Paignton Surf Break

Lat Long: 50.43° N 3.56° W

Paignton Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Issued: 12 pm 21 Jul 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's Paignton sea temperature is
19.5° C
3.4° 

Paignton surf forecast is for near shore open water. Breaking waves will often be smaller at less exposed spots.


Paignton surf forecast from 21 Jul 2026:

  • Most powerful swell: Thursday 23 Jul, 4PM (local time) - 1ft (0.3m), 4s period, ESE swell with 3 kJ wave energy.

Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Paignton this week:

The most powerful waves expected at Paignton in the next 16 days are 0.3m 4s and forecast to arrive on Thursday (Jul 23) at 4PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.6m 3s period and expected on Saturday (Jul 25) at 4PM.

Wave TypeTime (BST) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+)--
Best Surf--
Most Powerful 4PM (Thu 23rd Jul)1ft (0.3m) 4s

Table - best surf conditions forecast for Paignton over the next 16 days.


The Lowdown

G'day, I'm Rusty. Let's be straight with you: the next two weeks around Paignton are a bit of a tough watch. We're looking at a long, dry stretch with barely a ripple to get excited about, so don't be in a rush to grab your board.

The outlook kicks off on Tuesday, 21st July, and it's a flat start. We've got a tiny 0.7 ft swell from the ENE with a short, weak period of 4 seconds, and the wind is a cross-on breeze. The wave energy is pitiful – just 1 – and the water is sitting at a very warm 67°F, which is a hefty 6°F warmer than usual for this time of year. That's a real anomaly, but it's not much comfort when the surf is this poor. Conditions are described as "poor surf conditions" all the way through.

We're in for a proper drought. From Tuesday the 21st through to the morning of Sunday, 2nd August, the forecast is a flat, grim picture. There's a few days with a puff of wind here and there, like Friday the 24th with a glassy morning but no swell, and Saturday the 25th with a fresh offshore breeze but still no waves. The energy readings are all either zero or single digits. It's a classic summer lull, and it's silent.

Now, there's a flicker of hope on the horizon. On Sunday morning, 2nd August, we finally see a pulse of energy. The swell jumps to 4 ft from the east, with a period of 7 seconds, and the combined energy hits 154 (moderate). The wind is light and onshore, so it's not clean, but it's the first real pulse we've seen. The afternoon sees that swell nudge up to 5 ft with the same period, and the energy climbs to 351 (moderate). The wind swings to a light cross-on from the NNE. It's still "marginal" conditions, but it's the only window in the whole 16-day forecast that has any kind of energy. It's not a standout, but it's the only game in town.

The following days drop back down to tiny, weak swells and poor conditions. There's a brief moment on the morning of Thursday, 30th July, with a 2 ft swell from the east and a 4-second period, but the energy is only 7 and it's cross-onshore and choppy. Not worth the paddle.

The best of a bad bunch is that Sunday, 2nd August. If you're desperate, you might find a few closeouts on the sandbanks, but it's a long way out and the wind isn't ideal. For the rest of the 16 days, you're better off cleaning the wax off your board. It's a tough run, but it's the reality of the location right now. Keep an eye on the forecasts, because this kind of flat spell can't last forever.

Rusty.

Short Range Forecast

Mostly dry. Warm (max 25°C on Tue afternoon, min 16°C on Tue night). Wind will be generally light.

Days 4-6 Weather Summary

Mostly dry. Warm (max 25°C on Fri afternoon, min 15°C on Sun night). Winds increasing (calm on Fri morning, fresh winds from the WNW by Sat afternoon).

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
Rating
(10 max)
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Swell
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Wave
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
0.2
ENE
4
0.1
W
10
0.1
W
10
0.2
NNE
3
0.1
W
9
0.2
ESE
3
0.3
ESE
4
0.3
ESE
4
0.1
W
8
0.4
SSW
3
0.3
NNW
3
0.6
W
3
0.2
WSW
6
0.1
W
7
0.4
W
2
0.2
WSW
5
0.3
N
3
0.1
SW
6
0.4
N
3
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
1
0
0
1
0
0
1
3
3
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
2
Wind (km/h)
15
ENE
15
S
10
NNW
10
NE
10
SSW
10
NE
10
SE
20
S
5
NNW
5
S
10
SW
10
NW
5
NNW
30
WNW
15
W
20
NW
25
NW
15
WNW
5
N
5
SW
10
WNW
Wind State
cross-on
cross
cross-off
cross-on
cross-off
cross-on
cross-on
cross
cross-off
glassy
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
off
off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross
cross-off
cross-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
5:40PM0.97m
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
clear
clear
clear
clear
part cloud
clear
part cloud
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
part cloud
clear
part cloud
part cloud
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
5:26
5:26
5:28
5:30
5:31
5:31
5:33
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
9:14
9:12
9:10
9:09
9:08
9:07
9:06
 mm
Temp °C
21
25
21
22
25
23
20
23
22
23
25
20
23
23
18
20
21
17
21
25
20
Feels °C
18
22
18
19
23
22
19
20
20
21
23
18
20
17
17
16
16
14
20
22
19
  • Map Icons:
  • Break
  • Live Wave Height (m)
  • Live Wind Speed (km/h)
  • Surf Rating (10 Max)
  • Ocean Swells (m)
  • Wind Speed (km/h)
Map placeholder
How to use the Wavefinder 
submit an eyeball surf report

Quick surf report for Paignton:

join our community of surf reporters

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 locationNearest