
Surf Forecasts:
Paignton surf forecast from 8 Aug 2026:
- Most powerful swell: Wednesday 12 Aug, 4AM (local time) - 5.5ft (1.7m), 7s period, E swell with 266 kJ wave energy.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Paignton this week:
The most powerful waves expected at Paignton in the next 16 days are 1.7m 7s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Aug 12) at 4AM. Winds are predicted to be onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.5m 8s period and expected on Saturday (Aug 15) at 4AM.
| Wave Type | Time (BST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | - | - |
| Best Surf | - | - |
| Most Powerful | 4AM (Wed 12th Aug) | 5.5ft (1.7m) 7s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Paignton over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, Rusty here. Let's have a look at what's on the cards for our local patch.
To be blunt, we're looking at a pretty grim run. The first few days are a write-off, and honestly, there's not a single standout session in the whole 16-day window. The pattern is flat, messy, or just plain wrong wind for most of it. There are long gaps here with no real surf to speak of.
We kick off on Saturday, the 8th of August, but it's not worth getting wet. The morning is cloudy with onshore wind from the ESE at 9 mph, and there's no swell. The afternoon has a tiny 1 ft SE windswell with a period of just 3 seconds and weak energy (2). It's poor.
Sunday the 9th offers a bit of a reprieve, but it's tiny. The morning goes glassy with a light NNW breeze at 3 mph, making it clean, but the swell is only 1 ft from the ESE at 4 seconds and energy is almost nothing (3). The afternoon picks up a cross-offshore breeze from the SW at 12 mph, which cleans it up, but the swell is still only 1 ft (energy 4). It's a knee-high dribble.
Monday the 10th is a complete flat calm. No swell at all, just light cross-shore breezes. Not worth a look.
Then we get a pulse of windswell from the 11th through the 13th. The energy builds, but the wind is howling onshore from the E and NE. On Tuesday the 11th, we see 3 ft to 4 ft from the E at 5-6 seconds, with energy hitting 105 on the afternoon. But it's blown out by onshore winds of 16 mph. Wednesday the 12th is similar: 5 ft morning swell at 7 seconds (energy 168) and 4 ft in the afternoon (energy 75), but still onshore at 12 mph. This is messy, choppy, poor surf. For a beginner, 5 ft in these conditions is a handful, and for everyone else, the wind is just ruining it. A beach break under these conditions would be more interesting for kite surfing than paddling.
Thursday the 13th sees the swell drop back to 2 ft and 2 ft, with gentle cross-onshore winds. Still not clean.
From Friday the 14th all the way through to the 18th, it's flat again. No swell at all. Just a few days of clean, offshore winds, but no waves to ride. That's a solid five-day gap of nothing.
We get a tiny blip on Wednesday the 19th of August. A 2 ft swell from the NNE at 4 seconds (energy 18) in the morning with a clean cross-offshore breeze from the NNW at 9 mph. The afternoon goes glassy with a 1 ft swell from the NE. It's clean, but the waves are tiny and weak.
After that, from the 20th onwards, it's back to flat or tiny, onshore, choppy slop. The 23rd is flat and glassy, but with no swell.
The upshot? There's nothing here that screams "go." If you're desperate, the cleanest windows are Sunday morning the 9th and Wednesday afternoon the 19th, but bring your smallest board. The water temp is about average for the time of year, so no surprises there.
The swell just never gets its act together with the wind. It's a tough run, but it won't stay poor forever.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 25°C on Mon afternoon, min 14°C on Fri night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 24°C on Thu afternoon, min 16°C on Tue night). Winds increasing (light winds from the NW on Mon night, fresh winds from the E by Tue morning). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Saturday 8 | Sunday 9 | Monday 10 | Tuesday 11 | Wednesday 12 | Thursday 13 | Friday 14 | |||||||||||||||
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) | W 9 | SE 3 | ESE 3 | ESE 4 | ESE 4 | SW 6 | SW 8 | SW 7 | SW 7 | E 5 | E 6 | E 6 | E 7 | E 6 | E 5 | E 6 | E 5 | E 4 | WSW 10 | SW 9 | N 3 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 48 | 105 | 196 | 168 | 75 | 24 | 30 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | on | on | cross | glassy | cross-off | cross-off | cross-on | cross | cross | on | on | on | on | on | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off |
High Tide | 2:27PM2.90m | 3:14AM2.81m | 4:11PM2.97m | 5:03AM2.93m | 5:39PM3.25m | 6:17AM3.22m | 6:39PM3.61m | 7:11AM3.51m | 7:27PM3.92m | 7:56AM3.73m | 8:10PM4.12m | 8:36AM3.86m | 8:49PM4.19m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 7:46AM1.04m | 8:38PM1.12m | 9:20AM1.06m | 10:08PM0.97m | 10:36AM0.88m | 11:16PM0.67m | 11:36AM0.61m | 00:10AM0.35m | 12:25PM0.35m | 00:57AM0.08m | 1:09PM0.14m | 1:39AM-0.09m | 1:50PM0.03m | 2:18AM-0.15m | |||||||
5:50 | — | — | 5:52 | — | — | 5:54 | — | — | 5:54 | — | — | 5:56 | — | — | 5:58 | — | — | 6:00 | — | — | |
— | 8:46 | — | — | 8:45 | — | — | 8:44 | — | — | 8:42 | — | — | 8:39 | — | — | 8:37 | — | — | 8:36 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 18 | 19 | 19 | 22 | 24 | 18 | 22 | 25 | 23 | 18 | 20 | 19 | 19 | 22 | 21 | 23 | 24 | 21 | 25 | 26 | 16 |
Feels °C | 15 | 17 | 19 | 20 | 20 | 16 | 20 | 24 | 22 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 19 | 19 | 21 | 22 | 20 | 22 | 21 | 13 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 9 | W 7 | ESE 3 | ESE 4 | ESE 4 | — | SW 7 | SW 7 | SW 7 | SW 6 | SW 6 | W 12 | W 10 | WSW 10 | E 5 | E 6 | E 5 | E 4 | WSW 10 | SW 9 | SW 6 |
2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 | — | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 10 | 24 | 30 | 12 | 1 | 9 | 3 | 1 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | W 7 | W 6 | S 12 | SW 6 | SW 8 | — | — | W 10 | W 10 | W 6 | W 6 | — | WSW 9 | WSW 8 | WSW 8 | WSW 6 | — | — | W 8 |
— | — | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 3 | — | — | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | — | 8 | 7 | 7 | 3 | — | — | 1 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 5 | — | — | — | SW 12 | — | — | — | — | W 10 | SW 6 | W 7 | — | — | — | W 11 | W 10 | W 10 | — | — | — |
1 | — | — | — | 6 | — | — | — | — | 8 | 2 | 1 | — | — | — | 2 | 2 | 8 | — | — | — | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | SE 3 | — | — | SW 3 | NNW 2 | — | — | — | E 5 | E 6 | E 6 | E 7 | E 6 | — | NNE 3 | — | NW 2 | — | WSW 2 | N 3 |
— | 2 | — | — | 2 | 1 | — | — | — | 48 | 105 | 196 | 168 | 75 | — | 2 | — | 1 | — | 1 | 2 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 207 | 207 | 135 | 135 | 245 | 135 | 105 | 135 | 135 | 494 | 245 | 82 | 90 | 81 | 40 | 29 | 30 | 30 | 130 | 290 | 137 |
Best forecast wave conditions in South Devon | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United Kingdom | |||||||||||||||||||||
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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.











