Crantock Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Let’s be straight with you: the next couple of weeks are going to test your patience if you’re chasing waves. We’ve got a long, flat, and frankly frustrating start, then a glimmer of hope right at the end of the window. But that’s it.

The first day with anything worth paddling out for is Wednesday, August 12th. It’s still small and messy, but it’s a start. Before that, from now through Tuesday the 11th, there’s just nothing doing—swell heights are stuck around 0.7ft to 2ft, and the energy is weak (values in the 15 to 43 range). You’d be floating, not surfing.

So, Wednesday morning sees a little pulse of west swell at 3ft, but it’s barely moving. The energy ticks up to 125, which is at least moderate, and we get a light ESE offshore wind. That’s clean, but the waves are gutless. It’s surfable, but only just. Thursday the 13th is a write-off as the wind goes onshore from the NW, even though the swell tries to pick up. Friday the 14th has some size—4ft—but with a moderate cross-onshore breeze, it’s going to be chopped up and messy. Not worth your time.

We roll into the weekend of the 15th and 16th, and it’s back to dribble. 2ft with cross-onshore winds and short, weak periods. Nothing here. Monday the 17th brings a little more push—4ft—but the wind is still cross-onshore from the west, so expect bumpy, uninviting surf. Energy is moderate, around 174, but the quality is poor.

Tuesday the 18th and Wednesday the 19th offer some morning windows with light offshore or cross-off winds and 2ft to 3ft of swell. Clean, but still just tiny. You’d be on a longboard, maybe, but it’s not a highlight. Then Thursday the 20th hits hard: the wind howls from the north at 25 mph, and the swell jumps to 7ft in the afternoon. This is not surf for beginners—it’s messy, stormy, and blown out. Honestly, with those conditions and this beach setup, I’d be looking at kites rather than paddles.

Now, the one bright spot. Save your energy for Friday, August 21st. The morning shows a big jump in swell to 8ft from the WNW, with a period of 9 seconds and strong energy (817). The wind is light and cross-off from the south, so it’s going to be clean. This is the standout of the entire forecast. It’s solid and powerful, but that size is expert territory—if you’re not comfortable in overhead-plus surf, you might want to watch this one from the sand. The afternoon drops back to 5ft and the wind picks up, so the window is early.

After that, Saturday the 22nd fades back to 3ft with onshore winds. The run is over.

A note on the water: at the start of this period, the water temperature is 65°F, which is a touch warmer than average for this time of year. Not a big deal, but noticeable.

So here’s the bottom line: it’s a mostly dead stretch, with one morning of real potential on the 21st. That’s your shot. Get out there early, because it won’t last.

Rusty.

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