Crantock Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s on the cards for the next stretch. Gotta be straight with you—this is a tough run. The entire 16-day window is a bit of a write-off for decent paddle surfing. The swell is bouncing around, but the wind just keeps messing it up, and the overall surf quality is consistently poor. There’s a barren stretch of nearly two weeks with nothing worth getting excited about, and then a big, messy pulse of swell shows up but with winds that ruin it.

The only spot we’ve got on the radar is Crantock (river). It’s a sheltered, beginner-friendly river break that’s fairly consistent. Water temp is sitting at 64°, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year.

We kick off on Saturday the 25th of July. The morning is clear, but we’ve got a 12 mph onshore breeze from the NW with a tiny 2 ft swell from the NW. Period is a weak 4 seconds, and combined energy is a paltry 38. It’s just poor. The afternoon doesn’t get any better—wind swings to WNW at 19 mph, cross-on, and lumpy. The swell is only 3 ft. Not worth a paddle.

Sunday the 26th of July brings a bit more size, but it’s ugly. The swell jumps to 7 ft from the WNW with a 7-second period, and combined energy is moderate (469). But the wind is howling onshore at 22 mph from the NW. It’s messy, blown-out junk. The afternoon is the same story. This is only for the hardcore or the kite surfers, honestly.

Monday the 27th of July settles down a bit. Morning has a 3 ft WNW swell, period up to 9 seconds, and a gentle onshore breeze. Energy is 204. Still, the reports say poor surf conditions. Afternoon gets a bit windier and cross-on with a 3 ft swell. No dice.

Tuesday the 28th of July is a tease. The morning goes glassy—zero wind from the ESE. The swell is a tiny 2 ft from the west with a 9-second period, energy just 62. It’s clean, but there’s virtually no power. The afternoon is cloudy with a light cross-on breeze. Not enough to ride.

From Wednesday the 29th of July right through to Saturday the 8th of August, it’s a long, sad run of small swells, poor winds, and poor surf conditions. We see a few clean moments, like Wednesday morning with a light offshore and a 2 ft swell, but it’s just too small. The energy is almost always under 100—weak. There’s a lot of cross-on and onshore wind, and the waves are choppy and lumpy. Nothing worth wetsuiting up for.

Then we hit Sunday the 2nd of August. The swell goes absolutely mental. It jumps to 12 ft from the WSW with a 10-second period. The combined energy is a massive 2248 (strong). But the wind is a strong 25 mph cross-shore from the southwest, creating a messy cross-chop. The afternoon is 12 ft from the west at 11 seconds, energy 3019, but again, 22 mph cross-shore winds. This is big, powerful, and dangerous—only for experts, and even then, it’s a washing machine. Honestly, for a river/sheltered setup like Crantock, this is more of a kite-surfing spectacle than a paddling session.

The rest of the week into the 9th of August sees the swell drop, but the wind stays onshore or cross-on, keeping everything poor. The 8th of August has a 7 ft west swell at 10 seconds (energy 715), but it’s cross-on and choppy. The 9th is similar.

So, that’s the story. A long, flat start, then a massive, blown-out swell that’s only for the brave or the kite crew. Forecasts can change, but right now, I’d leave the board in the car.

Rusty.

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