The Breakwater-St Ives Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right, grab a coffee, because the next couple of weeks are a bit of a mixed bag for The Breakwater-St Ives. This spot is a point break, which in theory is a dream for a lined-up wave, but it's inconsistent, so we need the stars to align. The water temperature is sitting at 63°, which is pretty much bang on average for this time of year, so no surprises there.

The real story is that most of the 16-day window is a write-off, but we do have a couple of flashes of potential. For the first week, from Friday the 21st right through to the start of the following week, it's a grim run of poor surf with scores of zero. The waves are tiny, weak, and the wind is either onshore or cross-shore, making a mess of things. The combined swell energy is well under 100 at times, so it's flat as a pancake. We're looking at a gap of several days with no recommendations. The only bright spot is a brief window on Tuesday morning and afternoon the 25th, where we get a clean offshore wind from the SSE, but the waves are still only 1 ft to 2 ft. It's a surfable ankle-snapper, but nothing to get excited about.

The outlook gets a bit more interesting from Thursday the 27th. The morning sees a light offshore from the SSW with 3 ft swell and a combined energy of 117, which is enough to get a few waves. The conditions are clean, and for a point break like this, that's a real positive. It's not a standout, but it's the first time the forecast looks like a proper surf again.

Then, the real standout comes on Tuesday the 1st of September. We have a glassy morning with 5 ft swell from the W, and the wind is dead calm. The conditions are described as "glassy," which is as good as it gets. Then in the afternoon, the wind switches to a clean offshore from the SSW, and the swell bumps up to 7 ft from the SW, with a moderate combined energy of 530. That's a solid, punchy day for an intermediate, and the offshore wind will keep the point breaking clean and lined up. This is the best on offer.

The following day, Wednesday the 2nd, is a big one, but it comes with a massive caveat. The swell is going to be huge, with 12 ft from the W, and a combined energy of 2460 – that's a lot of power. While the wind is a clean cross-offshore, the size is way too big for most. This is expert-only territory, and even then, it might be more of a tow-in or a reef-charge situation. It's a spectacle, but not a friendly paddle.

From there, the swell drops but the wind turns onshore and messy, and the forecast drops back into a poor run for the rest of the period. The point looks set to be choppy and blown out.

So, for the ordinary surfer, your best bet is to hold out for the 1st of September. The morning glass-off is a dream, but the afternoon offshore with 7 ft of swell is the real winner. The big day on the 2nd is for the brave, but for everyone else, it's a long wait for that one good day.

Rusty.

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