United Kingdom · Atlantic Europe
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Local knowledge and community tips for Porthmeor
Porthmeor is St Ives' surf beach, a semi-sheltered stretch of golden sand facing north-northwest at the foot of the town. The Tate St Ives gallery overlooks the beach. It picks up north-westerly swells that wrap around the Island headland. The beach is compact and produces fun, workable waves that suit intermediate surfers. Not as powerful as the open north coast beaches but more consistent than you might expect for a town beach.
Best on north-westerly swells that wrap around the headland. A south-easterly offshore wind provides clean conditions. The sheltering effect means it needs a decent swell running to produce good waves. Mid-tide often offers the best shape. Works October through April most consistently. Handles 2-5ft; above that the sections become disorganised.
The beach is relatively small with peaks forming in the centre and towards the eastern end. The inside section near the Tate is gentler. On bigger swells, an outside peak forms that offers longer rides before reforming on the inside bars. The take-off zone is fairly obvious from the lineup of local surfers.
Rocks at both ends of the beach are exposed at low tide. The headland (the Island) creates currents on bigger days. The beach is small so collisions are possible when busy. Overall a relatively safe spot compared to the exposed north coast. The main hazard is probably the distractingly beautiful setting.
St Ives car parks are limited and expensive. The park-and-ride from Lelant is recommended in summer. Alternatively, the train from St Erth drops you in town. The beach is a short walk through the cobbled streets from any direction. Facilities everywhere given it is a major tourist town.
Busy in summer with a mix of surfers, bodyboarders, and swimmers. The beach is small so it feels crowded quickly. Local surfers know the peak well. Out of season it quietens dramatically, with winter mornings sometimes offering just you and a couple of others. Surf schools operate on the inside.
Porthmeor works when the open north coast spots (Gwithian, St Agnes) are too big or when the wind is wrong. It is a good fallback rather than a primary destination. Early mornings before the town wakes up are magic here. If it is flat, the Tate gallery is genuinely world-class. The cafe on the beach serves excellent coffee. Check the sunset from the Island headland after your session.
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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.
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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 Porthmeor. 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 Porthmeor 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 offshore, clean but tough to paddle into.
Heads up: cold-shock risk.
Indicators derived from forecast data, not official warnings. Always check local lifeguard or official advice.
Moderate water clarity: ~8m visibility
Updated 10:31
Daily scores over the last 12 months at Porthmeor