Crantock Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s brewing for Crantock over the next couple of weeks.

First up, the water temp is sitting at 65°F, which is a solid 4°F warmer than usual for this time of year. That’s proper noticeable – you’ll be in shorties or even just a spring suit, no question.

Now, the bad news. The forecast is a pretty grim run for the first week and a half. There’s a big gap with no real surf to speak of. From Tuesday 14th July right through to Friday 24th July, we are looking at tiny, weak waves. The swell energy is underwater – we’re talking values down in the 20s and 30s (70 on the 14th, then dropping to 24, 42, 43). The swell height barely breaks 1ft to 2ft, and the period is all over the place, mostly short and weak. The wind is often cross-off or cross-on, but with barely any wave to work with, it’s just flat and frustrating. The note says “poor surf conditions” for every single one of those days – and that’s the truth. The river mouth setup at Crantock is sheltered, so it needs a decent push from the west to get going, and we just aren’t getting it.

Things start to look a little more interesting around Friday 24th July. The Friday morning session sees a spike in swell energy to 109, which is moderate, and the period stretches to 12 seconds. That’s a bit of a groundswell pulse. The wind is a strong cross-off from the ESE at 28 mph, so it’s clean, but that wind is howling. It’s surfable but only just.

The standout of the whole run, and I mean the only real bright spot, is Saturday 25th July. Saturday morning we’ve got 3ft of swell from the west, with a light cross-off breeze from the ESE. The energy is moderate at 105. Then on Saturday afternoon, it gets even better. The wind drops to a glassy 3 mph from the ENE. Swell holds at 3ft from the west, and the energy bumps up to 128. It’s clean, it’s glassy, and it’s the best on offer. The swell direction is straight from the west, which is the optimum direction for Crantock. It’s small, but for a river break, that’s a fun, friendly wave. The crowds are listed as “often” here, so expect company on the sandbar.

Sunday 26th July through Monday 27th July sees a big jump in size. The swell builds to 7ft on Monday morning with a massive energy reading of 581. That’s strong wave energy. But the wind is cross-off from the south at 15-22 mph, and it’s clean. The problem is, at 7ft, this is getting into the expert-only zone for a river mouth, and the period is short (8-9 seconds), so it’s going to be a bit lumpy and dumpy. The notes still say “poor surf conditions” – likely because the quality isn’t there for the size. This is serious water moving, and not for the faint-hearted.

After that, the swell drops back down through Tuesday 28th to Wednesday 29th July, with 6ft to 4ft and energy dropping from 687 down to 188. The wind shifts to cross-shore and cross-on, so it gets choppy and messy. Not worth paddling out for.

So, to wrap it up: if you want a wave, wait for Saturday 25th July. The morning is okay, but the afternoon is the pick – glassy, clean, waist-high peelers. The rest of the window is either flat, too windy, or too big and messy. Don’t hold your breath for the first week.

Rusty.

Read more