Crantock Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, grab a coffee, let’s talk about Crantock.

It’s a bit of a slow start here at Crantock. The stretch ahead is a frustrating one, with a lot of days where the conditions just don’t line up. You’re looking at a gap of about nine or ten days with no real recommendations, so don’t get too excited about the first week. It’s not all bad news, but you’ll have to be patient.

The good news is that this spot is a river mouth, sheltered setup, and the optimum swell direction is from the west. So when it does come together, it can be fun.

We kick off on Tuesday the 8th into Wednesday the 9th with a fresh to strong breeze from the NNW, and it’s onshore. The swell is there, hitting about 5 ft to 6 ft with a moderate west energy (values around 342-627), but with that wind it’s just messy. Not worth suiting up for.

Thursday the 10th is a little cleaner with a light cross-offshore breeze, but the swell drops right out to 2 ft to 4 ft. The energy is weak (64-110), and it’s a short period wind swell. A beginner might find a little something, but it’s pretty lackluster.

Through Friday the 11th and into the weekend, we get some cross and cross-on winds. The swell stays around the 4 ft to 6 ft mark, with moderate energy (208-455). The wind keeps it choppy though. Not a standout.

Right into the middle of the second week, Monday the 15th looks like a small window of improvement. Morning has a clean cross-off breeze from the south, but the swell is tiny at 2 ft. The energy is weak (175). It’s a tease.

Now, the true standout comes on Friday the 18th of September. This is the one to circle. We’ve got a glassy start in the afternoon, with a light cross-offshore breeze from the ESE. The swell is a solid 4 ft to 5 ft from the west-northwest, with a nice long period of 11 seconds. That’s proper groundswell energy, with moderate to strong energy values (405-525). For a river mouth like this, that long period will really line up. The waves will hold their shape nicely. This is the best on offer, but don’t expect it to be empty – crowds are often here, so you’ll have company.

Saturday the 19th still has a decent offshore breeze, but the swell fades to 3 ft and the energy drops quickly (133). It’s surfable but nothing to write home about.

Sunday the 20th is back down to knee-high mush.

Then we’ve got a shocker coming in on Monday the 21st of September. A big, long-period groundswell (16 seconds) hits with a gale-force onshore wind. Swell is 4 ft to 5 ft, but the wind will shred it. That energy is very strong (971), but for surfing it’s a washout. That setup would be way more interesting for a kite surfer than a paddle surfer.

The last few days in the window are all onshore wind with small, fading swell. Not worth chasing.

So, bottom line: tough start, but Friday the 18th is your day. Get on it.

Stay frothy,
Rusty

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