Surf Forecasts:
Paignton surf forecast from 6 Aug 2026:
- Most powerful swell: Wednesday 12 Aug, 10AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.0m), 6s period, E swell with 74 kJ wave energy.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Paignton this week:
The most powerful waves expected at Paignton in the next 16 days are 1.0m 6s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Aug 12) at 10AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.6m 4s period and expected on Wednesday (Aug 12) at 10PM.
| Wave Type | Time (BST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | - | - |
| Best Surf | - | - |
| Most Powerful | 10AM (Wed 12th Aug) | 3.5ft (1.0m) 6s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Paignton over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Right, folks, Rusty here. I’ve had a proper look at what’s on offer for the next couple of weeks, and I’ll be straight with you – it’s a tough one. The whole 16-day window is a ghost town for decent waves. We’ve got nothing but flat spells and tiny, wind-affected scraps. This is one of those stretches where you’re better off cleaning the wax off your board or getting the fishing gear out.
The first real mention of any surfable energy comes on Wednesday morning, 12 August. The swell at Paignton is a tiny 3ft from the East, with a period of 6 seconds – that’s weak, short-period wind swell with hardly any push (combined energy of 74). It’s a cross-on shore breeze, which isn’t doing it any favours either. Honestly, it’s still poor.
The water is currently sitting at 67°, which is a massive 5° warmer than usual for this time of year. That’s a very notable anomaly, so it’ll feel like a warm bath, but it won’t make up for the lack of waves.
The whole forecast is a write-off, really. There are no standouts, no hidden gems, just day after day of “poor surf conditions.” We see a few moments of glassy mornings, like on Friday morning, 7 August, and Monday morning, 10 August, but there’s nothing to ride. The only slight bump in the swell is that Wednesday morning, 12 August, but the quality is so poor it’s not worth chasing.
Look, this is a pretty normal blank run for this area. It happens. Don’t lose hope – forecasts can change, and it tends not to stay this quiet forever. But for now, the surf is a no-go.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 21°C on Thu afternoon, min 13°C on Thu night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 26°C on Sun afternoon, min 18°C on Sun night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Thursday 6 | Friday 7 | Saturday 8 | Sunday 9 | Monday 10 | Tuesday 11 | Wednesday 12 | |||||||||||||||
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) | SW 6 | S 12 | S 12 | W 10 | S 12 | N 2 | W 9 | W 9 | W 7 | ESE 4 | ESE 4 | WSW 7 | SW 6 | WSW 6 | W 8 | W 10 | W 10 | E 3 | E 6 | E 5 | E 5 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 74 | 28 | 7 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | off | cross-off | glassy | cross-off | cross-off | on | cross-on | cross-off | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | glassy | cross-off | cross-off | on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off |
High Tide | 12:15PM3.19m | 00:33AM3.16m | 1:11PM3.02m | 1:39AM2.93m | 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 | ||||||||
Low Tide | 5:52PM0.79m | 6:26AM0.81m | 7:02PM1.03m | 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 | ||||||||
 | |  | | | |  |  | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
 | 5:48 | — | — | 5:48 | — | — | 5:50 | — | — | 5:52 | — | — | 5:54 | — | — | 5:54 | — | — | 5:56 | — | — |
 | — | 8:51 | — | — | 8:49 | — | — | 8:46 | — | — | 8:45 | — | — | 8:44 | — | — | 8:42 | — | — | 8:39 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 20 | 21 | 15 | 17 | 21 | 17 | 19 | 21 | 19 | 24 | 26 | 19 | 23 | 26 | 22 | 21 | 21 | 22 | 26 | 28 | 23 |
Feels °C | 17 | 17 | 12 | 14 | 18 | 13 | 17 | 19 | 17 | 21 | 22 | 17 | 22 | 24 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 21 | 23 | 24 | 21 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 6 | — | SW 6 | SW 5 | W 9 | — | W 9 | W 7 | — | ESE 4 | ESE 4 | WSW 7 | SW 6 | WSW 6 | SW 6 | SW 6 | SW 6 | W 12 | W 10 | E 5 | E 5 |
| kJ | 6 | — | 1 | 1 | 2 | — | 2 | 1 | — | 1 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 28 | 7 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 10 | S 12 | — | W 10 | S 12 | S 11 | — | W 9 | W 7 | W 7 | — | — | — | W 8 | W 11 | W 10 | W 10 | W 6 | — | WSW 10 | WSW 10 |
| kJ | 2 | 3 | — | 2 | 3 | 2 | — | 2 | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | — | 10 | 9 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 12 | — | S 12 | — | — | W 9 | W 5 | — | W 6 | — | SW 12 | — | — | — | W 8 | NNE 3 | W 10 | W 9 | SW 6 | — | SW 4 |
| kJ | 3 | — | 3 | — | — | 2 | 1 | — | 1 | — | 6 | — | — | — | 5 | 1 | 8 | 2 | 1 | — | 1 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | WSW 3 | NNW 2 | — | SW 3 | N 2 | — | — | — | — | SW 3 | — | — | SW 3 | — | — | — | E 3 | E 6 | — | — |
| kJ | — | 3 | 1 | — | 2 | 1 | — | — | — | — | 2 | — | — | 2 | — | — | — | 2 | 74 | — | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 156 | 474 | 252 | 417 | 450 | 441 | 156 | 156 | 135 | 245 | 156 | 132 | 138 | 513 | 135 | 135 | 499 | 85 | 40 | 138 | 29 |
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)
Latest Updates
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