Croyde Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's be straight with you – this forecast for Croyde is a tough one to write. We're looking at a patchy, drawn-out 16-day window, and the honest truth is there's nothing that jumps out as a standout session. You're going to have to be patient and pick your moments.

The whole period starts off with a real damp squib. Through the 5th and into the first week, we're looking at tiny swell and the wind is mostly on it or cross-on, making for pretty ordinary conditions. The water is running at 63°F with a "much warmer than normal" anomaly – that's over 4°F warmer than usual for the time of year, which is a nice touch on a summer's day, but it won't make the waves any better. We see a few glassy mornings around the 8th with a light NNE breeze, but the swell is barely a ripple at 1 ft from the west, giving us next to no energy (combined energy of all swells directed here is only 24). You'd be better off with a longboard and a lot of patience.

There is a glimmer on Friday the 10th. We get a clean, moderate offshore breeze from the ENE blowing at 12 mph, and the swell ticks up slightly to 2 ft from the west with a 9-second period. The combined energy hits 77, so it's got a little more life in it. The wave comment says "surfable waves but very ordinary conditions" – you might snag a few waist-high runners, but it's nothing to get emotional about.

After that, it's back to small, mostly clean but tiny surf with a lot of strong offshore winds. The 12th and 13th see fresh to strong breezes kicking up, but the swell drops right off to 0.3 ft from the west. The 21-second period on the 12th is a classic groundswell signal, but with that height it's just a long period of nothing happening. The wind is howling offshore, making it glassy but with zero push to get you into anything.

As we push further out, there's a shift towards the end of the second week. Around the 18th of July, we finally see some size coming in. Saturday the 18th has 4 ft to 5 ft from the WSW with a short 6-second period, and the wind is a consistent offshore from the east at 12-18 mph. The combined energy climbs up to 149, which is moderate energy at last. These are "surfable waves but very ordinary conditions" – the short period means it'll be a bit lumpy and closeouty on the beach, but at least it's rideable. It's not a standout, but if you were going to pick a day, this is the most promising of a weak bunch.

Then it gets interesting, but not in a good way. By the 20th, the swell pumps up to 6 ft to 7 ft from the west with a 7-second period, and the energy skyrockets to 363 to 481. That's strong energy, but the wind swings onshore from the WNW. With that amount of short-period, onshore swell, Croyde is going to be a messy, blown-out washout. This setup looks far more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing.

So, what's the verdict? There's no real standout here. The best on offer is Friday the 10th for a clean, small session, or Saturday the 18th for a bit more size but with short-period lumps. For the rest, you're waiting on a forecast that keeps flattering to deceive. Hang in there, lads.

Rusty.

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