The Breakwater-St Ives Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let’s get into it. This is The Breakwater-St Ives, a point break that’s rated for intermediate surfers, and it’s inconsistent, so it’s not the kind of wave you can just count on. It’s not a super reliable setup, but when it gets the right swell and wind, it can be a bit of a local gem. The water temp is sitting at 64°F right now, which is about 1°F warmer than the long-term average for this time of year, so it’s pretty much normal, nothing too wild.

Honestly, the outlook for the next 16 days is a bit of a struggle. The swell energy is weak to moderate at best, and the wind is often a problem. Let’s break it down as it goes.

We start off on Monday the 31st of August with some afternoon surf, but it’s a real letdown. There’s a 8ft swell from the west, but with a 15 mph west-northwest wind blowing cross-on, it’s just choppy and messy. The combined energy is moderate at 1059, but the conditions are poor. Not worth paddling out.

Tuesday the 1st of September is a bit better. The morning sees a 4ft west swell with a 9 mph southwest wind that’s cross-off, so the surf is clean. The wave energy is low at 202, but it’s surfable, just ordinary. The afternoon is similar with a 3ft swell, but the wind picks up to 12 mph, still clean, but nothing special.

Wednesday the 2nd of September is a write-off. The morning has a tiny 1ft swell with a 19 mph south-southwest wind, and the energy is only 19. The afternoon sees a 6ft swell from the west-southwest, but with a short period of 7 seconds and a 19 mph wind, it’s just a bumpy mess. The energy is moderate at 390, but it’s poor.

Thursday the 3rd of September is marginal. The morning has a 5ft west-southwest swell with a 12 mph cross-off wind, so it’s clean, but the energy is moderate at 336 and the quality is just average. The afternoon is worse with a 19 mph wind.

Friday the 4th of September is a no-go. A 7ft west swell with a 12 mph west-northwest cross-on wind makes for choppy, lumpy conditions. The energy is moderate at 628, but it’s not enjoyable.

Saturday the 5th of September is one of the better windows. The morning has a 4ft west swell with a 6 mph southeast cross-off wind, so it’s clean and glassy. The energy is low at 202, but it’s surfable and ordinary. The afternoon is even better with a 3ft swell and only a 3 mph wind, making it super clean. Not big, but it’s clean.

From Sunday the 6th of September through to the end of the window, it’s mostly a dud. The swell drops off, and the wind is either too strong or onshore. There’s a brief moment on Tuesday the 8th of September afternoon with a 4ft swell and a 22 mph south-southwest offshore wind, which is clean, but the energy is only moderate at 267 and the surf is still poor. Wednesday the 9th of September sees a 7ft west swell with a 22 mph cross-shore wind, making it lumpy. The energy is moderate to strong at 799-821, but it’s messy.

The standout here is that Saturday the 5th of September. The morning and afternoon sessions are the cleanest, most surfable windows in the whole 16 days. The swell is small, between 3ft and 4ft from the west, and the wind is light and cross-off, giving you glassy conditions. It’s the kind of day where you can get a few fun, clean waves. The break is inconsistent, so when it’s on, it’s worth it, but there’s a long stretch of nothing before and after.

Overall, the first week has a few surfable moments, but the second week is a real blank run. The swell energy is mostly weak, and the wind is often a problem. For a point break like this, you need the right alignment, and it’s just not happening.

Rusty

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