Croyde Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, folks, Rusty here. Let's chew the fat on what's coming up for Croyde. Gotta be honest, this forecast is a real punch to the gut. It's a long, long stretch of small, wind-battered days with hardly anything to get you out of bed. There's a big dry spell at the start with no real waves to speak of.

We start on Sunday, August 23rd. The morning looks clean with a light offshore breeze out of the east, but the swell is laughably small—only 0.7ft from the WSW with a 14-second period. The energy in the water is weak at 35, and the report just says "poor surf conditions." Not worth wetting your wetsuit for. The afternoon gets worse as the wind goes cross-shore from the north.

Monday the 24th stays clean with a fresh offshore wind from the east and east-northeast, but the swell is a pathetic 0.7ft to 0.3ft. The energy is minimal (23 and 16). You'd be floating around with nothing to ride.

Tuesday the 25th is more of the same. Fresh offshore wind in the morning, 0.7ft of swell with the period down to 8 seconds, and combined energy of just 10. The afternoon offers 1.0ft from the west with a cross-offshore breeze, but the report still says "poor surf conditions."

By Wednesday the 26th, the swell ticks up slightly to 1ft from the west, with gentle cross-offshore winds in the morning. Energy climbs to 46. The report finally says "surfable waves but very ordinary conditions." It's still tiny and weak. The afternoon goes glassy with no wind, but the swell is too small to even bother.

Thursday the 27th sees the swell rise to 3ft from the southwest with a moderate cross-offshore breeze in the morning. Combined energy hits 100—you start to feel a little something in the water—but the wave comment still says "poor surf conditions." The afternoon brings 4ft from the southwest, but the wind turns cross-onshore and the waves get choppy. Period is a short 8 seconds.

Friday the 28th is a total mess. The morning is choppy at 2ft with a moderate cross-onshore wind, and the afternoon jumps to 5ft from the WSW, but the period drops to a terrible 5 seconds—pure windswell junk. The wind is fresh and cross-onshore, making it lumpy and ugly.

Now, Saturday the 29th of August is the big one for size, but it comes with a heavy warning. The swell hits 8ft from the west with an 8-second period, and the combined energy roars to 690—strong stuff. But the wind is howling straight onshore from the west at 25 mph. That's onshore, strong, and messy. The report is "poor surf conditions." At 8ft, this is strictly for experts, and even then, it'll be a windy, bumpy mess. With that much west swell and onshore wind, a beach like Croyde looks more like a kite surfer's playground than a surfer's dream.

Sunday the 30th through the rest of the forecast is poor. Sunday drops to 4ft from the west with onshore winds and low energy (119). By Monday the 31st, the swell picks back to 6ft from the northwest, but the wind is moderate and onshore again, making it choppy. The following days through the first week of September show falling swell, onshore and cross-onshore winds, and consistently low scores.

There is one late, hopeful bump on Sunday, September 6th. The swell is 5ft from the west with a very short 6-second period, but the wind is a cross-offshore from the SSE at 19 mph, keeping things clean. Combined energy is moderate at 184. This is the only decent-sized, clean window in the entire 16-day outlook, but it's a long way off, so don't bet the farm on it.

The bottom line: If you're really jonesing, your best bet is the morning of Thursday, August 27th, when there's a small but clean 3ft from the southwest with a light cross-offshore breeze. It won't be anything to write home about, but it'll be rideable. The big swell on the 29th is too wind-blown, and that clean window on September 6th is a distant, uncertain promise.

Keep your stick dry, folks. Rusty out.

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