Croyde Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, folks, Rusty here, and I’ve had a proper look at the charts for Croyde over the next 16 days. I gotta be straight with you – it’s a grim run for the most part. We’re looking at a long, dry spell with next to nothing on offer until we get into the second week of August. The sea is gonna be flat and messy for days on end, so don’t bother waxing up just yet.

Let’s start with the here and now. From Monday the 27th of July right through to Sunday the 9th of August, it’s a write-off. That’s a solid two-week gap with no decent surf. The wind is mostly onshore or cross-onshore, gusting from the west and north-west, and the swell is tiny – we’re talking ankle-snappers at best. The combined swell energy is pitiful, barely cracking 100 (127 on Monday morning, dropping to 21 by Wednesday the 29th). The water temp is currently 66°, which is *much warmer than normal* for this time of year, but that’s no consolation when the waves are junk.

There’s a tiny blip of hope on the 3rd of August, Monday morning, with some offshore breeze from the ESE, but the swell is only 1 foot with a period of 8 seconds – not enough to push a pea across a plate. It’s clean, but there’s nothing to ride.

The real action, and I mean the *only* action worth talking about, kicks off on Sunday the 9th of August. The swell finally wakes up. By the afternoon, we’ve got a proper pulse of 5 feet from the WSW with a period of 11 seconds. The combined energy jumps to 710 – that’s moderate to strong, and it’s the first sign of life we’ve seen. The wind is still cross-onshore from the WSW, so it’s not going to be glassy perfection, but the power is there.

Then Monday the 10th of August is the standout. We’re looking at 6 feet from the WSW in the morning, dropping to 6 feet in the afternoon, with a period of 10 seconds. The energy is still strong (667 in the morning, 573 in the afternoon). This is the biggest swell of the whole forecast. However, it’s a cross-onshore wind from the NNW and WNW, so it’s going to be a bit choppy. For a break like Croyde, which is very consistent and exposed to the WSW, this is the best we’ve got. The waves will be solid, but it’s going to be a battle with the wind. Croyde can get crowded, and with this being the only decent swell in two weeks, expect it to be packed.

Now, by Tuesday the 11th of August, the swell drops back to 4 feet and the wind is onshore again, taking it back to marginal. The water is still unseasonably warm, but that’s about all you can celebrate.

So, to sum it up: the first two weeks are a total bust. If you’re desperate, the only window is the 9th, 10th, and maybe the morning of the 11th of August. The 10th is the pick, with the biggest swell, but don’t expect perfection. For beginners, that 6-foot swell with onshore wind will be a handful – it’s more for the intermediates and up. If you’re a kite surfer, the choppy, windy conditions on the 10th might actually look more fun than a paddle.

Rusty.

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