Paignton Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, grab a coffee and listen up, because I’ve got a tough one for you today. Honestly, I’ve been staring at the charts and it’s a pretty grim run for our neck of the woods. We’re looking at a 16-day window with essentially zero surf on offer. That’s a long, flat spell, and I’m not just saying that to be dramatic.

The only spot on the radar is Paignton, but she’s an inconsistent beginner’s break that’s fairly exposed to the east. Right now, the water is sitting at 67°, which is a massive 5° warmer than average for this time of year – that’s really unusual, makes you feel like you’re surfing in a bath.

The problem starts immediately. Friday the 14th is glassy, but with zero swell energy (0) and poor conditions. It’s a no-go. We then slide into a long stretch of nothing. The morning of Saturday the 15th brings a tiny 1ft swell from the NE with a short 4-second period, giving us a weak 3 combined energy. It’s poor. The whole weekend and into the next week is a ghost town – constant onshore and cross-shore winds from the north and west, with a few moments of clean offshore winds, but absolutely no swell to push. It’s just wind.

We get a little tease around the 25th of August. Tuesday morning sees a 2ft south swell with a short 4-second period and a weak 15 combined energy. The wind is offshore from the WNW at 9 mph, which is clean. It’s the best we’ll see, but it’s still a tiny wave with poor conditions. By Tuesday afternoon, that swell bumps up to 3ft from the south with 36 combined energy, and the offshore wind holds. For a split second, there’s something rideable, but it’s short-lived.

The next notable event is far out – Saturday the 29th of August. We get a glassy morning with a 2ft south-east swell, a 3-second period, and a 4 combined energy. It’s tiny, weak, and the wind is from the east at 3 mph, glassy. It’s flat, but at least it’s pretty.

So, the bottom line is this: we have a 16-day forecast with no standout days, no real surf. The only semi-rideable window is around the 25th, but it’s for experts only if you want to get any kind of thrill out of a 3ft slop. If you’re a kiter, this set-up might be more interesting than for us paddle surfers, especially with the fresh winds later in the period. But for a surf, I’d say take a break, clean your gear, and wait for the next system. Forecasts can change, but right now, it’s a blank run.

Rusty.

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