Paignton Surf Break

Lat Long: 50.43° N 3.56° W

Paignton Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Issued: 12 pm 24 Aug 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's Paignton sea temperature is
19.3°C
2.6° 

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


Paignton surf forecast from 24 Aug 2026:

  • Most powerful swell: Monday 24 Aug, 4PM (local time) - 7ft (2.2m), 7s period, E swell with 466 kJ wave energy.

Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Paignton this week:

The most powerful waves expected at Paignton in the next 16 days are 2.2m 7s and forecast to arrive on Monday (Aug 24) at 4PM. Winds are predicted to be onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.7m 7s period and expected on Friday (Aug 28) at 4AM.

Wave TypeTime (BST) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+)--
Best Surf--
Most Powerful 4PM (Mon 24th Aug)7ft (2.2m) 7s

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


The Lowdown

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what the next couple of weeks are serving up for us.

Honestly, the outlook for Paignton over the next 16 days is a tough one. There’s a brief bit of swell showing early on, but it gets blown out or turns to mush before you can even blink, and then we’re looking at a long, dry spell with hardly a wave worth mentioning. We’ll break it down day by day.

We kick off on Monday the 24th of August with some energy, but it’s not pretty. There’s a 6ft easterly swell pushing in for the morning with a short, weak 6-second period and combined energy of 284 (moderate), but it’s pinned by a fresh 22 mph easterly wind. That means onshore, choppy, poor conditions. The water is much warmer than normal at 67°F, a notable 5°F above average for this time of year, but that’s the only good thing. The afternoon sees the swell jump to 7ft and the energy ramping up to 466, but it’s still messy with that same strong onshore wind. Not a day for a paddle, maybe more interesting for the kite crew.

Tuesday the 25th is no better. Morning brings a 5ft swell from the ENE, period at 7 seconds, energy at 226 (moderate). But the wind is still blowing 16 mph from the ENE, straight onshore, keeping things poor. By the afternoon, the swell drops to 4ft, the period shortens, and the wind swings cross-onshore. Clean wave faces? Forget it.

Wednesday the 26th and Thursday the 27th see the swell dying. Wednesday morning is a tiny 1.0ft with a 5-second period and a mere 5 energy units, with a cross-shore breeze. Thursday morning is only 2ft, still weak. There’s almost no push. It stays that way, flatlining into Friday the 28th and Saturday the 29th with zero swell, just clean but waveless conditions.

We get a tiny pulse of life on Sunday the 30th – a 1ft southerly swell with a 3-second period, energy at 4. That’s barely a ripple. Then it’s back to nothing from the 31st of August all the way through to the 8th of September. That’s over a week with no worthwhile swell. The wind does go offshore or cross-offshore for many of those days, so it would be glassy and clean if there were anything to ride, but there isn’t. A couple of small signals show up on the 4th of September (1.0ft) and the 8th of September (1.0ft), but they are so feeble and short-period they aren't worth getting out of bed for.

So, the brutal truth: There is no standout session in this 16-day window. The only real window with any size is Monday and Tuesday, but the wind ruins it completely. After that, we’re looking at a huge gap of flat, clean, but empty ocean. For a spot like Paignton that can be inconsistent, this kind of blank run is not unusual, but it still stings. Keep an eye on the charts, because it tends not to stay this poor forever.

Rusty.

Short Range Forecast

Light rain (total 5mm), mostly falling on Wed night. Warm (max 20°C on Wed morning, min 16°C on Mon night). Winds decreasing (strong winds from the E on Mon morning, calm by Tue night).

Days 4-6 Weather Summary

Heavy rain (total 21mm), heaviest during Thu night. Warm (max 21°C on Fri afternoon, min 15°C on Thu night). Winds decreasing (strong winds from the SW on Sat morning, light winds from the SW by Sat night).

Monday
24
Tuesday
25
Wednesday
26
Thursday
27
Friday
28
Saturday
29
Sunday
30
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)
1.9
E
6
2.2
E
7
2
E
7
1.5
E
7
1.1
E
6
0.6
E
5
0.3
E
5
0.2
E
4
0.4
ESE
3
0.4
ESE
4
0.2
E
5
1.3
SSW
5
1.7
SW
7
0.7
SW
7
0.6
WSW
7
1.3
SSW
5
1.3
SW
6
0.8
SW
8
0.8
SSW
7
1.7
SSW
6
0.9
WSW
8
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
284
466
384
193
85
18
4
1
4
6
2
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Wind (km/h)
35
ENE
35
E
30
ENE
25
ENE
20
ESE
5
SSW
15
S
20
SSE
20
ESE
25
SSW
30
SSW
25
SSW
35
WSW
30
NW
25
W
30
SSW
30
W
20
WSW
25
SW
40
SW
35
WSW
Wind State
on
on
cross-on
cross-on
on
cross-off
cross
cross-on
on
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
off
cross-off
off
off
cross-off
cross-off
off
High Tide
5:20PM2.72m
5:54AM2.70m
6:12PM3.04m
6:36AM2.99m
6:49PM3.35m
7:11AM3.27m
7:22PM3.63m
7:43AM3.50m
7:54PM3.84m
8:15AM3.68m
8:26PM3.97m
8:47AM3.79m
8:57PM4.01m
Low Tide
10:35AM1.39m
11:13PM1.23m
11:24AM1.13m
11:53PM0.94m
12:01PM0.85m
00:27AM0.64m
12:33PM0.58m
00:58AM0.36m
1:05PM0.34m
1:28AM0.13m
1:36PM0.15m
1:58AM-0.04m
2:08PM0.02m
2:29AM-0.13m
part cloud
part cloud
part cloud
part cloud
cloud
clear
part cloud
part cloud
rain showers
part cloud
part cloud
rain showers
rain showers
clear
part cloud
light rain
thunderstorm
clear
part cloud
thunderstorm
clear
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
6:15
6:16
6:18
6:18
6:20
6:22
6:24
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
8:15
8:14
8:12
8:09
8:07
8:06
8:04
 mm
5
16
1
3
1
2
Temp °C
18
19
19
19
19
17
20
20
18
20
20
17
20
21
16
18
20
16
19
19
16
Feels °C
11
14
13
15
16
18
19
18
18
16
16
13
17
15
14
13
16
12
15
14
10
  • 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
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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.

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