Preston Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Reports

(South Devon, UK)

Forecast
- Hourly Forecast
- 16 Day Forecast
Maps
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Weather State
Spot Information

Preston Beach Surf Guide

Preston Beach in South Devon is an exposed beach break that does not work very often. Winter is the optimum time of year for surfing here. Ideal winds are from the west northwest. There is too little fetch for groundswells to form and the ideal wave direction is from the east. The beach breaks offer lefts and rights. When it's working here, it can get crowded. Beware of - Rips / undertow.

Preston Beach Spot Info

Type:	Rating:	Reliability:	Todays Sea Temp*:
Beach	1	inconsistent	12.1°C*ocean temperature recorded from satellite

Surfing Preston Beach:

The best conditions reported for surf at Preston Beach occur when a East swell combines with an offshore wind direction from the West-northwest.

Hourly Forecast

16 Day Forecast

What's the best time of year to surf Preston Beach (for consistent clean waves)?

juneBest Season: winter

The best time of year for surfing Preston Beach with consistent clean waves (rideable swell with light / offshore winds) is during Winter and most often the month of June. Clean surfable waves are typically found 1% of the time in June while 12% of the time it tends to be blown out. For the remaining 87% of the time it is considered too small by most surfers but may still be OK for beginners and groms at times.

clean

Surfable waves that hold up well for longer rides in prevailing cross-offshore, offshore or light wind conditions.

blown out

12%

Surfable sized waves that are of poorer quality due to prevailing onshore, cross-onshore or windy conditions (may be preferable for kitesurfing).

too small

87%

Waves usually considered too small for good surf. Some wave-magnet breaks may still work though if conditions are right (on occasion).

Explore Preston Beach Location Map

Interactive Preston Beach surf break location map. View information about nearby surf breaks, their wave consistency and rating compared to other spots in the region. Current swell conditions from local buoys are shown along with live wind speed and direction from nearby weather stations. Click icons on the map for more detail. The closest passenger airport to Preston Beach is Exeter Airport (EXT) in England, 34 km (21 miles) away (directly). The second nearest airport to Preston Beach is Plymouth Airport (PLH), also in England, 39 km (24 miles) away.

Map Icons:
Break
Live Wave Height (m)
Live Wind Speed (km/h)
Surf Rating (10 Max)
Ocean Swells (m)
Wind Speed (km/h)

Please note that some surf spot locations are approximate to protect their exact location while others are not shown at close zoom level.

Preston Beach Surf Forecasts:

Hourly Forecast

16 Day Forecast

Todays Surf Summary
Tuesday, 5 May 2026, 06:26 Local Time

m, °C	Tuesday 05
ft, °F	4AM	7AM	10AM	1PM
Wave (m)	NE	NE	NE	ENE
Period (s)	2	3	3	4
Wind (km/h)
Wind State	cross	cross	cross	cross

What does Preston Beach look like?

Latest photos from Preston Beach. Upload your own or view all photos on the gallery page.

Credit: Christian

Tides at Preston Beach

Current tide and informaton

For Paignton, 1 km from Preston Beach.

Next High Water: 09:20am | 3.35m

Next Low Water: 02:46pm | 0.47m

NEXT	IS AT (local time)	remaining
high tide
low tide

Preston Beach Sea Temperature

The Preston Beach water temperature is rather cold (12.1 °C). Although it will be cloudy today, air temperatures will be relatively mild, feeling like 12.0 °C, so feeling about the same in the water as out of it. A winter steamer or even a good quality spring wetsuit and neoprene boots should suffice. Wear a hood and gloves if you have not been surfing for a while.

Today, many surfers would wear a winter wetsuit and neoprene boots.