Britain's surf capital: Fistral and a handful of town beaches facing different directions. 10 spots within 10 km of Newquay: 10 beach breaks. 2 suit beginners.
Intermediate: Whipsiderry (Epic, 1.3 m, offshore around 08:00), Watergate Bay (Good, 1.4 m, offshore around 08:00), Mawgan Porth (Good, 1.2 m, cross-offshore around 08:00)
Beginners: Perranporth (Fair, 1.4 m, cross-shore around 09:00), Tolcarne (Fair, 0.8 m, offshore around 08:00)
Advanced: Watergate Bay (Good, 1.4 m, offshore around 08:00), Whipsiderry (Good, 1.3 m, offshore around 08:00)
Forecast updated 20 Oct, 01:03 UTC.
The spots
Tolcarne · beach break, intermediate, best on WSW/W/WNW swell with SE/SSE/S wind, all tides. Newquay's town-centre beach next to Great Western, with sandbanks that handle most tides on west swell and a south-southeast wind. It fills with learners and locals…
Lusty Glaze · beach break, intermediate, best on WSW/W/WNW swell with ESE/SE/SSE wind, all tides. A cove at Newquay reached by steps, with peaks that work at most tides on west swell and a southeast wind. Rips and rocks along the sides call for care.
Porth Beach (Newquay) · beach break, beginner, best on W/WNW/NW swell with ESE/SE/SSE wind, all tides. A short beach on the north side of Newquay with a left that favours west-northwest swell and a southeast wind. It works across the tide and is usually less packed than…
Whipsiderry · beach break, intermediate, best on W/WNW/NW swell with ESE/SE/SSE wind, all tides. A small cove between Porth and Watergate that favours a left on west-northwest swell. It needs a southeast wind to stay clean, and you reach it by steps down the cliff.
Fistral Beach · beach break, intermediate, best on WSW/W swell with SE/E wind, low tide. The best-known surf beach in England, home to national contests. Fairly consistent, strongest at the northern end where the peak peels left along the headland.
Watergate Bay · beach break, intermediate, best on WNW/W swell with SE/ESE wind, all tides. Two-mile Newquay beach with consistent beach break peaks and a strong school presence. Handles bigger swell than most Cornish beaches.
Crantock · beach break, intermediate, best on WSW/W/WNW swell with ESE/SE/SSE wind, low tide. Sits beside the Gannel estuary, so the sandbar shifts and the good waves come around low tide. West swell with a southeast wind is the combination; keep an eye on the…
Mawgan Porth · beach break, intermediate, best on W/WNW/NW swell with ENE/E/ESE wind, all tides. A river-mouth beach where a left tends to form off the stream and rocks on bigger west-northwest swell. Rips run hard here, and an east wind is what you want.
Holywell Bay · beach break, intermediate, best on WSW/W/WNW swell with ESE/SE/SSE wind, all tides. A wide open beach that picks up most west swell and tends to be less crowded than Newquay. The wave works across the tide, but the rips are strong.
Perranporth · beach break, beginner, best on W swell with ESE/E wind, low to mid tide. Long wide beach on the north Cornish coast with plenty of room to spread out. Mostly mellow, with reasonably consistent small to mid-sized waves at low tide.
When to surf in Newquay
Best months for intermediate surfers: February to April, September, November. For beginners: April. The water goes from about 10 °C in February (6/5 mm hooded) to 19 °C in July (3/2 mm fullsuit). Best-known spots: Fistral Beach. 2 of the 10 spots suit beginners, such as Porth Beach (Newquay), Perranporth.