Surf spot

Falmouth Beaches (Gylly,Swanpool,Maenporth)

Forecast conditions and map view for Falmouth Beaches (Gylly,Swanpool,Maenporth) in UK, Cornwall South. Open the interactive surf map to inspect wind, waves, and nearby spots.

Country: UK, Cornwall South
Coordinates: 50.1402, -5.0762

Metric
Metric	00:00	03:00	06:00	09:00	12:00	15:00	18:00	21:00	00:00	03:00	06:00	09:00	12:00	15:00	18:00	21:00	00:00	03:00	06:00	09:00	12:00	15:00	18:00	21:00	00:00	03:00	06:00	09:00	12:00	15:00	18:00	21:00	00:00	03:00	06:00	09:00	12:00	15:00	18:00	21:00	00:00	03:00	06:00	09:00	12:00	15:00	18:00	21:00	00:00	03:00	06:00	09:00	12:00	15:00	18:00	21:00
Wave height (m)	0.7	0.6	0.5	0.6	0.6	0.7	0.9	0.9	0.8	0.9	0.9	0.8	0.7	0.8	0.9	0.9	1.1	1	0.9	0.9	0.8	0.7	0.8	0.6	0.7	0.6	0.8	0.8	0.8	1	1	1.2	1.3	1.3	1.3	1.3	1.2	1.1	1	0.9	0.7	0.6	0.3	0.9	0.7	0.8	0.8	1	1.3	1.2	1.2	1.3	1.2	1.1	1	0.9
Wave direction	WSW	WSW	W	W	W	W	W	W	W	W	W	W	W	W	W	W	W	W	W	W	W	W	W	W	W	W	WSW	W	W	W	W	W	W	W	W	W	W	W	W	W	W	W	WNW	W	WSW	WSW	WSW	WNW	WSW	WNW	WNW	WNW	W	WNW	WNW	WNW
Wave period (s)	5.4	5.3	6.9	7	4.7	4.9	4.8	4.9	7.5	7.3	7.2	7.3	6.6	7	4.9	7	5.4	5.7	5.8	5.3	5.5	5.6	5.2	4.3	4.6	4.8	4	6.7	6.8	6.2	6.3	6	6.2	6	6.5	7.2	8.2	8.3	8.3	7.6	8.7	8.8	9.2	7.8	8	8.1	8.1	8.7	7.2	9.2	9.3	8.3	6.3	9	8.5	8.3
Wave energy (kJ)	30	23	28	32	18	25	34	37	76	79	77	66	48	64	36	71	68	59	52	46	41	34	31	14	18	19	20	51	53	70	76	105	124	122	138	170	185	161	143	102	78	59	17	108	66	80	79	156	173	241	238	228	112	182	133	118
Wind speed (km/h)	5.8	8.7	11.2	22.9	24.9	25	19.5	19.1	19.4	21.1	20.4	15.4	17	17.3	13	8.3	11.4	12.2	12.5	17.8	19.9	20.9	15.2	10.7	11	10.3	10.5	20.6	28.3	29.4	23	14.4	17.5	24.7	26.6	27.9	23.7	25.7	16.8	12.3	13	18.3	24.6	26.5	29.6	29.3	24.5	15.4	11.3	10.4	14	16.7	14.9	20.5	9.7	8.2
Wind direction	WSWCross	SWCross-on	SWCross-on	SWCross-on	SWCross	WSWCross	WSWCross	SWCross	WSWCross	WSWCross	WSWCross	WSWCross	WCross-off	WCross-off	WCross-off	WSWCross	WSWCross	WSWCross	SWCross-on	SWCross	SWCross-on	SWCross-on	SSWCross-on	SWCross-on	SWCross-on	WSWCross	WCross-off	NWOffshore	NWOffshore	NWOffshore	NWOffshore	WNWCross-off	NWOffshore	NNWOffshore	NNWOffshore	NNWOffshore	NWOffshore	NWOffshore	NWCross-off	WCross-off	WCross-off	WCross	WCross	WNWCross-off	NWOffshore	NWOffshore	NWOffshore	WNWCross-off	WNWCross-off	WNWCross-off	WNWCross-off	WNWCross-off	WCross	WCross-off	WSWCross	WSWCross

Falmouth Beaches Surf Spot

A stretch of south Cornwall coastline near Falmouth offering several small, scenic beach-break options. Gyllyngvase (Gylly) is the most reliable of the three for surf, with a sandy bay that can pick up manageable waves on W, SW, and S swells, especially with light offshore northerlies. Swanpool is more sheltered and usually smaller, often better for beginners or mellow summer conditions. Maenporth is a broader sandy beach that can produce fun, peeling waves when the swell lines up, though it can also be inconsistent due to its exposure and the surrounding coastline.

What it’s like

Wave type: Beach break / small bay surf
Best swell: SW to S
Best wind: N to NE offshore
Difficulty: Beginner to intermediate, depending on conditions
Crowds: Can get busy in summer, especially at Gylly
Hazards: Shorebreak, rocks at the edges, strong tides and local currents in bigger surf

Overall

This is a fun, scenic, and accessible surf area rather than a heavy-wave destination. It’s best when a decent Atlantic swell hits and winds are clean. Great for shortboard, funboard, and learner sessions, with each beach offering slightly different shelter and wave quality.