Staying Home Sucks, home
St Ives Harbour
St. Ives harbour wall.. Photo: Peter Glyn, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

St. Ives harbour wall.

Surf spot · UK

Is it worth the trip?

3Poor out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

Best on Sat 7: too small (1 ft swell at 9 s), 3 hours of offshore wind, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Tue 3 · 1 out of 100

Swell
1 ft12 smushy
Energy
31kJ
Wind
NE 16 kn
Temp
12°C

Wed 4 · 2 out of 100

Swell
2 ft11 smushy
Energy
93kJ
Wind
ENE 15 kn
Temp
10°C

Thu 5 · 4 out of 100

Swell
2 ft9 smushy
Energy
38kJ
Wind
ENE 13 kn
Temp
11°C

Fri 6 · 4 out of 100

Swell
1 ft3 smushy
Energy
1kJ
Wind
SSE 3 kn
Temp
12°C

Sat 7 · 5 out of 100

Swell
1 ft9 shollow
Energy
19kJ
Wind
SSW 4 kn
Temp
11°C

Sun 8 · 2 out of 100

Swell
1 ft8 shollow
Energy
6kJ
Wind
ESE 10 kn
Temp
13°C

Mon 9 · 1 out of 100

Swell
1 ft5 smushy
Energy
2kJ
Wind
ESE 21 kn
Temp
13°C

Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Mon 23, too small
  2. Tue 31, too small
  3. Wed 42, too small
  4. Thu 54, too small
  5. Fri 64, too small
  6. Sat 75, too small
  7. Sun 82, too small
  8. Mon 91, too small
  9. Tue 106, too small
  10. Wed 1115, too small

The spot in five facts

  • Faces NEtakes swell from the NE
  • Offshore: SWwind 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
Forecast and score for expert surfers at St. Ives harbour wall., each day
DayScore for expertsSwellEnergyWindTemp
Mon 2Nov3, too small2 ft8 smushy2 ft at break (est.)36kJwind from the north-east, 11 knots12°C
Tue 3Nov1, too small1 ft12 smushy2 ft at break (est.)31kJwind from the north-east, 16 knots12°C
Wed 4Nov2, too small2 ft11 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.)93kJwind from the east-north-east, 15 knots10°C
Thu 5Nov4, too small2 ft9 smushy2 ft at break (est.)38kJwind from the east-north-east, 13 knots11°C
Fri 6Nov4, too small1 ft3 smushy1 ft at break (est.)1kJwind from the south-south-east, 3 knots12°C
Sat 7Nov5, too small1 ft9 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.)19kJwind from the south-south-west, 4 knots, offshore11°C
Sun 8Nov2, too small1 ft8 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.)6kJwind from the east-south-east, 10 knots13°C
Mon 9Nov1, too small1 ft5 smushy1 ft at break (est.)2kJwind from the east-south-east, 21 knots13°C
Tue 10Nov6, too small2 ft7 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.)47kJwind from the east-south-east, 14 knots14°C
Wed 11Nov15, too small2 ft9 scrumblingunder 1 ft at break (est.)77kJwind from the south-south-east, 9 knots, offshore14°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

Each place wears its best day on these dates, a surf spot for experts: 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 St. Ives harbour wall.

Porthminster Beach
Photo: Chris Morgan, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Pedn Olva and Porthminster Beach
Photo: David Smith, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
St Ives, - The Harbour at very low tide as seen from beach
Photo: Colin Park, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

More surf near here

5 places

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About St. Ives harbour wall.

Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.

The spot faces NE (28°), so it takes swell from the NE. The wind blows offshore from the SW (208°). 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 250 m out (1 in 26). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would crumble. 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, 0.5 km away (5 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$2,420 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 
Rough cost per person for this trip
WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn ORD to NQY, estimated from distance and season, changing at DUB, full-service airlines, with a hold bagabout US$436–US$899
Hire car6 days, sharedabout US$141–US$235
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, sharedabout US$282–US$470
Food7 days eating outabout US$315–US$584
Board and wetsuit5 days, or about US$114 to fly your ownabout US$134–US$228
Totalabout 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

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Closest

St. Ives

5 min by car · 180 places to stay

about US$107/nightcountry average

See 180 places to stay in St. Ives · Booking.com

About St. Ives its beds, food and every spot near it

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 35m

About 16h 35m door to door from Chicago

Fly ORD → NQY, changing at Dublin Airport (DUB), then 1h 05m by road

An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.

Saved: this link opens the same trip

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