Portcew
Surf spot · UK
Is it worth the trip?
30Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Tue 3: 3 ft swell at 5 s, 3 hours of offshore wind, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Tue 3 · 59 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 57kJ
- Wind
- NE 11 kn
- Temp
- 11°C
Wed 4 · 53 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 75kJ
- Wind
- ENE 13 kn
- Temp
- 10°C
Thu 5 · 14 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft9 shollow
- Energy
- 48kJ
- Wind
- ENE 13 kn
- Temp
- 11°C
Fri 6 · 17 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft9 shollow
- Energy
- 21kJ
- Wind
- NNE 5 kn
- Temp
- 12°C
Sat 7 · 6 out of 100
- Swell
- under 1 ft10 s
- Energy
- 4kJ
- Wind
- NNE 1 kn
- Temp
- 11°C
Sun 8 · 6 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft7 shollow
- Energy
- 6kJ
- Wind
- SE 8 kn
- Temp
- 12°C
Mon 9 · 12 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft6 shollow
- Energy
- 22kJ
- Wind
- ESE 19 kn
- Temp
- 12°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Mon 228, too small
- Tue 359, fair
- Wed 453, fair
- Thu 514, too small
- Fri 617, too small
- Sat 76, too small
- Sun 86, too small
- Mon 912, too small
- Tue 1031, poor
- Wed 110, too big
The spot in five facts
- Faces Stakes swell from the S
- Offshore: Nwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 3–11 ftof swell
- Water 13 °C4/3 wetsuit and boots
Full forecast
every day, every number
| Day | Score for intermediates | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 28, too small | 2 ft9 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 49kJ | offshorewind from the north-east, 8 knots, offshore | 11°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 59, fair | 3 ft5 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 57kJ | offshorewind from the north-east, 11 knots, offshore | 11°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 53, fair | 3 ft6 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 75kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 13 knots, offshore | 10°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 14, too small | 2 ft9 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 48kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 13 knots | 11°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 17, too small | 1 ft9 shollow1 ft at break (est.) | 21kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-east, 5 knots, offshore | 12°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 6, too small | under 1 ft10 s1 ft at break (est.) | 4kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-east, 1 knot, offshore | 11°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 6, too small | 1 ft7 shollow1 ft at break (est.) | 6kJ | wind from the south-east, 8 knots | 12°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 12, too small | 2 ft6 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 22kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 19 knots | 12°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 31, poor | 6 ft8 smushy7 ft at break (est.) | 336kJ | wind from the east, 11 knots | 15°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 0, too big | 7 ft9 shollow9 ft at break (est.) | 718kJ | wind from the east, 9 knots | 15°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 04:12 −1.4 mHigh 09:59 +1.6 mLow 17:02 −1.5 mHigh 22:43 +1.2 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 05:31 −1.3 mHigh 11:19 +1.4 mLow 18:18 −1.5 m
- Wed 4 NovHigh 00:09 +1.2 mLow 06:45 −1.4 mHigh 12:41 +1.5 mLow 19:25 −1.7 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.
Best time to go
No month stands out
Good days in a typical week, each month, for intermediate surfers, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).
- Jan1of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb0of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar1of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr1of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May1of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun0of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul0of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug0of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep1of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct1of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov1of 7: a trip from Tue 3 Nov
- Dec0of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Dec
Tap a month to see this spot for a trip then.
Typical, not a forecast.
Map
the spot and its town
Portcew on Google Maps · Directions
Each place wears its best day on these dates, a surf spot for intermediates: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.
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More surf near here
5 places
- Praa Sands 1.9 km away
- Porthleven Beach 3.6 km away
- Porthleven 3.7 km away
- Prussia Cove 3.9 km away
- Perranuthnoe 6.1 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Portcew
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces S (201°), so it takes swell from the S. The wind blows offshore from the N (21°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 3–11 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves steeply: 10 m deep about 150 m out (1 in 15). 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 Porthleven, 3.6 km away (11 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 4 surf spots and 1 climbing area.
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$2,420 each
about US$1,310–US$2,420 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 2 November 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$436–US$899 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$141–US$235 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$282–US$470 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$315–US$584 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$134–US$228 |
| Total | about US$1,310–US$2,420 |
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
Ad Links marked Ad may pay us if you book. You pay the same, and they never change a score. How we earn
9 min by car · 15 places to stay
about US$107/nightcountry average
About Praa Sands its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Porthleven on Booking.com
11 min by car · 23 places to stay
- Beds in Perranuthnoe on Booking.com
14 min by car · 28 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 2 November 2026.
Getting there: about 16h 40m
About 16h 40m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → NQY, changing at Dublin Airport (DUB), then 1h 05m by road
Flights ORD → NQY on your dates · AviasalesAdeSIM for your phone · Search on AiraloAd
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.
In the water
Saved: this link opens the same trip
The link holds the trip itself: nothing about you is kept. Check the forecast again before you book.