Crantock Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's have a look at what's on the table for the next couple of weeks.

Right off the bat, I've got to be straight with you – it's a tough one. We're looking at Crantock, a river mouth setup that's pretty sheltered. The forecast is showing a whole lot of "poor surf conditions" all the way through. There's no standout session, and really, no sessions that are even worth paddling out for. The best we can say is that the first decent bit of energy doesn't show up until the 27th of August, but even then, the wind is a mess.

We're talking about a long gap here. From now until the 26th of August, there's nothing. The swell is tiny, mostly under 2ft, and what little there is gets chopped up by onshore or cross-shore breezes. The water temp is 65°, which is a touch warmer than we'd normally expect for this time of year, but that's small comfort when you're staring at flat, bumpy water.

Things finally get a pulse on Thursday the 27th of August. We've got a 3ft swell from the SW, but the period is a short 8 seconds. The combined energy jumps to 131 (moderate), which is something, but the wind is a cross-offshore in the morning and then swings to a fresh cross-shore in the afternoon with lumpy chop. It's a tease.

The 28th brings a bit more size, up to 5ft from the WSW, and the energy is solid at 346 (moderate). But again, the wind is a problem – cross-shore and lumpy. By the afternoon, it's a strong cross-onshore, making it messy. The swell is there, but the quality isn't.

The 29th of August sees the biggest swell of the run, hitting 7ft from the W. That's expert-only territory at Crantock, especially with a short 8-second period. The energy is strong at 639, but the wind is a fresh cross-onshore, creating lumpy, ugly conditions. This setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing, to be honest.

The rest of the first week of September is much the same story. The swell drops back down, and the wind remains onshore or cross-onshore with a chop. There's a pulse of 5ft on the 4th of September, but the wind is lumpy again. The 6th of September has a long-period swell at 12 seconds, but it's a tiny 1ft and the wind is howling at 25 mph.

Honestly, if you're desperate for a paddle, the cleanest windows are on the 25th of August morning with a 2ft swell and a light offshore, or the 30th of August afternoon with a 5ft swell and a clean cross-offshore. But don't expect much.

This is a blank run for Crantock. It's a sheltered spot, so when the wind is wrong, it's really wrong. The forecasts can change, but as it stands, leave the board in the shed.

Rusty.

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