Paignton Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Well, to be honest, looking at the charts for the next couple of weeks, it’s a bit of a tough stretch for us. We’re starting with a real flat spell. There’s no surf at all from Wednesday the 8th through until the end of Thursday the 9th. Just a flat, glassy ocean with no energy to speak of.

We finally see a little pulse trying to show on Friday the 10th, but I wouldn’t get too excited. It’s weak, short-period windswell from the east, only about 2ft to 2ft on the morning with almost no energy behind it (combined energy of all swells directed here is just 6). The wind is straight onshore, so it’s going to be a messy, bumpy mess. Saturday the 11th sees a tiny bump up to about 3ft, but it’s still an easterly windswell with a short period of 6 seconds and onshore winds. Not worth the paddle.

Sunday the 12th is where things get a bit more interesting in size, but not in quality. Swell builds to about 6ft in the morning and nearly 7ft in the afternoon with a period of 7 seconds and moderate energy (295 to 425). The problem is the wind is howling from the east at 18 mph, putting us onshore. The surf will be lumpy and bumpy—more of a kite-surfing day than a paddling one. That trend of onshore wind and building swell continues into Monday the 13th and Tuesday the 14th, with waves up to 8ft. That’s expert-only territory, but combined with those strong onshore breezes (22 mph), it’s just not going to be clean. The water temperature is worth a mention here: it’s sitting at 64°F, which is a massive 5° warmer than usual for this time of year. You’ll be in boardshorts.

The wind finally starts to play ball late on Wednesday the 15th, but the swell is dropping fast. By Thursday morning the 16th, we’ve got light offshore winds from the west and a clean ocean, but the swell is almost gone at just 0.7ft. Glassy conditions Thursday night (18th) but flat as a pancake.

Now, there’s a glimmer towards the end of the outlook. On Monday the 20th, we see a bit of life. The afternoon shows a 4ft easterly swell with a clean, light offshore wind from the west-southwest. The energy is low (57), and it’s still a short-period windswell, but it’ll be surfable and clean. That’s honestly the best the whole period has to offer. The following day, Tuesday the 21st, the morning has a 5ft easterly swell, but the wind is cross-shore, so it’ll be a bit scratchy. The afternoon sees the wind swing offshore from the west, dropping the swell to about 4ft with a period of 6 seconds. It’s not world-class, but for this stretch, that Tuesday afternoon window is the standout. It’s clean, there’s some push, and you’ll get a few runners.

After that, it fades out again into Wednesday and Thursday with onshore winds returning.

Overall? A lean couple of weeks. If you’re desperate, keep your eye on Monday the 20th afternoon and Tuesday the 21st afternoon at Paignton. It won’t be pumping, but with those offshore winds and a little bit of swell, it’ll be the best you’re gonna get. This spot is inconsistent at the best of times, so a couple of clean days like that are worth chasing.

Rusty.

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