Crantock Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s be straight with you – this forecast is a tough one. We’ve got a solid 16-day window ahead, but unfortunately, the surf isn’t playing ball. For the first week and a half, there’s nothing worth paddling out for. The conditions are a real struggle, with consistent onshore and cross-onshore winds keeping things choppy and messy. The swell is tiny and weak, with combined energy readings barely scraping into the double digits or low triple digits (65, 78, 50). It’s a frustrating stretch, and I’d say save your energy for something else.

The first real sniff of anything decent doesn't arrive until Monday, August 3rd, at Crantock (river). We’re looking at a morning session with a gentle offshore wind from the SE, which should clean things up nicely. The swell is a small 4 ft from the north, with a short period of 6 seconds, so it’s not going to be powerful, but it’s surfable. The combined energy (111) is weak, but for a river break like this, clean conditions can make a difference. Water temp is sitting at 65°, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year. Keep your expectations low, though – this is a 'better than nothing' option.

After that, we’re back into a lull of tiny, weak swell and moderate to strong winds, mostly offshore. The period here is a bit longer (10-11 seconds), but the swell heights are pathetic at 1 ft. The combined energy is in the low 20s to low 30s, so don’t bother.

Now, when we get to Sunday, August 9th, things get more interesting but also trickier. A bigger swell starts to push in. The morning has a 4 ft swell from the WSW with an 8-second period, and cross-shore winds. The combined energy jumps to 330 (moderate), but the wind is going to mess it up. By the afternoon, the swell picks up to 6 ft from the WSW with a longer 11-second period, and the energy rockets to 944 (strong). That’s a lot of power, but the wind is a moderate cross-onshore, making it choppy. This is definitely not beginner territory – over 5 ft, it’s getting too big for the inexperienced.

Monday, August 10th, sees the peak of the swell. The morning has a solid 7 ft from the west with a 10-second period, and combined energy of 884 (strong). The wind is onshore from the NNW, so it’s going to be a messy, blown-out beast. At 7 ft, this is strictly for experts. It’s a powerful groundswell, but with that onshore wind, it’s going to be a battle. The same goes for the afternoon, with 6 ft and similar conditions.

The only stand-out, if you can call it that, is Monday morning, August 3rd, at Crantock. It’s the only time in the whole 16 days where the wind is offshore and the swell is just big enough to ride. It’s not going to be a classic, but it’s the cleanest we’ll get. For the rest of the window, the wind is just too unfriendly. The setup at Crantock, being a river break, might handle the bigger swells later in the period better than a beach, but with the onshore wind, it’s still going to be a mess. Honestly, for the bigger, wind-affected days, this looks more like a kite-surfing situation than a paddle-surfing one.

Stay patient, folks. The forecast might change, but for now, it’s a long wait for a very small window of mediocre surf.

Rusty.

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