Crantock Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a proper look at what’s coming our way for the next couple of weeks. I’ll be straight with you – it’s a rough stretch ahead for Crantock, with a whole lot of poor conditions and not much to get excited about. We’ve got a long gap with no real quality surf on offer, so patience is going to be key.

The main problem is that for the first week and a half, the wind is all wrong. It’s going to be onshore or cross-onshore for the vast majority of the time, keeping things lumpy and choppy. The swell does build, with a pulse of moderate energy (combined energy of 946) on Wednesday the 16th, bringing 7ft waves from the west with a 10-second period. But with a fresh onshore wind, it’ll be messy and blown out – not one for the log. The swell sticks around in the 5ft to 6ft range for a few days after, but that cross-onshore wind just won’t let up.

The water temp is sitting at 64°F which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year, so at least you won’t need a thick suit.

We finally see a shift around Monday the 21st of September. The wind swings light offshore from the southeast, and the surf drops right back to 3ft from the west with a 10-second period. The energy is weak (185), and the call is for “surfable waves but very ordinary conditions”. It’s clean, but tiny. This pattern of clean, small waves hangs around for a few days with the odd glassy moment. On Wednesday the 23rd, we get a glassy morning with 3ft waves, but again, the energy is minimal (102).

The standout, if you can call it that, is the morning of Thursday the 24th of September. We get a light offshore wind from the southeast, 4ft of west swell with an 11-second period, and moderate energy (284). The conditions are clean, and that longer period will give the waves a bit of shape. It’s not big, but it’s the best we’ve got. Still, with the break listed as “sometimes” crowded, you might have some company if you’re after those clean lines.

Towards the end of the run, the wind goes howling from the east on the 28th and 29th, with fresh cross-offshore winds. The swell is small and confused, though on Tuesday the 29th we see a very long period 14-second west-northwest swell at 3ft with moderate energy (323) and fresh offshore wind. That long period groundswell will be clean but tricky at a beach break like Crantock – it might be too straight, but worth a look if you know where to sit.

Honestly, there’s no real ripper session in this outlook. It’s a long, flat, windy run with only a few brief windows of clean, small surf. For anyone with a kite, those onshore wind days with a bit of swell might be more interesting than for a paddle surfer. Keep an eye on the forecast, things can change.

Rusty.

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