Paignton Surf Break

Lat Long: 50.43° N 3.56° W

Paignton Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Issued: 6 am 20 Aug 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's Paignton sea temperature is
19.6° C
2.8° 

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


Paignton surf forecast from 20 Aug 2026:

  • Most powerful swell: Monday 24 Aug, 4PM (local time) - 7ft (2.1m), 7s period, E swell with 401 kJ wave energy.

Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Paignton this week:

The most powerful waves expected at Paignton in the next 16 days are 2.1m 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 1.2m 7s period and expected on Wednesday (Aug 26) at 1PM.

Wave TypeTime (BST) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+)--
Best Surf--
Most Powerful 4PM (Mon 24th Aug)7ft (2.1m) 7s

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


The Lowdown

G’day, it’s Rusty. Let’s not beat around the bush: for the next couple of weeks around Paignton, it’s looking properly grim. There’s a long gap with absolutely nothing on offer from right now until the 22nd, just flat, messy conditions. You’re looking at several days of staring at a lake before anything worth the effort even shows up.

The first bit of swell arrives on Saturday the 22nd, but it’s a weak windswell—maybe 2ft of easterly windchop at a short period, so it’s not really surf. The energy is weak (15), and the wind is straight onshore. You’d be fighting it more than riding it. Sunday backs way off, pretty useless.

The one true standout in this entire window is Monday the 24th. The energy jumps up to a solid 212 in the morning, building to a strong 401 by the afternoon, with swell from the east at 6ft to 7ft. The period is short, only 6-7 seconds, so it’ll be a bit lumpy, but there’s some power behind it. The wind is howling onshore at 19-22 mph, so it’ll be pretty wild and choppy. Over 5ft means it’s not one for the beginners, and that onshore breeze is going to make it a battle. You’ll be earning every wave.

After that, it just fades away. Tuesday the 25th has some leftover energy (64), but it drops off a cliff, and then it’s back to nothing from the 26th all the way through to the end of the forecast. The wind does shift offshore and clean around the 28th through the 3rd of September, which is a massive tease, but there’s just no swell behind it. Flat and clean is still flat.

Paignton is exposed to that easterly swell, but it’s inconsistent on its best days, and this run is showing exactly why. With the swell this weak and the wind onshore for the only real pulse, this setup honestly looks more interesting for the kite surfers than us paddle surfers. The water is running much warmer than normal for the time of year—about 5° warmer than usual—so at least you won’t need a thick suit for the long paddles to nowhere. There’s just nothing consistent here, so this blank spell is more normal for the area when conditions line up badly. Forecasts can change, but as it stands, there’s nothing to get excited about.

Rusty.

Short Range Forecast

Moderate rain (total 10mm), heaviest on Fri afternoon. Warm (max 20°C on Thu afternoon, min 13°C on Thu night). Wind will be generally light.

Days 4-6 Weather Summary

Some drizzle, heaviest during Tue morning. Very mild (max 19°C on Sun afternoon, min 15°C on Sun morning). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the ENE on Mon night, calm by Tue night).

Thursday
20
Friday
21
Saturday
22
Sunday
23
Monday
24
Tuesday
25
Wednesday
26
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)
0.6
WSW
3
0.7
WSW
3
0.2
W
10
0.2
NNE
3
0.1
NE
4
0.3
N
3
0.7
E
4
0.5
E
4
0.3
ESE
4
0.4
ENE
3
0.3
SE
4
0.6
E
4
1.7
E
6
2.1
E
7
1.7
E
7
1
E
6
0.4
E
5
0.5
SSW
4
0.7
SSW
7
0.5
SW
7
1.3
S
5
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
0
0
0
1
1
1
15
9
3
3
3
11
212
401
279
64
8
0
0
0
87
Wind (km/h)
25
W
30
WNW
15
NW
10
NE
5
WSW
15
NW
20
ENE
15
SSE
15
N
15
ENE
10
SE
15
NNE
30
E
35
E
35
ENE
30
ESE
15
SE
5
ENE
20
S
15
ESE
10
S
Wind State
off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-on
cross-off
cross-off
on
cross-on
cross
cross-on
cross-on
cross
on
on
on
on
cross-on
glassy
cross
on
cross
High Tide
11:54AM2.97m
00:10AM2.82m
12:36PM2.74m
00:59AM2.56m
1:38PM2.55m
2:18AM2.39m
3:26PM2.50m
4:39AM2.44m
5:20PM2.72m
5:54AM2.70m
6:12PM3.04m
6:36AM2.99m
6:49PM3.35m
Low Tide
5:32PM1.13m
5:53AM1.24m
6:26PM1.44m
7:03AM1.52m
8:30PM1.62m
9:18AM1.58m
10:16PM1.49m
10:35AM1.39m
11:13PM1.23m
11:24AM1.13m
11:53PM0.94m
12:01PM0.85m
00:27AM0.64m
part cloud
clear
clear
rain showers
rain showers
part cloud
clear
part cloud
clear
clear
clear
clear
cloud
part cloud
part cloud
rain showers
part cloud
part cloud
cloud
rain showers
thunderstorm
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
6:09
6:09
6:11
6:13
6:15
6:16
6:18
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
8:24
8:22
8:21
8:19
8:15
8:14
8:12
 mm
1
9
1
1
2
Temp °C
19
20
15
16
16
14
16
18
17
18
19
18
18
19
19
19
19
18
18
18
17
Feels °C
14
14
12
14
14
11
13
16
14
15
16
17
13
13
13
17
19
19
16
18
17
  • 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