Croyde Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, this is Rusty. Let’s have a look at what’s coming up for us over the next couple of weeks.

The honest truth is, this stretch looks pretty grim. We’re going to be sitting through a lot of blown-out, choppy, and downright messy conditions before we see anything worth getting wet for. There is a real dry spell to start, and even when a few small windows open up, it’s not going to be anything to write home about. The standout moment here is a very specific, very clean window on the morning of Friday the 21st of August, but don’t expect much else.

Looking at the week ahead, we’re dealing with a lot of onshore and cross-onshore wind. Monday afternoon through the whole of Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday is all poor. The swell is coming from the west, with short 6-second periods, and the wind is just cooking it. We’re looking at moderate to fresh breezes from the west and northwest, ripping the surface apart. The wave energy stays weak to moderate, around 57 to 281, but it’s all junk. The water is much warmer than normal for the time of year, sitting at 66°F, which is about 4°F warmer than average for a spot like Croyde.

Now, Friday the 21st of August. That’s the one. The morning session is your only real shot. We’ve got a light offshore breeze from the east-southeast, around 6 mph, and a small west swell at 2 ft with an 8-second period. The combined energy is weak, only 56, but with that offshore wind and clean conditions, it’ll be glassy and workable for a log or a mid-length. It’s small, but it’s the cleanest surf of the entire run. The crowds are often here at Croyde, so expect company.

After that, things drop right off. Saturday the 22nd is tiny with a 1 ft swell, and while there’s a strong offshore from the east at 16 mph, it’s too small to be fun. The rest of that weekend and the whole of the following week are near enough flat or just plain blown out. We get a tiny bump of energy on Wednesday the 26th, with a 4 ft west-southwest swell and a light offshore from the northeast making for clean conditions, but the period is a short 8 seconds and the energy is only moderate at 154. It’s surfable but very ordinary.

The final days of the month and into September look bigger but terrible. By the 28th of August, we’re seeing 6 ft swells with fresh cross-shore winds, and by the 1st of September, we’re up to 10 ft with very strong combined energy over 1000, but it’s all with a fresh onshore or cross-onshore wind. For a beach break like Croyde, that’s just a washing machine. That kind of setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing.

So yeah, the one and only call is Friday morning, the 21st of August. Get out early for a clean, small session while it lasts. The rest? You can sleep in.

Rusty.

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