 1:56PM0.26m | 2:17AM0.29m | 2:31PM0.40m | 2:52AM0.51m | 3:10PM0.66m | 3:33AM0.84m | |||||||
6:28 | — | — | 6:28 | — | — | 6:31 | — | — | 6:31 | — | — | 6:33 | — | — | 6:35 | — | — | 6:37 | — | — | |
— | 8:17 | — | — | 8:15 | — | — | 8:13 | — | — | 8:10 | — | — | 8:08 | — | — | 8:07 | — | — | 8:05 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | 2 | 8 | — | — | — | 1 | 5 | 1 | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | 1 | 1 |
Temp °C | 19 | 19 | 17 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 17 | 19 | 18 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 18 | 17 | 16 | 18 | 18 | 19 |
Feels °C | 17 | 16 | 15 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 11 | 11 | 13 | 15 | 13 | 11 | 14 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 15 | 14 | 15 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 6 | W 10 | W 9 | WNW 9 | — | WNW 8 | — | — | W 9 | W 9 | N 5 | — | — | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 | SW 17 | SW 16 | W 8 | W 8 | WNW 7 |
40 | 47 | 41 | 16 | — | 6 | — | — | 1157 | 459 | 1 | — | — | 840 | 349 | 258 | 12 | 10 | 124 | 72 | 18 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 8 | SE 5 | SW 12 | SW 11 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | SSW 6 | SW 18 | S 12 | S 11 | SSW 16 | SW 15 | SSW 15 |
20 | 1 | 5 | 5 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 7 | 12 | 3 | 2 | 25 | 37 | 21 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 5 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | S 18 | — | — | — | SW 10 | SW 10 | N 6 |
4 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 6 | — | — | — | 4 | 4 | 2 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | SSW 6 | SW 6 | WSW 6 | WSW 7 | SW 6 | SW 7 | W 9 | — | SSW 7 | WSW 8 | W 10 | W 10 | — | — | — | W 9 | W 8 | — | — | WSW 4 |
— | 53 | 80 | 173 | 401 | 203 | 573 | 1629 | — | 79 | 620 | 1765 | 1478 | — | — | — | 251 | 190 | — | — | 13 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 17 | 2 | 2 | 214 | 278 | 214 | 244 | 298 | 74 | 213 | 409 | 164 | 170 | 224 | 1 | 215 | 747 | 214 | 0 | 248 | 566 |
Best forecast wave conditions in North Cornwall | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United Kingdom | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the The Breakwater-St Ives Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for The Breakwater-St Ives provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at The Breakwater-St Ives can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our The Breakwater-St Ives surf forecast is unique since it includes wave energy (power) that defines the real feel of the surf rather than just the height or the period. If you surf the same spot (The Breakwater-St Ives) regularly then make a mental note of the wave energy from the surf forecast table each time you go. Very soon you may start to choose your surf days based on the wave energy alone combined with our forecast of favourable offshore wind conditions. Our star ratings will help here and of course you will also find the usual wave height and period predictions on our surf forecasts as well as a full break down of the swell components under our advanced users option (to reveal that, click the little Einstein character under the tide times).
Further information to help with frequently asked questions about our surf forecast for The Breakwater-St Ives may be found under the help tab on the top menu and also by moving your mouse over the question marks on the surf forecast table itself. Please always bear in mind that the forecast is for near-shore open water and local factors at each surf break influence the actual breaking wave height, such as the beach / reef profile, water depths offshore and shelter.
The Breakwater-St Ives is 11 km (7 miles) from Camborne. If you plan a holiday in North Cornwall, look for hotels and other accommodation in Camborne. Camborne has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.











