Surf Forecasts:
Paignton surf forecast from 21 Jul 2026:
- Most powerful swell: Thursday 23 Jul, 4PM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.4m), 4s period, ESE swell with 6 kJ wave energy.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Paignton this week:
The most powerful waves expected at Paignton in the next 16 days are 0.4m 4s and forecast to arrive on Thursday (Jul 23) at 4PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.8m 4s period and expected on Sunday (Jul 26) at 1AM.
| Wave Type | Time (BST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | - | - |
| Best Surf | - | - |
| Most Powerful | 4PM (Thu 23rd Jul) | 1.5ft (0.4m) 4s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Paignton over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, let’s size this up in feet and miles.
It’s a quiet stretch for the Torbay area, no two ways about it. We’ve got a 9-day stretch of flat or near-flat clean conditions, then a little bump of a swell shows up right at the end of the month. Not much for the surfer, but we’ll call it as it is.
Paignton is the only option, and it’s a beginner spot that doesn’t break often and can get a bit of a crowd. For the first week, from Tuesday the 21st through to Wednesday the 29th of July, it’s all flat. The wind is clean, mostly offshore or cross-offshore, but there’s no wave energy. A little 1ft NE slop on Tuesday morning with a 2-second period gives a combined energy of 1 – that’s nothing. The water temp is about average for the season.
Thursday the 30th of July brings a bit of onshore wind and a 1ft swell, but it’s messy with a short period. Not worth getting wet.
The best of the whole run hits on Friday the 31st of July. The morning shows a 4ft swell from the east with a 6-second period and a combined energy of 99 – the highest we’ll see. The wind is a clean cross-offshore from the southwest at 12 mph, and it’s looking clean. The afternoon holds the same 4ft wave height with a combined energy of 106, but the wind picks up a bit to 16 mph. It’s still small and weak, but for Paignton, this is it. It’s a beginner-friendly size, so don’t expect anything hollow.
Saturday the 1st and Sunday the 2nd of August have some leftover energy, with the swell dropping from 3ft to 0.7ft, but it’s clean and cross-offshore all the way. Monday the 3rd of August has a tiny 1ft kick with a moderate offshore wind, but it’s the last gasp.
Friday the 31st of July is the only real standout, and it’s still a marginal day. Everything else is flat. A longboard might get wet, but that’s about it.
Rusty
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 25°C on Tue afternoon, min 16°C on Tue night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 25°C on Fri afternoon, min 16°C on Sat night). Mainly fresh winds. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Tuesday 21 | Wednesday 22 | Thursday 23 | Friday 24 | Saturday 25 | Sunday 26 | Monday 27 | |||||||||||||||
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) | NE 2 | E 5 | W 10 | NNE 3 | — | W 9 | ESE 3 | ESE 4 | ESE 4 | W 8 | SE 4 | — | — | WSW 3 | WSW 4 | SW 6 | SW 6 | W 10 | WSW 6 | WSW 6 | W 5 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | cross | cross-off | cross-on | cross-off | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off | glassy | cross-off | cross-off | off | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | off | cross-off | cross-off | off |
High Tide | 12:11PM3.13m | 00:21AM3.12m | 12:50PM2.93m | 1:02AM2.85m | 1:36PM2.75m | 1:54AM2.63m | 2:38PM2.64m | 3:12AM2.51m | 4:16PM2.64m | 5:04AM2.57m | 5:43PM2.81m | 6:13AM2.76m | 6:34PM3.06m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 5:25AM0.69m | 5:40PM0.97m | 6:11AM0.97m | 6:35PM1.23m | 7:11AM1.21m | 7:53PM1.41m | 8:31AM1.36m | 9:21PM1.44m | 9:49AM1.35m | 10:31PM1.32m | 10:50AM1.22m | 11:24PM1.14m | 11:37AM1.04m | 00:07AM0.92m | |||||||
 | |  | |  | | | | | | |  |  | | | | | | | | | |
 | 5:26 | — | — | 5:26 | — | — | 5:28 | — | — | 5:30 | — | — | 5:31 | — | — | 5:31 | — | — | 5:33 | — | — |
 | — | — | 9:14 | — | — | 9:12 | — | — | 9:10 | — | — | 9:09 | — | — | 9:08 | — | — | 9:07 | — | — | 9:06 |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 20 | 25 | 21 | 23 | 25 | 22 | 20 | 22 | 21 | 23 | 25 | 20 | 23 | 21 | 18 | 22 | 22 | 17 | 21 | 23 | 18 |
Feels °C | 17 | 22 | 18 | 21 | 23 | 20 | 18 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 23 | 18 | 18 | 14 | 14 | 18 | 17 | 14 | 17 | 18 | 16 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 11 | E 5 | — | — | — | W 9 | W 9 | ESE 4 | ESE 4 | — | SE 4 | — | — | — | — | SW 6 | SW 6 | SW 6 | WSW 6 | WSW 6 | N 3 |
| kJ | 2 | 2 | — | — | — | 2 | 2 | 6 | 3 | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | 9 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 1 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 8 | W 10 | — | — | — | — | — | W 9 | W 8 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | W 8 | W 10 | W 10 | W 10 | W 9 |
| kJ | 1 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 8 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | W 7 | W 10 | — | — | — | S 14 | — | — | W 8 | — | — | — | — | — | — | W 10 | — | W 8 | W 8 | — |
| kJ | — | 1 | 2 | — | — | — | 4 | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | — | 1 | 1 | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NE 2 | — | — | NNE 3 | — | — | ESE 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | WSW 3 | WSW 4 | WNW 3 | WNW 3 | WNW 3 | NW 3 | NW 3 | W 5 |
| kJ | 1 | — | — | 1 | — | — | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 7 | 17 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 5 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 105 | 712 | 321 | 482 | 599 | 258 | 98 | 156 | 417 | 515 | 779 | 499 | 570 | 780 | 779 | 30 | 246 | 29 | 137 | 193 | 245 |
Best forecast wave conditions in South Devon | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United Kingdom | |||||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||||
- Map Icons:
Break
Live Wave Height (m)
Live Wind Speed (km/h)
Surf Rating (10 Max)
Ocean Swells (m)- Wind Speed (km/h)
FREE! Surf-Forecast.com widget for your website
The surf report / weather widget below is available to embed on third party websites free of charge and provides a summary of our Paignton surf forecast. Simply grab the html code snippet that we provide and paste it into your own site. You can choose your preferred language and metric/imperial units for the surf forecast feed to suit users of your site. Click here to get the code.
Information about the Paignton Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Paignton provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Paignton can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Paignton 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 (Paignton) 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 Paignton 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.
Paignton is 1 km (1 miles) from the city of Paignton. If you plan a holiday in South Devon, look for hotels and other accommodation in Paignton. Paignton has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.
Nearest