Crantock Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, I’ve got to be straight with you – the next 16 days at Crantock are a real mixed bag, and honestly, there’s not a lot of good surf on the menu. We’re looking at a quiet start, building into some messy, lumpy stuff, and then a few promising but distant swells towards the end. The water is sitting at 65°F, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year, so that’s a nice bonus if you’re in the water.

The first proper surf recommendation doesn’t kick in until the 6th of September, and even then it’s only a marginal call. Before that, from Tuesday 25th August right through to the 5th of September, it’s pretty much a write-off – poor conditions, cross-off or cross-on winds, small weak swells, and a lot of chop. Early on we’ve got tiny 2ft to 2ft swell from the west, with short periods of 8 to 10 seconds, and combined energy in the weak range (63 to 88). That’s not going to give you anything rideable. The 28th of August sees a bump to 5ft, but it’s a messy cross-shore and cross-onshore situation with period down to 7 seconds – not worth paddling out for. The 29th of August pushes up to 8ft to 8ft, but it’s straight onshore from the WSW with a fresh breeze making it lumpy and poor. The whole first week is a dud.

Now, the standout window – and I mean the only one worth circling – is the 6th of September, Sunday morning and afternoon. That’s where we finally see a bit of light. The swell is 10ft from the west, with a period of 10 seconds in the morning, building to 11 seconds in the afternoon. Combined energy is strong, hitting 1768 in the morning and 2195 in the afternoon. The morning has a moderate cross-shore with a cross-chop, but the afternoon gets offshore winds from the SSW, which is a clean offshore breeze. That’s a genuine window for the more experienced crew. 10ft is expert territory – don’t take a beginner out there. The swell direction is west, and the optimum swell direction for Crantock is west, so that’s spot on. It’s a river break, so it can handle bigger swell, and with that long period it’ll have some real power. But it’s a river break, so it can be inconsistent and rarely breaks, so don’t expect a non-stop wave factory. Still, if you’re confident and patient, that afternoon session on the 6th is your best bet.

After that, the 7th and 8th of September keep some size – 7ft to 8ft from the west with periods of 12 seconds, so plenty of energy (1048 to 2664), but the winds are cross-on or cross-shore, making it messy and lumpy again. The 9th of September sees a drop to 6ft, with onshore winds from the NW, so not great.

So, to sum it up: the first 12 days are a write-off. The 6th of September afternoon is the only real standout – a powerful, clean, expert-only session at Crantock. Everything else is either too small, too windy, or too messy to bother with. Stay patient.

Rusty

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