The Breakwater-St Ives Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right then, let’s have a look at what’s on offer for the next couple of weeks. To be honest, it’s a slow start and there’s a lot of waiting around. The first real chance to paddle out doesn’t come until Sunday the 30th of August, and even then it’s not going to set the world on fire.

The Breakwater-St Ives is a point break, and it’s inconsistent, which is a bit of a pain. It’s fairly exposed to the swell, and it likes it from the NW. The water temperature is sitting at 63°, which is about normal for this time of year, so no surprises there.

We’ve got a bit of a wait on our hands. From the start of the forecast, right through to Saturday the 29th, it’s pretty much a write-off. Tiny waves, messy wind, or just flat. A few days where the swell bumps up a little, but the wind is blowing straight across or onshore, so it’s not worth the hassle.

Then on Sunday the 30th of August, things start to look a little more interesting. The morning has a 4ft swell from the WSW, with a short period of 6 seconds, and the wind is offshore from the S. The combined energy is moderate (114), and the conditions are clean. It’s surfable, but it’s very ordinary. Still, you might get a few if you’re keen.

The Monday after that, the 31st of August, is a big one. The swell builds to 12ft from the W with a 10-second period, but the wind is a strong cross-shore from the W, making a mess of things. The combined energy is massive (2363), but the quality is poor. This is a big, windy, lumpy day – honestly, with that setup, it looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing.

Looking further ahead, there’s a glimmer. On Thursday the 3rd of September, the morning shows a 5ft swell from the W with an 8-second period, and finally, a proper offshore wind from the SSW. The combined energy is moderate (368) and the model says expect good surf conditions. This is the standout of the whole run. Clean, offshore winds on a point break with a decent swell – that’s the one to circle.

After that, the swell sticks around, but the wind gets messy again. There’s some big, long-period swell coming in around the 5th and 6th of September, but it’s either too big for the spot or the wind is terrible. The 7th of September sees a 16ft, 17-second groundswell – that’s a very long period – but it’s way too big for this break, and the wind is cross-shore. That’s an expert-only, maybe not even then, kind of day.

So, to sum it up: there’s a long dry spell until the 30th of August, but the real day to have your eye on is Thursday morning, the 3rd of September. That’s the best of what we’ve got.

Rusty.

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