Crooklets-Bude Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s take a proper look at what’s on offer for Crooklets-Bude over the next couple of weeks. I’ll be straight with you – this is a tough run, and we’ve got a long gap before anything even looks rideable.

We’re starting off with a real dud. From Friday 28th August right through until Tuesday 8th September, the surf is just no good. We’re talking a solid 12 days of flat, messy, or blown-out conditions. There’s swell in the water at times, sure, but it’s paired with strong, onshore winds that are just ruining everything. The wave energy is weak to moderate at best, with a combined energy reading of just 78 on the Friday, and even when it climbs into the low hundreds, the wind is cross-on or onshore, chopping it all up. There’s nothing to get excited about here, so save your energy.

For the first break we do see a glimmer, it’s not until Wednesday 9th September that things finally settle down a touch. On Wednesday morning, we get a light breeze from the west and clean conditions with a 5 ft swell out of the west at 9 seconds. The combined energy is a moderate 386. It’s still only marginal, but compared to the last two weeks, it’s the best we’ve got. This is a beginner-friendly break, so it’s fine for a learner or a longboarder wanting a splash, but don’t expect anything rippable.

Then we hit the standout, and it’s a big one, but it comes with a warning. On Tuesday 8th September, we see a massive pulse of swell. The morning shows a 15 ft wave out of the west-northwest with a period of 11 seconds and a combined energy reading of 4328 – that’s strong to very strong energy. By the afternoon it’s still 13 ft from the same direction with 3957 energy. This is big, powerful, groundswell, and it’s hitting this fairly exposed beach break with onshore winds. For 99% of surfers, this is dangerous and unsurfable. It’s only for absolute experts, and even then, it’s going to be a washing machine. The water temperature is sitting at 66°F with a water temperature anomaly of 5°F, so much warmer than usual for the time of year, but that won’t help you when you’re getting pounded.

After that, Thursday 10th September sees a tiny 2 ft leftover with a strong offshore breeze from the SSE, which is clean but flat. Not worth paddling out. Friday 11th September picks up again with a 5 ft west swell at 9 seconds, but the wind is fresh and cross-shore, making it lumpy. The combined energy is 318 – moderate, but the quality isn’t there. Saturday 12th September drops right back down to weak, messy waves with fresh cross-shore winds and a risk of thunderstorms.

Honestly, if you’re not an expert looking to get pounded on the 8th, the only real call is the clean but marginal morning on Wednesday 9th September for the beginners. Other than that, this stretch is a write-off. The break itself is fairly consistent, but the conditions are letting it down badly.

Rusty.

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