Porthleven Beach
Surf spot · UK
Is it worth the trip?
31Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Tue 3: 3 ft swell at 5 s, 3 hours of offshore wind
Mon 2 · 29 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft9 shollow
- Energy
- 52kJ
- Wind
- NE 9 kn
- Temp
- 12°C
Tue 3 · 43 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 56kJ
- Wind
- NNE 11 kn
- Temp
- 11°C
Wed 4 · 35 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft10 shollow
- Energy
- 63kJ
- Wind
- ENE 15 kn
- Temp
- 9°C
Thu 5 · 29 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 16kJ
- Wind
- NE 13 kn
- Temp
- 10°C
Fri 6 · 32 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft4 smushy
- Energy
- 27kJ
- Wind
- E 4 kn
- Temp
- 11°C
Sat 7 · 19 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft9 shollow
- Energy
- 25kJ
- Wind
- S 2 kn
- Temp
- 10°C
Sun 8 · 7 out of 100
- Swell
- under 1 ft10 s
- Energy
- 4kJ
- Wind
- E 3 kn
- Temp
- 10°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 171, good
- Mon 229, too small
- Tue 343, poor
- Wed 435, too small
- Thu 529, too small
- Fri 632, too small
- Sat 719, too small
- Sun 87, too small
- Mon 912, too small
- Tue 1033, too small
The spot in five facts
- Faces SWtakes swell from the SW
- Offshore: NEwind 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
The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.
Porthleven Beach does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for intermediates, so you can see what it does.
| Day | Scorefor Intermediate | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 71, good | 3 ft9 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 168kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-east, 8 knots, offshore | 13°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 29, too small | 2 ft9 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 52kJ | offshorewind from the north-east, 9 knots, offshore | 12°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 43, poor | 3 ft5 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 56kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-east, 11 knots, offshore | 11°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 35, too small | 2 ft10 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 63kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 15 knots, offshore | 9°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 29, too small | 2 ft5 smushy1 ft at break (est.) | 16kJ | offshorewind from the north-east, 13 knots, offshore | 10°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 32, too small | 3 ft4 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 27kJ | wind from the east, 4 knots | 11°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 19, too small | 1 ft9 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 25kJ | wind from the south, 2 knots | 10°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 7, too small | under 1 ft10 s1 ft at break (est.) | 4kJ | wind from the east, 3 knots | 10°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 12, too small | 3 ft5 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 31kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 17 knots | 12°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 33, too small | 3 ft7 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 69kJ | wind from the south-west, 6 knots | 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
- Sun 1 NovLow 03:02 −1.6 mHigh 08:52 +1.8 mLow 15:46 −1.6 mHigh 21:27 +1.4 m
- Mon 2 NovLow 04:13 −1.4 mHigh 09:59 +1.6 mLow 17:02 −1.5 mHigh 22:44 +1.2 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 05:32 −1.3 mHigh 11:20 +1.4 mLow 18:19 −1.5 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 Mon 2 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, its town, photos
Porthleven Beach 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.
The map needs JavaScript. Every place on it is listed on this page, and each place's page links to Google Maps.
One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Photos of Porthleven Beach
More surf near here
5 places
- Porthleven 0.2 km away
- Portcew 3.6 km away
- Praa Sands 5.4 km away
- Prussia Cove 7.5 km away
- Perranuthnoe 9.7 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Porthleven Beach
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces SW (211°), so it takes swell from the SW. The wind blows offshore from the NE (31°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 3–11 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves moderately: 10 m deep about 200 m out (1 in 21). 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, 0 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 2 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$2,410 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 · 23 places to stay
about US$107/nightcountry average
About Porthleven its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Praa Sands on Booking.com
9 min by car · 15 places to stay
- Beds in Perranuthnoe on Booking.com
17 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 30 October 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 · Skyscanner
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.