Salcombe Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here, let's take a look at what's on the cards for our local patch.

Honestly, it's a flat spell and a half to start. We're looking at a solid stretch of nothing but small, weak, poor-quality surf from now right through until the end of the week. The swell is tiny, the periods are short, and the combined energy is pathetic, barely registering in the double digits. You'll be staring at a lot of clean but completely flat water. Don't bother packing the board for the next several days, there's just nothing to ride.

The first real chance of anything decent arrives on Sunday the 26th of July. The morning brings a pulse of 7 ft swell from the west, but it's short-period windswell at only 7 seconds, and the combined energy jumps to 349 (moderate). The wind is offshore from the NW at 12 mph, so the surface will be clean. This is a big, chunky, short-period swell though, and over 8 ft it's really only for the experts. For Salcombe, a sheltered spot, this kind of size and short period is going to be a handful and likely messy. The afternoon sees it drop back to 6 ft, still with clean offshore winds, but the quality is still poor and the period is still short.

The best of the window, and honestly the only true standout, is shaping up for the morning of Thursday the 30th of July. We get a 3 ft west swell with a much longer 10-second period, which gives it some proper groundswell grunt. The combined energy is a solid 186 (moderate). The wind is offshore from the NW at 12 mph, making for a clean, glassy morning. This is the pick of the bunch. The swell is a good size for a lot of people, the period is long enough to get a proper wave face, and the wind is perfect. It's a classic clean, lined-up day in the making. That morning is the one to circle.

The following week looks like a mixed bag of cleaner, but mostly small surf. The energy stays low, and the swell is inconsistent. There's a brief uptick on the 4th of August with a 3 ft west swell and 162 energy, but with a short 7-second period and a 12 mph cross-offshore breeze, it's clean but not particularly powerful. Nothing else really hits the mark.

So, for the standout, lock in the morning of Thursday the 30th of July. It's not a massive day, but it's the cleanest, most well-rounded swell and wind combo we've got. The rest is a waiting game.

- Rusty

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