Crooklets-Bude Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s be straight with you – this is a tough one to write. We’ve got a full 16-day window for Crooklets-Bude, and honestly, it’s a pretty bleak forecast for a paddle surfer. There’s a big fat gap at the start with nothing worth getting out of bed for.

The first sniff of anything that might be rideable doesn’t arrive until Sunday the 26th of July, and even then, it’s a struggle. Before that, from Tuesday the 21st right through to Saturday the 25th, the swell is tiny – mostly 0.6ft to 3ft with a short, weak period of 4 to 8 seconds. The combined wave energy is pathetic, barely cracking 58 (weak energy), so you’re looking at flat, dribbly conditions. The wind is a mess too, mostly cross or cross-on, keeping the surface choppy. About the only moment of relief is Thursday morning the 23rd when it goes glassy with a WSW breeze at 3 mph, but the swell is only 2ft with a 5-second period. It’s pretty, but you’ll be bobbing around wondering where the waves went.

Now, Sunday the 26th is where we see a tiny pulse. The morning brings a 4ft swell from the west with a 7-second period, and the combined energy climbs to 134 (moderate). The catch? The wind is a solid 16 mph from the NW, cross-on, making it choppy. The afternoon is a bit bigger at 4ft from the WNW, but the same wind messes it up. This is surfable for a proper beginner on a foamie, but it’s not pretty. For a few days after that, we dribble back down to waist-high slop, with the wind staying onshore or cross-on. The short period (under 8 seconds) means the waves are weak and fat.

Then, right at the tail end of the outlook, we get a bit of a spark. On Wednesday the 5th of August, the swell bumps up to 4ft from the west with a 7-second period, and the combined energy hits 140 (moderate). The morning wind is a light southerly at 6 mph, giving us a cross-shore breeze. It’s the most promising session in the whole run. The afternoon stays 4ft, but the wind swings to the WSW at 16 mph, cross-on, and that makes it messy again.

The best on offer? Honestly, I’m scraping the barrel here. The standout is Wednesday morning the 5th of August. The swell is 4ft from the west, and with that light cross-shore wind, it’ll be the cleanest of the bunch. The break is a beginner-friendly beach, and it’s fairly exposed to the west, which is the optimum direction. The water temperature is hovering around 64°F, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year – a nice little anomaly of +3°F. The crowds are listed as ‘often’, so expect company even on a mediocre day.

For the rest of the run, it’s a kite-surfing kinda setup. The significant swell days (over 4ft) are paired with strong onshore winds and a choppy beach break. If you’ve got a kite, you might have a laugh, but for a paddle surfer, it’s a long wait for a very small window.

Rusty.

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