The Breakwater-St Ives Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right then, let’s have a look at what’s shaping up for the next couple of weeks. It’s a bit of a slow burn, to be honest.

Overall, we’ve got a long stretch ahead with not a whole lot to get excited about. The first real chance of anything decent doesn’t pop up until Friday the 18th of September, but you’ll have to be patient before that.

Looking at The Breakwater-St Ives, there’s a pretty grim run of surf from now through to Thursday the 17th. The wind is mostly cross-off or cross-on, but the wave comment keeps calling it “poor surf conditions” with scores of zero. On Saturday the 12th, you’ve got a combined energy of 305, which is weak, and the swell is a weak 5 ft from the west at only 8 seconds. The wind is a fresh 19 mph cross-off, so it’s clean but the waves are just junk. That sets the tone for the week. The water temp is 63°, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year.

The first glimmer of something is on Friday the 18th. The morning shows a 6 ft swell from the WNW with a decent 13-second period, and a combined energy of 937 (moderate). Wind is a moderate 12 mph cross-off, so it’ll be clean. It’s still only a marginal call, but that’s the best we’ve seen. The afternoon drops off a bit. That could be a window for an intermediate surfer to get a few lines if the tide plays ball.

Saturday the 19th goes backwards, with stronger onshore winds and ugly, lumpy conditions. Sunday the 20th is similar with a 8 ft swell from the WSW but again, messy cross-shore wind. The standouts in the whole 16-day run look like Monday the 21st of September, even though the conditions are lumpy. Why? Because you get a proper bit of energy: a 10 ft swell from the WNW with a 13-second period and a combined energy of 2860! That’s strong wave energy, no doubt. But, there’s a catch. It’s a 10 ft wave. That’s solid, expert-only territory, and the wind is a fresh 19 mph cross-shore, so it’ll be lumpy. This is for the crew who are comfortable in big, messy surf at a point break. The swell direction (WNW) is close to the optimum NW.

Then, on Wednesday the 23rd of September, we get a sweet little window. The morning has a 6 ft swell from the west, but the wind is a light 6 mph cross-off from the ESE. That is glassy, clean as a whistle. The combined energy is only 312 (weak), so not much push, but the conditions will be perfect for a cruise. The afternoon bumps up to 7 ft from the west, with a gentle 9 mph cross-off. That’s the pick for the whole two weeks for an intermediate surfer. The wind is offshore, the swell is a manageable size, and it’s at a point break that likes a west swell.

After that, Thursday the 24th drops off, and Friday the 25th has strong onshore winds and tiny waves. The last weekend of the month (27th) looks like another big, windy, messy mix of 8 ft+ swells with terrible cross-on winds.

So, if I’m picking one or two true standouts: Wednesday the 23rd of September is your day for clean, fun waves for the average surfer. For the big-wave crew, Monday the 21st of September offers up proper power, even if it’s rough around the edges. The Breakwater is inconsistent and rarely fires, so when this forecast gives you a window, you take it.

Rusty.

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