Surf Forecasts:
Croyde surf forecast from 17 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Friday 21 Aug, 7AM (local time) - 2ft (0.6m), 8s period, W swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Thursday 20 Aug, 4AM (local time) - 7ft (2.1m), 8s period, W swell with 501 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Friday 21 Aug, 7AM (local time) - 2ft (0.6m), 8s period with W swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Croyde this week:
The surf forecast for Croyde over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Friday (Aug 21) at 7AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.6m and 8s period with a secondary swell of 0.1m and 14s. Another secondary swell of 0.8m and 4s is also forecast. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Croyde in the next 16 days are 2.1m 8s and forecast to arrive on Thursday (Aug 20) at 4AM. Winds are predicted to be onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.6m 4s period and expected on Saturday (Aug 22) at 10AM.
| Wave Type | Time (BST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 7AM (Fri 21st Aug) | 2ft (0.6m) 8s |
| Best Surf | 7AM (Fri 21st Aug) | 2ft (0.6m) 8s |
| Most Powerful | 4AM (Thu 20th Aug) | 7ft (2.1m) 8s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Croyde over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, let’s break down what’s cookin’ for Croyde. This spot can handle some size, but the wind is gonna be the main character for this whole 16-day stretch, and honestly, it’s a bit of a heartbreaker. The first week is mostly a washout for any decent paddling.
We start on Monday, August 17th, and it’s a mess right away. There’s a little bump of swell around 3ft from the west, but the wind is onshore and cross-onshore, blowing 9 to 15 mph, and it’s choppy. The combined energy is weak (51). Not worth your time. This ugly theme holds through until Thursday, August 20th. The swell builds – we see 5ft on Wednesday, August 19th with a combined energy of 235, but it’s got a fresh onshore breeze at 22 mph. That’s just blown-up, sloppy conditions.
Friday, August 21st, is the first real little hope. The swell drops back to 2ft from the west, with a period of 8 seconds. That’s short-period windswell, nothing special. The key is the wind. Early on we get a light ESE breeze at 6 mph, which is cross-offshore. The report says it’s “clean”. It’s a tiny wave, combined energy of just 76, but for a little window, you might squeeze a fun session on a longboard. After that, the wind swings and it gets messy again through the weekend. Saturday, August 22nd, has a tiny 1.0ft to 1ft swell, clean again in the morning with a NE breeze, but it’s just too small.
Then we hit a real flat spell. From Sunday, August 23rd, through Tuesday, August 25th, the swell is tiny, mostly 1.0ft or less, with weak energy readings (down to 19). It’s dead flat. Don’t bother.
The story shifts on Wednesday, August 26th. A pulse of swell arrives, with 3ft Wednesday morning rising to 8ft by the afternoon. The period is short at 6-8 seconds, and the wind is a strong cross-onshore, 15 to 28 mph. The combined energy jumps to 628, but it’s a washing machine. The report says “poor surf conditions”. This looks way more interesting for kite-surfing than for a clean paddle wave.
Thursday, August 27th, is the biggest swell of the whole forecast. We’re looking at 10ft from the west, with a period of 10 seconds. The combined energy is very strong, hitting 1819 in the morning and 2267 in the afternoon. But – and this is a massive “but” – the wind is cross-onshore from the northwest at 15 mph. That’s gonna be a close-out, messy, and dangerous beast. Only for experts, and even then, it’s gonna be ugly. It’s too big for almost everyone.
After that, the swell drops fast. Friday, August 28th, still has 4ft of swell but the wind is howling onshore at 19 mph. Poor.
The last few days into September don’t offer much relief. The wind is almost always onshore or cross-onshore. There’s a moment on Monday, August 31st, with a 6ft swell from the west, period 7 seconds, and a light cross-shore wind from the SSW at 6 mph. The combined energy is moderate (393), and the report calls it “marginal surf forecast or questionable tide conditions”. It’s the best of a bad bunch, but still no standout.
