Crantock Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right, let’s have a look at what’s on the cards for the next couple of weeks. The river mouth at Crantock is our only spot on the radar, but honestly, folks, it’s a tough stretch. The water’s sitting at 65°F, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year, but that’s about the only nice thing I can say.

We kick off the outlook on Sunday the 30th of August, but don’t get your hopes up. The swell is there at 5ft from the WSW with a 9-second period, and the combined energy is moderate (367), but a strong cross-off wind from the SSW at 19 mph is making a mess of it. The report says poor surf conditions, and it’s a zero out of ten. The afternoon only gets worse with rain showers, a cross-shore wind, and lumpy chop.

Monday the 31st sees a big jump in size – 10ft from the W, with a 9-second period and massive energy (1386). That’s expert-only territory, but the wind is onshore and strong. It’s blown out. The whole first week, right through to Saturday the 5th of September, is a write-off. We’ve got onshore winds, cross-shore chop, and consistently poor conditions. The swell fluctuates, but the wind just ruins it every time. There’s a brief moment on Saturday morning with a 5ft swell from the W at 11 seconds, but it’s cross-on and choppy.

The first real glimmer comes on Sunday the 6th of September. The swell has dropped right off to 2ft, but the wind swings to the SSE at 16 mph, blowing offshore. The water goes clean. The only problem is the wave energy is weak (82), and the period is a short 6 seconds. It’s tiny, but it’s clean. If you’ve got a log, you might get a few ankle-biters.

Now, Monday the 7th of September is the one standout in this whole outlook. The swell picks up to 5ft from the W, with a very long 12-second period – that’s proper groundswell energy. The combined energy is moderate (692). The wind is light from the SW at 9 mph, giving us a gentle cross-shore with only slight chop. The report says it’s marginal, but compared to everything else, this is the best we’ll see. The long period means better shaped waves, but at a river mouth, it might break a bit straight. Still, it’s the only session worth paddling out for.

After that, it’s a long, slow fade. From Tuesday the 8th right through to the end of the outlook on Monday the 14th of September, the swell drops and the wind stays onshore or cross-on. The 14th has clean conditions with a light cross-off breeze, but the swell is a pathetic 1.0ft with bugger-all energy (16). There’s a slight chance on Saturday the 12th during the morning with a 3ft, 11-second period swell and clean conditions, but it’s weak.

So, to be brutally honest, the only session that’s even worth a look is the morning of Monday the 7th of September. It’s not perfect, but it’s the best we’ve got. The rest of the time, you’re better off checking the forecast again in a few days.

Rusty.

Read more