Whistling Sands (Porth Oer) Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, it’s Rusty here, and I’ve gotta be straight with you – the outlook for our little corner of the coast is a bit of a bummer. We’ve got a long stretch of flat, poor conditions ahead, so don’t go getting your hopes up just yet.

We’re looking at Whistling Sands (Porth Oer), and honestly, it’s a tough watch for the next week or so. The water temp is pretty average for this time of year, but that’s about the only thing that’s normal. The whole 16-day window is littered with "poor surf conditions," so we’re in for a proper dry spell.

The first glimmer of something comes on Saturday, July 5th. It’s not much – a tiny 2 ft swell from the SW with a short, sluggish period of 5 seconds, and the combined energy is a weak (12). The wind is a light cross-off though, so it'll be clean. Honestly, it’s more of a splash-around than a proper surf, and the crowds are “sometimes” for a reason: it’s just not worth paddling out for.

The next tiny pulse shows up on Sunday, July 6th. Again, we’re looking at a small 1 ft swell from the SW, same short period, and even less energy (9). The wind stays cross-off and clean, but the waves will be barely ankle-snappers. For a beginner, it’s a gentle introduction, but for anyone else, it’s a skip.

After that, it’s a total flat spell. From Monday, July 7th all the way through Friday, July 11th, it’s a ghost town out there. The combined energy readings are in the single digits or zeros – it’s dead. We get a few glassy mornings on the 8th and 9th, but the swell is essentially zero (0.3 ft). It wouldn’t break on a glass floor.

Then, a bit of a tease arrives on Saturday, July 12th. The swell bumps up to 4 ft from the N, period still crap at 5 seconds, and the energy finally gets into the double digits (68). The wind is cross-off in the morning, so it’ll be clean, but it’s a northerly swell wrapping in, and it’s still just messy. In the afternoon, the wind picks up and shifts onshore at 16 mph, and it gets choppy and lumpy. That bigger 5 ft swell in the afternoon is just a mess for a beach break.

The rest of the second week is more of the same: tiny swells, onshore winds, and very low energy. Nothing worth a second look for paddle surfing. There are a few instances of long-period groundswell from the SW (periods of 14 to 18 seconds) toward the middle of the second week, but the swell heights are pathetic (0.3 ft) so it just won't break. The energy is almost non-existent (11 or less).

With the poor quality and the strong onshore winds we see on several days, this setup would look more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing, especially on the 13th and 18th when the wind is cranking.

Bottom line: there are no standouts here. This is one of those stretches where the ocean just goes to sleep. It’s a blank run, but that’s not unusual for this sheltered spot when the wind goes wrong. Stick to cleaning your board.

Stay patient,
Rusty

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