The Breakwater-St Ives Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s cookin’ for the next couple of weeks.

Straight up, I gotta be honest with you – it’s a pretty grim run for the Breakwater. This stretch is looking like a proper write-off for most of the period, with a big gap of real poor surf stretching from now until the first few days of August. The 16-day window is mostly a bust, but we do have a few glimmers right at the very end that might get your hopes up, just about.

The water temp is sitting at 64°, which is a bit warmer than usual for this time of year – nothing crazy, but it’s a nice touch.

So, the first real chance of getting a wet suit on is Tuesday, August 4th, in the morning. And even then, it’s a weak one. We’re looking at a tiny 4 ft swell from the north, with a short period of just 5 seconds. The energy is only moderate (102). The saving grace? The wind is forecast to be glassy. That’s the one thing that’s got me interested. The waves will be small and weak, but if it’s dead flat calm, you might be able to scratch into a few gutless ones. Don’t expect much, think of it as a paddle and a hope.

Then we get another gap. The next real standout, and I mean the only true standout in the whole outlook, is on Friday, August 7th, and it heads into Saturday, August 8th. A bit of a south-west swell finally shows up. Friday morning, the swell is building to 6 ft from the SW, with a period of 7 seconds, which is a bit short. The energy is starting to look proper (370). The wind is light and cross-onshore, so it won’t be perfect. But it’s the best we’ve seen by a mile.

The real meat is Saturday, August 8th, in the morning. We’ve got a 8 ft swell from the west-southwest, with an 8-second period. The combined energy is massive (779). That’s a big, powerful, and lumpy swell. The wind is onshore, so it’s going to be a bumpy, messy beast. This is definitely for experienced surfers only – easily over 8 ft, so it’s expert territory. For a point break that’s fairly exposed to the northwest, this is a lot of energy. It’s not going to be clean, but if you’re a charger and you’re looking for something with some grunt, that’s your window. The crowds are a possibility here, but with conditions that rough, most folks will be staying on the beach.

So, to sum it up: the best bet is the morning of Tuesday, August 4th, for a glassy but tiny wave if you’re desperate. The real winner, for the big boys, is the morning of Saturday, August 8th, with a big, powerful, but messy swell. Don’t expect anything else in the meantime.

Rusty.

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