United Kingdom · Atlantic Europe
Not enough data yet. Log a session to help build the accuracy score.
Local knowledge and community tips for Gwithian
Gwithian is a long, consistent beach break at the eastern end of St Ives Bay in Cornwall. Three miles of sand stretch from Godrevy lighthouse to the Red River outlet, offering numerous peaks across the entire expanse. It picks up slightly more swell than the nearby Hayle beaches due to its more northerly exposure. The lighthouse at Godrevy and the wide-open beach give it a distinctive, beautiful setting.
Consistent on any westerly or north-westerly Atlantic swell. An easterly or south-easterly offshore wind cleans things up. Works on all tides with a preference for mid-tide when the banks are most defined. The 2-6ft range is ideal. Above that it becomes messy unless the swell is very clean groundswell. Reliable from September through May.
The peaks shift along the beach depending on sand movement. The section near the Red River outlet often has more defined banks shaped by the outflow. The Godrevy (northern) end picks up slightly more swell. Walk for 10 minutes from the main access points and you will find quieter peaks. Look for the darker channels between banks.
Rip currents are the main concern, particularly on bigger days. The beach is large enough that drifting several hundred metres is easy to miss. The rocks around Godrevy headland at the north end should be avoided. Some debris from old mining operations occasionally surfaces in the sand after storms.
National Trust car park at Godrevy and separate parking at Gwithian Towans. Both have direct beach access within a couple of minutes. The Godrevy end has a cafe and toilets. The Towans end has less infrastructure.
Busy in the main access areas but the beach is so long that you can always find space by walking. Surf schools operate near the car parks. The local crew tend to know which section is working best and congregate there. Autumn midweek sessions are quiet; summer weekends are busy near the car parks but empty 500m in either direction.
Gwithian rewards those willing to walk. The peaks 10 minutes from the car park are usually better shaped and far less crowded. The Red River section can produce longer rides along the sandbar edge. If the wind swings onshore, check Porthmeor in St Ives which has different exposure. The Jam Pot cafe at Gwithian Towans is a local favourite.
No recent check-ins. Be the first to report.
Record your session, conditions and gear.
Based on historical weekly averages
Combining historical conditions with school holiday crowd pressure to find the sweet spot.
How busy each week is based on school holiday overlap from feeder markets.
The timing score combines two signals: historical conditions quality (how good the skiing or surfing typically is in a given week, based on 5 years of weather data) and crowd pressure (how many of this destination's feeder markets have school holidays that week).
Crowd pressure is weighted by each feeder country's share of visitors. If 40% of a resort's visitors come from France and France is on holiday, that contributes 0.40 to the crowd pressure score. Crowds can reduce the timing score by up to 35%, ensuring conditions still matter most.
Scores: 5 = great conditions with low crowds (the sweet spot). 4 = great conditions with moderate crowds, or good conditions with low crowds. 3 = average. 2 = below average conditions or very crowded. 1 = poor conditions or peak holiday chaos.
Last 28 days of logged conditions.
Sign up to save favourite spots and get surf alerts
Create free accountCreate a free profile and let employers in Gwithian find you.
Create Profile →Current conditions refresh every 3 hours when the cron runs. Hourly data updates every 30 minutes. The 7-day forecast, luck factor, and packing notes are all pre-computed at the same time.
We compare the 7-day forecast to the last 5 years of marine data for the same week at Gwithian. The delta tells you whether conditions are shaping up better, worse, or about the same as a typical mid-June.
We score each day of the 7-day forecast using the same algorithm as the leaderboard, and highlight the highest scorer.
Open-Meteo's Marine API (swell height, period, water temperature) and Weather API (wind and conditions).
Honestly, no. Every break has tide windows, swell directions and reef contours that a global model cannot see. Treat the score as a starting point, then check a local cam.
The best week for surf at Gwithian is the week of 23 November (score 3/5) with low crowds.
Barely any swell. Not much to work with today. Short-period chop. The waves lack any real push. Strong onshore blowing everything out. Give it a miss. Best conditions early morning before the sea breeze arrives. Not enough swell to get this spot firing properly.
Looking clean - lifeguarded, sandy bottom, 14 C water.
Moderate water clarity: ~7m visibility
Updated 10:31
Daily scores over the last 12 months at Gwithian