Salcombe Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, folks. Rusty here. I’ve been poring over the numbers for Salcombe, and I’ve got to level with you – it’s a grim picture. The entire 16-day window is a total write-off for any kind of surf. There’s no recommendation, so I’m just going to tell you how it is.

The core problem is there’s just no energy. The combined swell energy numbers are tiny, from as low as 3 to maybe 172 in the whole period – that’s barely a ripple. The biggest pulse we see is on the 10th of August, where the energy hits 172 (moderate energy) with a 4ft, 7-second swell from the WSW. But even that’s a short-period, weak windswell, and the wind is cross-shore, making it choppy.

The water is warm, though. On the first mention, Thursday the 30th of July, the water temp is 66°F, which is a whopping 4°F warmer than normal – much warmer than usual for this time of year.

Let’s run through it. From Thursday the 30th of July right through to the end of the outlook on the 14th of August, every single entry is marked as “poor surf conditions.” The swell heights are tiny, mostly between 0.3ft and 1ft, with the swell period rarely getting above 8 seconds. That’s just not enough to push you down the line. The wind is a mixed bag: we get some clean offshore breezes on the 31st of July and the 13th of August, but with only 1.0ft of swell, it’s a flat, glassy lake, not a wave.

We do see a slight uptick in size around the 7th to the 10th of August, with heights hitting 3ft to 4ft, and energy climbing into the low hundreds. But the period is still short (5-7 seconds), and the wind is generally cross-shore or cross-on. This isn’t a surfing setup; it’s more of a confused, bumpy mess. The swell direction is mostly from the WSW, which is nowhere near the optimum S direction that Salcombe would really need to work.

Because the break is “inconsistent,” and the crowds are “always” there, even on a good day you’d be fighting for scraps. But there are no good days here. The blank run is the entire 16 days.

For a sheltered spot like Salcombe, this is a pretty normal stretch of flatness. It tends not to stay poor for long, but this time, it’s locked in. Honestly, with the swell that small and the wind doing what it’s doing, this looks more interesting for a gentle paddle on a stand-up board than a surf. I wouldn’t bother waxing the board for this.

Rusty.

Read more