Breakwater
Surf spot · UK
Is it worth the trip?
2Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Fri 6: too small (1 ft swell at 3 s), sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Tue 3 · 1 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft9 smushy
- Energy
- 18kJ
- Wind
- NE 16 kn
- Temp
- 12°C
Wed 4 · 2 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 25kJ
- Wind
- ENE 16 kn
- Temp
- 10°C
Thu 5 · 3 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft6 shollow
- Energy
- 19kJ
- Wind
- E 10 kn
- Temp
- 11°C
Fri 6 · 4 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft3 smushy
- Energy
- 1kJ
- Wind
- SSE 4 kn
- Temp
- 12°C
Sat 7 · 1 out of 100
- Swell
- under 1 ft12 s
- Energy
- 0kJ
- Wind
- SSE 2 kn
- Temp
- 11°C
Sun 8 · 2 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft8 shollow
- Energy
- 8kJ
- Wind
- ESE 4 kn
- Temp
- 9°C
Mon 9 · 2 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 6kJ
- Wind
- SE 19 kn
- Temp
- 12°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 9 days
Full forecast- Mon 24, too small
- Tue 31, too small
- Wed 42, too small
- Thu 53, too small
- Fri 64, too small
- Sat 71, too small
- Sun 82, too small
- Mon 92, too small
- Tue 1013, too small
The spot in five facts
- Faces Ntakes swell from the N
- Offshore: Swind from the land
- Beginner +who it suits
- Works 5–20 ftof swell
- Water 13 °C4/3 wetsuit and boots
Full forecast
every day, every number
Breakwater does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for experts, so you can see what it does.
| Day | Scorefor Expert | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 4, too small | 2 ft5 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 22kJ | wind from the north-east, 12 knots | 12°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 1, too small | 1 ft9 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 18kJ | wind from the north-east, 16 knots | 12°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 2, too small | 2 ft7 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 25kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 16 knots | 10°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 3, too small | 2 ft6 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 19kJ | wind from the east, 10 knots | 11°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 4, too small | 1 ft3 smushy1 ft at break (est.) | 1kJ | offshorewind from the south-south-east, 4 knots, offshore | 12°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 1, too small | under 1 ft12 sunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 0kJ | offshorewind from the south-south-east, 2 knots, offshore | 11°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 2, too small | 1 ft8 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 8kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 4 knots | 9°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 2, too small | 1 ft5 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 6kJ | wind from the south-east, 19 knots | 12°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 13, too small | 2 ft7 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 37kJ | offshorewind from the south-west, 7 knots, offshore | 14°C |
Energy is the swell's power, in kJ per metre of wave. Wind is in knots, the arrow where it blows to; green is offshore. More
Tide
- Mon 2 NovLow 04:08 −1.7 mHigh 10:20 +1.9 mLow 17:02 −1.8 mHigh 23:04 +1.6 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 05:36 −1.6 mHigh 11:40 +1.8 mLow 18:27 −1.8 m
- Wed 4 NovHigh 00:26 +1.6 mLow 06:57 −1.7 mHigh 12:57 +2.0 mLow 19:38 −2.0 m
Local clock times; heights about mean sea level. On open coasts the times are usually within a quarter of an hour; in bays, estuaries and on the Gulf of Mexico they can be an hour or more out. Tide: EOT20 global ocean tide model, Hart-Davis et al. 2021, DGFI-TUM (doi:10.17882/79489), CC BY 4.0. Times and heights computed by us. A model, not a tide table: check a local table before you go.
Forecast updated . It refreshes every three hours. Forecast data: ECMWF, DWD, Météo-France and NOAA, served by Open-Meteo.com (CC BY 4.0). Changed by us. Generated using E.U. Copernicus Marine Service Information.
Map
the spot, its town, photos
Breakwater on Google Maps · Directions
Each place wears its best day on these dates, a surf spot for beginners: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.
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One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Photos of Breakwater
More surf near here
5 places
- St. Ives harbour wall. 0.5 km away
- Carbis Bay 1.8 km away
- Hayle Rivermouth 3.8 km away
- Peter's point 5.6 km away
- Gwithian 6.4 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Breakwater
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces N (20°), so it takes swell from the N. The wind blows offshore from the S (200°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits beginners and up. It works in 5–20 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves moderately: 10 m deep about 200 m out (1 in 20). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hollow. The sea is about 10°C in February, its coldest month (4/3 or 5/4, boots and gloves), and 17°C in August, its warmest (3/2 wetsuit). The town to stay in is St. Ives, 0.3 km away (1 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 3 surf spots.
Water about 13°C: 4/3 wetsuit and boots. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.
The score is the conditions only: the journey, the price and the partners never change it (how we score, how we earn).
Rough cost (estimate): about US$1,310–US$2,410 each
about US$1,310–US$2,410 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, hire car, stay, food, board and wetsuit.
Our estimate from typical public prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book (where they come from). Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 30 October 2026.
How we worked it out
| What | How we worked it out | Each |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | return ORD to NQY, estimated from distance and season, changing at DUB, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$435–US$898 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$141–US$234 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$281–US$469 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$315–US$583 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$134–US$228 |
| Total | about US$1,310–US$2,410 |
For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: 3 towns
1 min by car · 180 places to stay
about US$107/nightcountry average
About St. Ives its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Carbis Bay on Booking.com
9 min by car · 118 places to stay
- Beds in Hayle on Booking.com
18 min by car · 72 places to stay
About US$107 a night is our estimate of the country's average 2-star double room that month: not each town's price, and not a quote. Drives are estimates. Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 30 October 2026.
Getting there: about 16h 35m
About 16h 35m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → NQY, changing at Dublin Airport (DUB), then 1h 05m by road
Flights ORD → NQY on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.