Crackington Haven Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's have a look at what's on the cards for our stretch of coast.

Honestly, looking at the whole 16-day window, it’s a grim picture. There’s no proper surf to get excited about at all. We’re looking at a long, long stretch of tiny, weak waves and messy wind. The only time things even get close to surfable is a single morning on the 13th of August, but it’s nothing to write home about. Otherwise, it’s a whole lot of closeouts and flat spells.

We’ll start with the first entry on Saturday the 1st of August. It’s a clear afternoon but the swell is a tiny 1 ft from the west with a period of 9 seconds. Combined energy is a paltry 33, and with a 15 km/h onshore wind, it’s just poor conditions. No joy there.

Sunday the 2nd is much the same. The morning has a light east breeze, cross-off at 5 km/h, but the swell is still only 1 ft. The afternoon picks up a northwesterly onshore breeze, dropping the wave height to 1 ft. It’s all poor.

Monday the 3rd of August mornings sees a glassy surface with the wind swinging around to a light WSW at 5 km/h. The swell nudges up to 2 ft from the west, with a 9-second period and energy reading 59. It’s glassy, but the wave quality is still marked as poor. The afternoon gets a WNW cross-on breeze, and the energy drops to 45. Not worth suiting up.

Tuesday the 4th offers a 3 ft swell from the WSW, but the period is a short 7 seconds and the wind is a moderate 20 km/h cross-shore. It’s messy cross-chop and poor surf. The afternoon is even worse with rain showers and a 25 km/h cross wind on a tiny 3 ft swell.

Wednesday the 5th sees the swell build a touch, hitting 4 ft in the morning and 5 ft in the afternoon from the west, both with short 7-second periods. But the wind is a fresh 30 km/h cross-onshore, making it lumpy and ugly. Energy gets up to 219 in the afternoon, but with that wind, it’s strictly for the kite crew, not for paddle surfing. Thursday the 6th is more of the same: 5 ft and 5 ft swell with onshore winds and rain.

This poor pattern just keeps rolling. Friday the 7th, Saturday the 8th, Sunday the 9th, all tiny waves with onshore or cross-onshore wind. The energy readings are often below 50. It’s a proper blank run.

The only glimmer in this whole outlook comes on Thursday morning, the 13th of August. The wind drops to a glassy 5 km/h from the WSW and the swell is 3 ft from the same direction, with a period of 8 seconds and a combined energy of 109. The notes say “surfable waves but very ordinary conditions” and it scores a 1 out of 10, which is the highest of the entire forecast. At Crackington Haven, a beginner-friendly spot, this is about as good as it gets. The water temperature is about average for this time of year, so no issues there. It’s not a standout by any means, but if you’re desperate, that’s your morning.

From there, it’s straight back to poor conditions. The 14th, 15th, and 16th all show building swell with the 16th of August hitting 7 ft from the WNW with a period of 7-8 seconds and strong energy of 444-494. But it’s all crossed-up and messy with onshore or cross-onshore wind. That size, with that wind, means it’s blown out and pretty ugly. It’s not for beginners at over 5 ft, and for experts it’s a messy closeout.

Honestly, there’s no proper recommendation here. The 16-day window is a write-off for surf. For this area, a blank run like this is a bit more normal, but it won’t stay poor forever. Keep an eye on the forecasts, they can change.

Rusty.

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