Salcombe Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's have a look at what Salcombe has got cooking for us over the next couple of weeks.

Salcombe is a sheltered spot with the optimum swell coming from the south, but we're looking at a pretty grim run for a while. The water temperature is 18°, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year.

The outlook starts with nothing on offer. We're talking days of utter rubbish. From Monday the 24th of August right through to the back end of the month, it's all cross-onshore winds and crummy conditions. There are a few days where the swell bumps up a bit, like the afternoon of the 24th with a 6ft easterly windswell, but with a 25 mph cross-onshore wind, it's a complete mess. Don't bother.

We finally see a bit of hope on Monday the 31st of August. There's some solid groundswell arriving, 10ft from the west-southwest with a 10-second period. The combined energy is strong (2101). The morning looks clean with a cross-offshore wind, and the afternoon stays clean too with a 8ft swell. The area rating is only “marginal” though, so it's not a guaranteed classic, but if you’re desperate, that's your window. It's a big, powerful swell and will not be for beginners.

After that, things go quiet again. There's a couple of clean days early September but with only small, weak swell (3ft to 4ft). The real standout, the one that has me twitching, is a full week away on Monday the 7th of September. The morning brings a beast of a swell: 12ft from the west-southwest with a very long 18-second period. The combined energy is enormous, a whopping 7891. The winds are clean and cross-offshore. This is a serious groundswell. At this size and period, it's strictly for experienced surfers. That long period will make it a bit straight at the beach but if you know the reefs or river mouth, it could be absolutely pumping.

The next day, Tuesday the 8th of September, is nearly as good. A 10ft west swell, 9-second period, with a moderate offshore wind. The energy is still very strong at 2501. The conditions are described as excellent for experienced surfers. This is the best the forecast has to offer.

To sum it up: the next week is a write-off. The only real standouts are that Monday the 7th and Tuesday the 8th of September. That's where you want to point your van. It's a long way out, so it's promising but not locked in. If it holds, it'll be worth the wait. We might have a bit of clean surf in the lead-up but nothing that blows your hair back.

Rusty.

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