Towan Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s see what’s shaking at Towan over this forecast window. It’s a bit of a slow cooker to start, but there's a real flash of something special on the horizon if you’re willing to wait.

Right now, things are looking pretty flat and messy. For the first several days, the surf is puny and the wind is just a pain in the neck. We’ve got a long stretch with almost nothing rideable. The swell is tiny, usually under a foot and a half, and it’s mostly coming from the southwest or west with short, weak periods. On the 23rd of August, you’re looking at a meagre 1ft swell from the SW with a period of 13 seconds, but the water temperature is 65°, which is actually a touch warmer than normal for this time of year. The combined wave energy is a weak 57, and it’s just not doing anything for the beach. The wind is onshore for days, messing it up further. Monday and Tuesday are a write-off with fresh cross-onshore winds and tiny, lumpy waves.

We get a glimmer of hope on Thursday, the 27th of August. The swell bumps up a bit, around 4ft to 4ft from the SW, but the period drops to about 8 seconds. The wind goes light and cross-offshore, cleaning things up. The combined energy sits at 223–256 (moderate). It’s surfable, and it’s clean, but honestly, it’s not anything to write home about—just ordinary conditions for a beginner-friendly beach.

Friday and Saturday (28th–29th August) see a bigger, messier swell. Friday afternoon brings a 6ft west-southwest swell with a short 7-second period, giving us 337 energy (moderate), but the texture is going to be lumpy and disorganized with that moderate cross-offshore breeze. Saturday morning shows 7ft from the west and 545 energy (strong), but the short period means it’ll close out fast. For beginners, 6ft is already getting big. For most, it’s not going to offer any quality.

Then we hit a big gap. From Sunday the 30th right through to the end of the first week of September, it’s a real mixed bag of lumpy or windy conditions, with the occasional bump in size but poor surf quality scores. The wind stays mostly cross-off or cross-shore, and the swell periods are short, often 8 seconds or less, which leads to weak, sectiony waves.

The True Standout

But hold onto your board shorts, because Sunday the 6th of September is the one to circle. This is the standout. After a long, barren stretch, the surf finally fires. On Sunday afternoon, we get a solid 10ft swell from the west-northwest, with a period of 9 seconds. The combined energy hits a massive 1346 (very strong)—that’s serious power. But the real magic is the wind: it goes glassy. Dead calm. The conditions are described as "expect very good surf". For a sheltered spot like Towan, which works best on a west swell, this is about as good as it gets. The swell direction is slightly off the optimum (WNW instead of W), but with that glassy surface, it’s going to be a special session. This is for experts, though. 10ft is big, and the power is intense. If you don’t have your sea legs, stay on the sand. The crowd here is "often", so expect it to be busy for this quality. It’s a long way out, so keep an eye on the charts, but this one has serious potential.

Rusty

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