Beach
both
Level 4/10

Praa Sands

South Cornwall, UK
🌀Strong rips👥Crowded

Praa Sands is south Cornwall's most popular beach break--a south-facing cove that catches SW groundswell.

10-Day Forecast
Today9
0
Poor
0.3m@10s
12km/h
Mon10
0
Poor
0.5m@7s
10km/h
Tue11
7
Poor
0.3m@14s
14km/h
Wed12
5
Poor
0.8m@3s
12km/h
Thu13
22
Poor
0.9m@11s
17km/h
Fri14
6
Poor
0.8m@10s
20km/h
Sat15
4
Poor
0.6m@9s
21km/h
Sun16
2
Poor
0.4m@8s
22km/h
Mon17
4
Poor
0.2m@7s
21km/h
Tue18
0
Poor
0.3m@8s
8km/h
Groomed 5+ days out, less certain

Today's Conditions

Find Flights
Best session: MorningAM 7 km/h · PM 15 km/h · Low tide at 8am (1.4m)
Swell
0.3m
WNW(288°)
Score: 1/25
Period
10s
Medium period swell
Score: 7/25
Wind
12km/h
NW(308°)
Score: 9/25
Weather
20°C
0.0mm33%
First light 5:32amSunrise 6:02amSunset 8:51pmLast light 9:21pm
Windswell0.1m@1sSecondary0.1mConfidence
100%

Location & Conditions

Loading map...
0°45°90°135°180°225°270°315°NESW
Swell
Wind
Showing forecast for today

Hourly Forecast, Tide & Strike Windows

Strike window: 5:32–11:54am · through lowStrike window: 3:57–9:21pm · through lowIdeal tide: low to mid
6am
9am
12pm
3pm
6pm
6am
9am
12pm
3pm
6pm
6am
9am
12pm
3pm
6pm
6am
9am
12pm
3pm
6pm
6am
9am
12pm
3pm
6pm
6am
9am
12pm
3pm
6pm
6am
9am
12pm
3pm
6pm
6am
9am
12pm
3pm
6pm
6am
9am
12pm
3pm
6pm
6am
9am
12pm
3pm
6pm
°C
13°
19°
23°
22°
21°
18°
20°
21°
22°
22°
16°
20°
24°
25°
23°
18°
22°
26°
29°
27°
19°
22°
24°
24°
21°
19°
22°
25°
24°
22°
17°
19°
22°
21°
19°
17°
18°
20°
19°
18°
16°
17°
20°
20°
19°
15°
17°
21°
22°
20°
2m1.0
sec
11s
10s
9s
9s
8s
8s
7s
7s
7s
7s
14s
14s
14s
14s
14s
10s
3s
3s
3s
3s
11s
11s
11s
11s
11s
10s
10s
10s
10s
10s
9s
9s
9s
9s
9s
8s
8s
8s
8s
8s
7s
7s
7s
7s
7s
8s
8s
8s
8s
8s
swell
windkm/h
8g13
7g13
14g27
15g28
16g28
9g16
8g16
11g20
10g25
14g25
8g12
14g23
15g28
17g31
17g28
13g19
14g23
16g27
8g19
11g22
15g24
16g27
16g30
18g33
20g34
16g25
17g29
20g36
23g40
25g42
23g37
19g33
17g34
23g46
24g49
23g41
23g42
21g46
22g46
24g45
19g34
20g36
21g44
22g46
21g44
6g17
5g14
7g20
10g25
12g29
tidem
1:00am4.0m
8:00am1.4m
1:44pm4.1m
8:47pm1.2m
2:23am4.0m
9:19am1.1m
3:03pm4.3m
9:56pm0.8m
3:36am4.3m
10:21am0.8m
4:06pm4.7m
4:31am4.5m
11:13am0.4m
4:56pm4.9m
5:20am4.7m
11:58am0.1m
5:40pm5.0m
6:05am4.8m
12:40pm0.1m
6:20pm5.2m
1:06am0.0m
6:42am4.9m
1:18pm0.2m
7:00pm5.1m
1:43am0.1m
7:19am4.8m
1:55pm0.3m
7:37pm4.9m
2:17am0.4m
7:57am4.6m
2:28pm0.6m
8:15pm4.8m
Ideal tide (from tide preference)Strike windowNight

Tide times today

1:00 am
High tide - 3.96m
8:00 am
Low tide - 1.39m
1:44 pm
High tide - 4.06m
8:47 pm
Low tide - 1.21m
Times shown in spot-local time.

Strike Score Breakdown

0
Poor
Components
Swell Direction0/25
Swell Size1/25
Swell Period7/25
Wind9/25
Raw Score17/100
Adjustments
💨 Gusty Wind-4
⚠️ Weak Component-10
📉 Undersized Swell-9
🚫 Undersized Capmax 15
Adjusted Score0/100
Confidence
Multiplier×1.00
Final Score0

Plan Your Strike

Return flights to NQY, departing today with a 5-day trip window.

Search Flights on Skyscanner
See where's firing right nowToday's best waves worldwide, scored live
Free Strike Report

Know when Europe is about to fire

Get the best strike windows in Europe — and worldwide — in your inbox every Monday & Thursday. Live Strike Scores, the swell behind them, zero fluff.

Free forever. Two emails a week. Unsubscribe anytime.

For real surf travel

Get the full Praa Sands trip window

Pro unlocks the 10-day forecast window, unlimited alerts, and custom spot tracking that help turn a good-looking surf report into a better travel decision.

10-day window

See the trip window before flights get expensive.

Unlimited alerts

Let the app watch your score threshold for you.

Custom spots

Track the breaks that actually matter to your travel plans.

Swell Requirements

Optimal direction
SSW (210°)
Direction range
180° - 250°
Size range
0.9m - 2.5m
Ideal size
2.0m
Height multiplier
0.92×
Ideal period
13s+

Wind Requirements

Optimal direction
NNE (20°)
Offshore range
350° - 60°

Tide Requirements

Optimal tide
low to mid

Water temp

12°C

Wetsuit

5/4mm + boots

Difficulty

4/10

Crowd level

7/10

Frequently Asked Questions

What tide is best at Praa Sands?

Praa Sands works best on a low to mid tide. The tide chart above shows today’s strike window.

What wind direction is offshore at Praa Sands?

Offshore wind at Praa Sands blows from the NNE (20°). Anything in the 350° to 60° range grooms the faces; outside it, expect chop or bumpy conditions.

What swell size and direction work best at Praa Sands?

Praa Sands wants SSW swell (180° to 250°) between 0.9m and 2.5m, with a period of 13s or more for quality waves.

When is the best time of year to surf Praa Sands?

The main season at Praa Sands is Oct, Nov, Dec, Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr. A secondary window runs May, Sep.

How do I get to Praa Sands?

Fly into NQY, then allow about 55 minutes by road.

What kind of wave is Praa Sands?

Praa Sands is a beach break, a peak with lefts and rights. Difficulty is rated 4/10.

Best Season

Peak: Oct, Nov, Dec, Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr

Secondary: May, Sep

Getting There

Airport
NQY
Drive time
55 min
Data quality
verified

Strike Log

Community Discussion