Crantock Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s break down what Crantock has on offer over the next couple of weeks. I’ll be honest, it’s a tough run – mostly small, junky, and blown-out. There’s a faint light at the end of the tunnel for the final day, but we’ve got a lot of quiet days to sit through first.

Right now and through the bulk of this stretch, the surf is tiny. We’re looking at waves mostly around 1 foot for days on end. The wind is a mixed bag – we do get a clean, glassy morning on Friday the 17th with a light southeast breeze and the ocean looking like a sheet of glass, but the swell is just not there. The combined swell energy is barely registering, with values like 19 to 30, so it’s weak as spit. Expect long lulls and barely a wave.

We then hit a long stretch from Saturday the 18th right through to Tuesday the 28th of July where the wind is mostly cross-onshore or onshore, often blowing a fresh 12 to 18 mph. The swell stays stubbornly small, under 3 feet, and the period is short – mostly 5 to 6 seconds, which means weak, crumbly surf. The energy values hang around the 30 to 80 mark. This isn't surf you'd paddle out for; honestly, with that northerly wind chopping it up, it might look better for a kite surfer than a paddle surfer. There are a couple of brief moments – like Tuesday the 21st morning with some clean conditions and a northeast cross-off breeze, but again the swell is just 3 feet of weak, short-period stuff.

Now, let’s talk about that very end of the forecast. Wednesday the 29th of July shows a bump in swell height to a consistent 3 feet from the west, but the period is still short at 6 seconds and the wind is a moderate cross-onshore from the north. The wave energy (113) finally creeps into the moderate range, but it’s not clean. Still, it's an improvement.

The standout for this whole outlook, and I mean the only real reason to feel some stoke, is Thursday the 30th of July. The swell picks up to about 5 feet from the west-northwest, with a combined energy of 188 (moderate). Now, the wind is a cross-onshore breeze from the west-northwest around 9 to 12 mph, which will keep it a bit lumpy and choppy – this isn't perfect, but it’s the most size we’ve seen in two weeks. That 5-foot surf is borderline for beginners, so more confident intermediate paddlers will have the best of it. Crantock is a river mouth setup, sheltered and exposed to a west swell, which matches the direction we’re getting. Expect some peaks. Mind you, this is a week and a half out, so the details are promising but not locked in.

To sum it up: we’ve got a long, flat, and often windy stretch, with a possible pulse of waist-to-chest high surf on Thursday the 30th being the best bet. The water temp is sitting near 64°, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year, so you can leave the thick suit at home. It’s a tough outlook, but that’s how it goes sometimes – forecasts can change. Keep an eye on that last day.

- Rusty.

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