The Breakwater-St Ives Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s on the table for the St Ives area over the next couple of weeks.

To be straight with you, this 16-day window is lean. The forecast points to a single break that offers any real quality: The Breakwater-St Ives. Even then, it’s an inconsistent spot, so when it’s good, it’s a bit of a rare treat. The water temperature is sitting around 63°, which is pretty normal for September.

We’ve got a few quiet days to start. The first real glimmer comes Saturday, September 5th. The morning is where it’s at: a clean 5 ft swell rolling in from the WNW, with a long period of 12 seconds giving it some grunt. That combined wave energy is a solid moderate (647). The wind is a light cross-offshore from the WSW at just 3 mph, setting it up for clean lines. This is the standout of the whole run. Saturday afternoon is still clean and rideable at 4 ft, but a bit weaker.

Sunday the 6th drops right off, with tiny 3 ft waves and weak energy (103). Not worth paddling out for.

Monday the 7th sees a jump back up to 7 ft from the W with a long 13-second period, generating strong energy (1607). That's a powerful swell. But, it comes with a cross-shore wind and a cross-chop, so it’s a bit messy. It’s one for more experienced surfers only at that size, but the quality is hurt by the chop.

After that, from Tuesday the 8th right through to about the 15th, it’s a long stretch of poor conditions. We get a mix of bumpy onshore winds and lumpy cross-shores, with strong winds and poor surf quality across the board. Even when there’s height, like the 8 ft on the 10th, the wind ruins it. There are a few days with clean-ish offshore winds, like the 14th, but the swell is small and weak, just 4 ft and 5 ft with short periods of 5-6 seconds. The energy is weak (112-206), and the waves just won’t have any push.

The tail end of the window, around September 17th, offers a tiny bit of hope. The morning shows 4 ft from the W with a 10-second period and a gentle cross-offshore breeze. It’s labeled as surfable but very ordinary. For any glimmer of decent surf after the first weekend, you’d be looking at something promising, but it’s not in the cards here. The long gap of poor quality from the 8th onwards is more normal for this area when the consistency is lacking.

So, bottom line: your best bet is this coming Saturday morning, September 5th. Get on it early. The rest of the month is a write-off.

- Rusty

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