Putsborough Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s talk about Putsborough for the next couple of weeks.

To be straight with you, this isn’t a classic run for Putsborough. The whole 16-day window is a tough one. There's a long, quiet gap right at the start. You’re not going to want to paddle out until a few days in. From Tuesday the 25th right through to Friday morning the 28th, the swell is tiny – we’re talking 1ft to 1ft – and while the wind is sometimes offshore, there’s just no energy to work with. The water is sitting at a very unusual 67° (about 5° warmer than normal for this time of year), which feels odd for August.

The first real pulse of size comes on Saturday the 29th. Swell jumps to 5ft Saturday morning and builds to 8ft by the afternoon, coming from the WSW and SW. That’s proper height, but the period is a weak 6-7 seconds – short-period windswell. The wind is a strong cross-shore breeze at 25 mph, making it messy. The combined energy on Saturday afternoon hits 509 (moderate-strong), but with that wind, it’s going to be a chop-fest. Not a day for beginners; over 5ft and messy.

Sunday the 30th sees the swell drop back to 5ft in the morning and 4ft in the afternoon, still from the WSW, with period stretching to 10 seconds. The wind turns cross-offshore, which cleans it up. The energy is 383 in the morning, which is decent (moderate-strong). This Sunday morning window is the best on offer so far – clean-ish, with a bit of push. But there are storm risks around.

We then hit another quiet spell from Monday the 31st through to Tuesday the 1st of September, where swell drops under 3ft and wind is either onshore or strong cross-shore. Not worth it.

Wednesday the 2nd of September brings a new pulse: 4ft swell from the W with a 7-second period (weak), but the wind is light cross-onshore, so it’s choppy. Energy is 169-274 (moderate). Still not great.

From Thursday the 3rd through Friday the 4th, the swell builds again, hitting 7ft on Thursday afternoon from the WSW with an 8-second period. The energy gets up to 534 (strong) and then 394 on Friday. But the wind is a fresh cross-shore, creating lumpy cross-chop. This is turning into more of a kite-surfing setup than a clean paddle session.

The standout window, if you’re brave, is Monday the 7th of September morning. The swell is 6ft from the WSW at 9 seconds, with a cross-offshore wind. The combined energy is 586 (strong), and the conditions are described as clean. That’s the only real pocket of quality in the whole run. But be warned: by the afternoon that day, the wind cranks up to a near gale at 31 mph and the swell hits 12ft with an energy of 1876 (very strong). That is expert-only territory, and with the wind, it will be a washing machine.

After that, the last few days of the forecast (8th-9th September) are blown out with strong onshore and cross-shore winds, swell around 7-7ft, and energy from 647 to 1208. All poor.

The pick: Sunday morning, the 30th of August, is the most realistic call for a clean-ish wave, but don’t expect perfection. If you’re an expert and can handle big, windy, powerful surf, Monday the 7th of September morning might offer a raw, challenging session. The crowds at Putsborough (North Devon) can be often, so expect company even on these marginal days.

That’s the story. Not a vintage spell.

Rusty.

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