Croyde Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, folks, Rusty here. Let’s be straight with you: this forecast is a bit of a bummer for the next couple of weeks. There’s a lot of wind and not a lot of clean surf for a solid stretch. Don’t get too worked up, but we’ve got a long run of poor waves ahead. Stick with me though, because there’s one real window of hope hiding in there.

To put it simply: for the next week and a half, it’s mostly a whole lot of nothing. The swell shows up now and again, but it’s just too jumbled and wind-blown to be any fun. The water is running at 66° Fahrenheit, which is about 5° warmer than normal for this time of year – that’s a big deal, you’ll definitely want a thinner suit.

We start off at Croyde on September 9th with a weak, 3ft west swell, and the wind is blowing onshore. It’s a mess. Then we see a bigger pulse on the 10th, with a 7ft west-southwest swell, but the wind is cranking at 22 mph from the cross-on direction, so it’ll be completely chopped out. That’s not surf, that’s just a washing machine. The energy is moderate, but it'll be wasted. We see energy drop and pick up, but the story stays the same: cross-onshore winds and poor conditions. There’s a bit of a cleaner window on the morning of the 16th with a north-northeast cross-offshore wind, but the 4ft swell is from the west and won’t really have any punch. For a while, it’s just a tease.

The real problem is that even when there is some size, the period is short and the wind is on it. No smooth lines, no clean faces. It’s like the ocean forgot how to make a proper wave.

Now, here’s the one to circle on the calendar. On September 20th, a solid 8ft west swell rolls through with a 10-second period. The energy hitting the bay is strong, which means some real power. And the wind is blowing from the west-northwest at only 6 mph, right onshore. That means it’s going to be glassy, clean, and offering up some proper walls. This is the standout of the whole period, no doubt. A couple of days before that, the 19th is also big, but the wind is a bit stronger, so the 20th is your day.

That’s it, that’s the only real highlight. It’s a long, flat, and mushy outlook until then. But that Sunday the 20th looks like it could be the one that makes it all worthwhile. I’d be watching the forecast closely for that one.

Keep your head up, keep your board waxed, and be ready to go when it turns on.

Rusty.

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