Paignton Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right, I’ve had a good look at the charts for Paignton and, well, truth be told, it’s a bit of a grim run for the next couple of weeks. There’s nothing on the cards that gets me excited, and the first few days are a proper write-off. Let’s walk through it.

The first bit of surf worth mentioning shows up on the afternoon of the 13th of July, but it’s a real struggle. We’ve got a 6ft easterly swell with a short, weak 8 second period, and the wind is a moderate easterly straight onshore. The combined energy is moderate at 398, but the conditions are just poor. The water is a staggering 7°F warmer than normal, which is very unusual for the time of year, so you’ll be swimming in bathwater, but that’s about the only positive.

Tuesday the 14th isn’t any better. Morning sees a 5ft east swell, still short period at 7 seconds, but it’s cross-onshore with a 16 mph wind, so it’s choppy and messy. The energy drops to 220. The afternoon brings a smaller 3ft swell, but it’s still cross-onshore with a light breeze, so it’s just small and bumpy.

From Wednesday the 15th right through to the 18th, it’s a steady decline. Swell sizes drop below 3ft, periods are short, and the wind is mostly cross-onshore. The energy levels are weak, often under 100, and everything is marked as poor surf conditions. There’s a brief moment on the afternoon of the 17th with a clean cross-offshore wind from the south at just 3 mph, but the swell is a tiny 2ft from the east with a 5 second period. You’d be lucky to get a knee-high dribble.

The weekend of the 18th and 19th is flat, with wave heights down to 1.0ft. The energy is down to single digits.

Then, from the 20th of July onwards, we hit a serious dry spell. The swell dies completely, with zeros on the board for wave height and energy. The wind does offer some clean, cross-offshore conditions on the 20th afternoon, 21st afternoon, and then pretty much every day from the 24th to the 28th, but there’s simply no swell to push it. It’s a total blank run for the second week of the forecast.

Honestly, Paignton is a beginner-friendly spot that’s inconsistent at the best of times, and a run like this, with no consistent swell, is more normal for this area. There is absolutely nothing here that I’d point you towards. The best advice is to leave the board in the shed for a while and keep an eye on the charts, because it can’t stay this quiet forever.

Rusty.

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