Croyde Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right then, let’s have a look at what’s on the cards for Croyde over the next couple of weeks. I gotta be straight with you – it’s a bit of a rough start. We’ve got a lot of wind and lumpy, messy conditions to wade through before we see anything worth paddling out for.

The water’s sitting at 67°, which is *much warmer than normal* for this time of year – a proper anomaly of 5° warmer. You’ll notice it, that’s for sure.

The first week is pretty grim. Thursday and Friday (27th and 28th August) are a write-off – tiny, weak swells under 1 ft with cross-off or strong cross-onshore winds making a mess of everything. The weekend (29th and 30th) gets bigger, but it’s all wind-affected. Saturday afternoon sees a 12 ft swell (WSW, 9 seconds) with a *near gale* onshore – that’s a big, ugly, dangerous wave. The combined energy hits 1736, which is very strong, but with that wind, it’s just a washing machine. Sunday and Monday keep the pattern going: 6 ft to 8 ft swells, but every session is ruined by cross-onshore winds. You’d be fighting a losing battle.

The middle of the week (Tuesday 1st to Thursday 3rd September) stays poor. Swells drop back to 4 ft and below, but the wind remains onshore or cross-onshore. There’s no let-up. The energy dips right down to 64 on Wednesday morning – that’s weak and disappointing.

Now, Friday 4th September is more of the same misery – strong cross-onshore winds and 7 ft swells. Not worth it.

But then we get a glimmer. Saturday, the 5th of September, is the only real standout in the whole window. The morning starts with a glassy sea – a 4 ft swell from WSW, 7 seconds, with a light SSE breeze of just 3 mph. The water will be clean, super clean. The combined energy is moderate at 191, so it’s not going to be a power session, but for a fun, cruisy surf with no wind chop, it’s your best bet all forecast. Then, the Saturday afternoon gets interesting – a 10 ft swell (WSW, 7 seconds) with a near-calm cross breeze (3 mph from the NNW). The energy jumps to 970, which is strong. The wind and tide are favourable, but honestly, 10 ft is getting big for Croyde – that’s one for the experienced crew only. The crowd levels at Croyde are *often* busy, so expect company, especially if it cleans up.

After that brief highlight, it’s back to the grind. Sunday 6th September through Wednesday 10th sees a return of cross-onshore winds in the 12-25 mph range, with swells around 3 ft to 6 ft. The energy stays in the moderate to weak range. Not worth a special trip.

The very tail end, Friday 11th September, offers a clean little surf – glassy cross-off winds (ENE, 9 mph) but the swell is tiny at 2 ft (WSW, 8 seconds). It’s surfable, barely. A tiny wave for a longboard or a foamie, but nothing to get excited about.

So, to wrap it up: the first week is a complete loss. The whole forecast is a long, windy slog. Saturday 5th September morning is your one clear window – glassy, clean, modest swell. If you’ve got to surf, that’s your day. A brave soul might try the afternoon if they’re happy with a big, powerful wave and a bit of a crowd. Otherwise, you’re better off waiting for the next forecast to change, because this one is a tough one.

Rusty

Read more