Croyde Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, grab a coffee, or maybe a beer, and let’s get into what’s coming up here at Croyde. It’s a bit of a mixed bag, and I’ll tell ya, we’ve got a frustrating start.

Overall, don't expect much in the way of good, clean waves for over a week. The first few days are mostly a write-off thanks to strong, onshore winds making a mess of the surf. The first real highlight, the one to circle on your calendar, doesn't show up until Saturday, September 5th.

We start off rough. Thursday, September 3rd, we’ve got a 5 ft swell from the WSW, but it’s paired with a tough 25 km/h cross-onshore wind. The surfing is poor, just choppy and lumpy with moderate wave energy (282). Thursday and Friday, the 4th, the swell actually picks up with 7 ft waves from the west on Friday morning, but the wind is just hammering it, blowing straight onshore. The energy gets up there (587), but it’s not for paddling, it’s just a mess. Friday afternoon isn’t much better.

Then, the standout. Saturday, September 5th – this is the one. We get a bit of a reprieve with the wind. Saturday morning it goes glassy. Absolutely slick. The swell is a clean 4 ft from the west with an 8-second period, and combined energy is moderate (156). It’s not massive, but it’ll be the cleanest surf of the entire outlook. This is your window, and it’s the best on offer. The water temp is about average for the time of year, so no surprises there.

Sunday, the 6th, the wind swings offshore early, so the morning session looks clean, but the swell has already dropped to a tiny 2 ft. It’s a shadow of the day before.

After that, hold on. From Monday, September 7th, right through the middle of the month, we get hammered by some serious swell energy. Monday morning hits with a 7 ft groundswell from the west with a long period of 12 seconds – real energy behind it (energy of 1155) – but the wind goes straight onshore again at 25 km/h. It’s all power and no form. By Tuesday the 8th, the swell is 8 ft, and the wind is 40 km/h onshore. That’s expert-only territory, and even then, it’s going to be brutal. The conditions stay messy for most of that second week with strong winds and big, lumpy surf.

There’s a little tease toward the very end. On Monday, September 14th, we get a clean, offshore wind from the east, but the swell is tiny at only 3 ft. Same again on Tuesday the 15th with glassy conditions and a 3 ft swell, but it’s just too small to get excited about. By Wednesday the 16th, the swell is down to 2 ft and glassy, but you’d be lucky to find a rideable wave.

So, to wrap it up: the one and only standout is Saturday morning, September 5th. Get on it. The rest of the 16-day window is either blown out, huge and messy, or just too small to bother with. It’s a long gap of poor quality after that Saturday window, but that one morning should be a treat.

Rusty.

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