Paignton Surf Forecast and Surf Reports

(South Devon, UK)

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- 16 Day Forecast
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Paignton Surf Guide

Paignton in South Devon is a sheltered beach break that only works when conditions are just right. Winter is the favoured time of year for surfing here. Ideal winds are from the west. Usually gets local windswells, but groundswells do happen and the best wave direction is from the south southwest. Waves at the beach break both left and right. Best around high tide.

Paignton Spot Info

Type:	Rating:	Reliability:	Todays Sea Temp*:
Beach	2	inconsistent	12.1°C*ocean temperature recorded from satellite

Surfing Paignton:

The best conditions reported for surf at Paignton occur when a East swell combines with an offshore wind direction from the West.

Hourly Forecast

16 Day Forecast

What's the best time of year to surf Paignton (for consistent clean waves)?

januaryBest Season: winter

The best time of year for surfing Paignton with consistent clean waves (rideable swell with light / offshore winds) is during Winter and most often the month of January. Clean surfable waves are typically found 0% of the time in January while 4% of the time it tends to be blown out. For the remaining 96% of the time it is considered too small by most surfers but may still be OK for beginners and groms at times.

clean

Surfable waves that hold up well for longer rides in prevailing cross-offshore, offshore or light wind conditions.

blown out

Surfable sized waves that are of poorer quality due to prevailing onshore, cross-onshore or windy conditions (may be preferable for kitesurfing).

too small

96%

Waves usually considered too small for good surf. Some wave-magnet breaks may still work though if conditions are right (on occasion).

Explore Paignton Location Map

Interactive Paignton surf break location map. View information about nearby surf breaks, their wave consistency and rating compared to other spots in the region. Current swell conditions from local buoys are shown along with live wind speed and direction from nearby weather stations. Click icons on the map for more detail. The closest passenger airport to Paignton is Exeter Airport (EXT) in England, 35 km (22 miles) away (directly). The second nearest airport to Paignton is Plymouth Airport (PLH), also in England, 39 km (24 miles) away.

Map Icons:
Break
Live Wave Height (m)
Live Wind Speed (km/h)
Surf Rating (10 Max)
Ocean Swells (m)
Wind Speed (km/h)

Please note that some surf spot locations are approximate to protect their exact location while others are not shown at close zoom level.

Paignton Surf Forecasts:

Hourly Forecast

16 Day Forecast

Todays Surf Summary
Tuesday, 5 May 2026, 19:36 Local Time

m, °C	Tuesday 05			Wed
ft, °F	4PM	7PM	10PM	1AM
Wave (m)	ENE	E	E	E
Period (s)	4	5	5	4
Wind (km/h)
Wind State	cross	cross	cross- off	cross

Tides at Paignton

Current tide and informaton

For Paignton, 1 km from Paignton.

Next High Water: 09:32pm | 3.44m

Next Low Water: 03:07am | 0.49m

NEXT	IS AT (local time)	remaining
high tide
low tide

Paignton Sea Temperature

The water temperature (12.1 °C) at Paignton is quite cold. If the sun shines as forecast, it should feel warm enough to get away with a good sealed spring wetsuit but you won't overheat in a winter wetsuit, gloves boots and a hood. Effective windchill factor of (10.0 °C).

Today, many surfers would wear a spring wetsuit, a neoprene hood, gloves and boots.