Paignton Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Let’s be straight up—this forecast for Paignton is a tough one. There’s a big, empty gap at the start with no surf at all from the 2nd of July right through until the 9th. That’s over a week of flat or useless conditions, so don’t bother paddling out. For a spot that’s only inconsistent at the best of times, this kind of blank run isn’t that surprising, but it still stings.

Finally, on Thursday morning the 9th of July, the ocean wakes up with a tiny pulse of 0.7 ft from the north-northeast, with a weak period of just 2 seconds and combined energy of only 1. That’s basically a ripple, and with light easterly onshore winds, it’s still a no-go. Same story into Friday the 10th—0.7 ft again, onshore wind, energy still at 1. Not worth your time.

The first sniff of something real comes on Saturday the 11th of July, with 3 ft from east-northeast, period up to 5 seconds and energy climbing to 37 in the morning, then 81 in the afternoon. But here’s the killer: the wind is onshore from the east all day, gusting to 18 mph in the morning. It’ll be messy and blown-out. Paignton only works on an easterly swell with clean, offshore wind from the west, so this doesn’t stack up. It’s more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing.

Sunday the 12th shows a little improvement—2 ft to 2 ft from the east, period still short at 5 seconds, energy around 16 to 37. A light south-southwest wind in the afternoon gives some clean-ish conditions, but the swell is tiny and inconsistent. Not a standout.

The best on offer looks like Monday afternoon the 13th of July, with 3 ft from the east, a period of 5 seconds, and combined energy of 37. The wind turns cross-offshore from the south-southwest at just 6 mph, so it’ll be clean. For a beginner spot that’s only ever inconsistent, this is the closest we get to a sessionable window. The swell direction is easterly, which is the opposite of the optimum, so don’t expect anything firing—but if you’re desperate, it’s the pick of a poor bunch.

Through the rest of the second week, Tuesday the 14th to Friday the 17th, the swell drops off and the wind stays wonky. A few tiny pulses of 0.7 ft to 3 ft, but all with onshore or cross-onshore winds, energy barely hitting 47. Nothing worth chasing.

Water temp was 65°F on the 2nd, with a +6°F anomaly—much warmer than normal for this time of year. That’s a standout, but it won’t save the surf.

Honestly, keep the board in the car. The forecast can always change, but right now there’s no real juice.

Rusty.

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