The Bottom Line: For Croyde in this 16-day window, it’s rough. The complete lack of any good offshore wind is the killer. If you really had to pick a moment, the clean but tiny Friday, August 21st morning, is your only real shot for a grovel on a longboard. The big swell on Thursday, August 27th, is just a messy, dangerous close-out. There ain’t a true standout here. It’s one of those blank runs that happens. The water temp is about average for this time of year. Keep your eyes peeled, forecasts can always change.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 2mm), mostly falling on Tue night. Very mild (max 18°C on Sun night, min 16°C on Mon night). Winds increasing (light winds from the W on Sun night, fresh winds from the W by Wed afternoon). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 8mm), mostly falling on Wed night. Very mild (max 18°C on Sat afternoon, min 14°C on Thu night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the WSW on Wed night, light winds from the N by Thu night). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Monday 17 | Tuesday 18 | Wednesday 19 | Thursday 20 | Friday 21 | Saturday 22 | Sunday 23 | |||||||||||||||
AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | |
Swell Height Map | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 6 | W 6 | W 5 | W 6 | W 6 | W 6 | W 7 | W 7 | W 8 | W 7 | W 7 | W 9 | W 8 | W 8 | WSW 8 | W 8 | WSW 10 | WSW 10 | WSW 9 | W 9 | W 9 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
40 | 41 | 36 | 136 | 92 | 151 | 225 | 255 | 487 | 260 | 184 | 125 | 48 | 48 | 24 | 12 | 33 | 31 | 16 | 15 | 14 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | on | cross-on | cross-on | on | on | on | on | on | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross-off | cross | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross | cross-on | cross-off |
High Tide | 9:52AM8.14m | 10:11PM8.10m | 10:29AM7.63m | 10:48PM7.45m | 11:07AM7.05m | 11:28PM6.77m | 11:50AM6.44m | 00:16AM6.13m | 12:46PM5.91m | 1:25AM5.65m | 2:09PM5.60m | 3:01AM5.52m | 3:45PM5.74m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 3:54PM0.78m | 4:15AM1.05m | 4:30PM1.30m | 4:51AM1.63m | 5:09PM1.89m | 5:32AM2.23m | 5:56PM2.48m | 6:24AM2.78m | 7:02PM2.97m | 7:42AM3.16m | 8:37PM3.17m | 9:21AM3.15m | 10:08PM2.95m | ||||||||
6:05 | — | — | 6:07 | — | — | 6:07 | — | — | 6:09 | — | — | 6:11 | — | — | 6:13 | — | — | 6:15 | — | — | |
— | 8:35 | — | — | 8:32 | — | — | 8:30 | — | — | 8:29 | — | — | 8:27 | — | — | 8:24 | — | — | 8:22 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | — | — | 5 | — | — | — | 2 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 18 | 17 | 18 | 18 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 16 | 17 | 16 | 16 | 17 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 17 | 16 | 17 | 16 |
Feels °C | 18 | 14 | 15 | 17 | 14 | 14 | 11 | 10 | 12 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 14 | 15 | 12 | 13 | 15 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 12 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 6 | W 8 | W 16 | W 6 | SW 17 | SW 17 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 | W 8 | W 8 | NNW 4 | W 8 | WSW 10 | WSW 10 | WSW 9 | W 9 | W 9 |
40 | 12 | 5 | 136 | 11 | 12 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 79 | 41 | 125 | 48 | 48 | 12 | 12 | 33 | 31 | 16 | 15 | 14 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WSW 7 | SW 18 | — | SW 17 | — | — | — | — | — | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 13 | WSW 8 | W 11 | SW 15 | WSW 15 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 14 |
5 | 12 | — | 11 | — | — | — | — | — | 8 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 24 | 9 | 8 | 21 | 8 | 8 | 8 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 9 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | SW 14 | SW 16 | SW 16 | W 12 | SW 15 | SW 12 | SW 15 | SW 14 | — | SW 14 |
6 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 8 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 9 | 6 | 8 | 8 | — | 8 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | W 6 | W 5 | — | W 6 | W 6 | W 7 | W 7 | W 8 | W 7 | W 7 | NNW 4 | N 4 | NW 3 | — | N 4 | N 6 | N 4 | NNW 3 | NW 2 | NW 3 |
— | 41 | 36 | — | 92 | 151 | 225 | 255 | 487 | 260 | 184 | 21 | 11 | 3 | — | 10 | 6 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 309 | 348 | 364 | 189 | 274 | 226 | 479 | 274 | 329 | 68 | 107 | 7 | 0 | 141 | 255 | 36 | 0 | 25 | 140 | 141 | 81 |
Best forecast wave conditions in North Devon | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United Kingdom | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the Croyde Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Croyde provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Croyde can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Croyde surf forecast is unique since it includes wave energy (power) that defines the real feel of the surf rather than just the height or the period. If you surf the same spot (Croyde) regularly then make a mental note of the wave energy from the surf forecast table each time you go. Very soon you may start to choose your surf days based on the wave energy alone combined with our forecast of favourable offshore wind conditions. Our star ratings will help here and of course you will also find the usual wave height and period predictions on our surf forecasts as well as a full break down of the swell components under our advanced users option (to reveal that, click the little Einstein character under the tide times).
Further information to help with frequently asked questions about our surf forecast for Croyde may be found under the help tab on the top menu and also by moving your mouse over the question marks on the surf forecast table itself. Please always bear in mind that the forecast is for near-shore open water and local factors at each surf break influence the actual breaking wave height, such as the beach / reef profile, water depths offshore and shelter.
Croyde is 9 km (6 miles) from Appledore. If you plan a holiday in North Devon, look for hotels and other accommodation in Appledore. Appledore has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.











