Crantock Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s take a look at what’s on the menu for the next couple of weeks at Crantock. I’ll be straight with you – it’s a tough outlook. The entire 16-day window is a barren run of poor surf conditions, with no real standouts to get excited about. The first surfable, but very ordinary, conditions don’t show up until Wednesday the 12th of August, and even then it’s nothing to write home about. Before that, it’s a long stretch of flat or messy waves.

The first real chance to even wet a line comes on the morning of Monday the 3rd of August. The wind goes glassy with a light breeze from the SW, and there’s a tiny 3 ft swell from the WSW with a period of 8 seconds. The combined energy is a weak 99 (moderate wave energy), so it’s barely a ripple. The water temperature is about average for the time of year, so no worries there. But honestly, it’s not worth paddling out for.

The pattern stays poor for days. On Tuesday the 4th, the morning has clean conditions with a cross-offshore wind, but the swell is only 2 ft. By the afternoon, the wind swings cross-shore and the swell picks up to 4 ft, but it’s a choppy mess with a combined energy of 118 (moderate wave energy). The period is a short 7 seconds, so it’s weak and bumpy. Wednesday the 5th sees the swell climbing to 4 ft in the morning and 5 ft in the afternoon, but the wind is on it, gusting up to 19 mph, making it lumpy and cross-onshore. The energy jumps to 249 (moderate wave energy) in the afternoon, but the quality is rubbish.

The next few days are a write-off. Thursday the 6th has onshore winds and a dropping 4 ft swell. Friday the 7th is flat and glassy but with only 1.0 ft of swell. Saturday the 8th and Sunday the 9th are choppy and blown out. Monday the 10th is glassy again but tiny.

The only faint glimmer of hope comes on the morning of Tuesday the 11th of August. There’s a 4 ft swell from the W with a period of 10 seconds, which is a decent groundswell. The combined energy is a solid 331 (moderate wave energy). But the wind is cross-onshore, so it’s still going to be a bit bumpy. The afternoon sees the swell jump to 5 ft with a period of 10 seconds and energy of 530 (strong wave energy), but the wind is still cross-onshore, making it “gentle cross-onshore and fairly choppy.” For a break like Crantock, which is a river mouth and sheltered, that onshore wind is a killer.

Finally, on the morning of Wednesday the 12th of August, we get a small window of “surfable waves but very ordinary conditions.” The swell is 4 ft from the W with a period of 9 seconds, and the wind is a light cross-offshore from the SSW, which should keep it clean. The combined energy is 240 (moderate wave energy). It’s the best we’ll see, but it’s a 1 out of 10 in the scoring, so don’t expect much. The afternoon goes back to cross-shore chop.

From there, it’s straight back into the doldrums. Thursday the 13th has light rain and a fresh cross-offshore wind, but the swell is dropping. Friday the 14th and Saturday the 15th are blown out with strong winds. The whole thing ends on Sunday the 16th with a strong breeze and messy, lumpy waves.

There’s nothing here that’s going to get the heart pumping. Crantock is a consistent spot, so it’s a bit of a surprise to see such a blank run. But it happens. The forecasts can change, so keep an eye on it, but right now, I’d leave the board at home. If you’re desperate, the morning of Wednesday the 12th is your only hope, and even then, it’s just ordinary.

Rusty.

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