Surf Forecasts:
Salcombe surf forecast from 27 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Tuesday 1 Sep, 1AM (local time) - 5ft (1.5m), 10s period, W swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Saturday 29 Aug, 7PM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 9s period, WSW swell with 1,770 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Tuesday 1 Sep, 1AM (local time) - 5ft (1.5m), 10s period with W swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Salcombe this week:
The surf forecast for Salcombe over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Sep 01) at 1AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.5m and 10s period. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Salcombe in the next 16 days are 3.0m 9s and forecast to arrive on Saturday (Aug 29) at 7PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.6m 6s period and expected on Friday (Aug 28) at 1PM.
| Wave Type | Time (BST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 1AM (Tue 1st Sep) | 5ft (1.5m) 10s |
| Best Surf | 1AM (Tue 1st Sep) | 5ft (1.5m) 10s |
| Most Powerful | 7PM (Sat 29th Aug) | 10ft (3.0m) 9s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Salcombe over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, Rusty here. Let’s break down Salcombe in feet and degrees.
Truth is, mate, it’s a pretty bleak outlook for the next couple of weeks. There’s a big gap of nothing at the start – no surf worth mentioning until Monday the 31st of August. That’s a long dry spell.
Overall Pattern
Right now, and for the next few days, the wind is mostly cross to onshore and blowing fresh. There’s some swell around, but it’s all chopped up and messy. The water temp is 65°F, which is about 3°F warmer than usual – a touch on the warm side, but it doesn’t help the waves. Most of the reports just say “poor surf conditions,” and I can’t tell you any different.
The Best Bet
Your only real chance comes on Monday the 31st of August morning. Salcombe gets a 8ft swell out of the WSW with a 10-second period – decent groundswell. The wind goes cross-off from the WNW at 15 mph, so it should be clean. The combined energy is 1225 – that’s strong. It’s still a marginal call, probably tide or shape issues, but it’s the standout of the whole forecast. Expect a crowd, because this spot is always busy.
The afternoon of the same day holds a 7ft swell from the WSW, still clean cross-off wind, with a bit less energy (833). A solid backup session.
After the Hope
Tuesday the 1st of September sees the swell drop to 4-4ft with cross-off winds, but the energy is weak to moderate (169-240). Nothing exciting. Wednesday the 2nd morning gives you a brief window of light offshore wind from the WNW at 6 mph, but the swell is only 2ft with an 8-second period – tiny and weak (73). Clean, but only for a longboard.
The Rest of the Run
From Thursday the 3rd onward, it’s more of the same: small to moderate swell, some clean windows, but also strong wind and lumpy chop. Nothing stands out. The swell direction is mostly W to WSW, which is the opposite of what Salcombe really wants (S), so it never lines up properly.
Second Week (September 5th onward)
The second week stays quiet. A few pulses of 4-4ft swell with 9-10 second periods roll through, and the wind is often clean, but the energy is moderate at best (141-262). The only one that might get your heart going is Sunday the 6th with a 4ft swell from the WSW and strong cross-off wind – but with 28 mph wind, it’s more of a kiteboarding setup than a surf session.
So, to sum it up: if you want a wave, your one shot is Monday the 31st of August morning. After that, it’s a waiting game. Forecasts can change, but right now, Salcombe is giving us very little to get excited about.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastModerate rain (total 15mm), heaviest on Fri night. Very mild (max 19°C on Sat afternoon, min 17°C on Thu night). Winds increasing (light winds from the WSW on Thu night, near gales from the WSW by Sat morning). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 5mm), mostly falling on Sun night. Very mild (max 19°C on Mon afternoon, min 15°C on Tue night). Winds decreasing (strong winds from the WSW on Sun night, light winds from the NW by Tue night). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Thursday 27 | Friday 28 | Saturday 29 | Sunday 30 | Monday 31 | Tuesday 1 | Wednesday 2 | |||||||||||||||
AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | |
Swell Height Map | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 5 | SW 7 | SW 7 | SW 12 | WSW 6 | WSW 6 | SW 6 | WSW 9 | WSW 9 | W 9 | SW 9 | WSW 8 | WSW 10 | WSW 10 | W 10 | W 9 | W 9 | W 8 | W 8 | W 8 | WSW 7 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
36 | 36 | 43 | 5 | 315 | 187 | 307 | 1708 | 870 | 355 | 572 | 1271 | 1225 | 833 | 432 | 240 | 157 | 107 | 63 | 60 | 43 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | off | cross-off | cross |
High Tide | 7:10PM3.80m | 7:31AM3.67m | 7:42PM4.01m | 8:03AM3.85m | 8:13PM4.15m | 8:33AM3.96m | 8:43PM4.19m | 9:04AM3.99m | 9:14PM4.15m | 9:34AM3.94m | 9:46PM4.02m | 10:07AM3.82m | 10:21PM3.80m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 12:31PM0.58m | 00:54AM0.35m | 1:02PM0.32m | 1:25AM0.10m | 1:34PM0.12m | 1:56AM-0.08m | 2:07PM-0.01m | 2:28AM-0.16m | 2:40PM-0.05m | 3:01AM-0.14m | 3:16PM0.01m | 3:37AM0.00m | 3:54PM0.17m | ||||||||
6:20 | — | — | 6:22 | — | — | 6:24 | — | — | 6:24 | — | — | 6:26 | — | — | 6:28 | — | — | 6:30 | — | — | |
— | 8:10 | — | — | 8:08 | — | — | 8:07 | — | — | 8:04 | — | — | 8:01 | — | — | 8:00 | — | — | 7:58 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | 1 | 5 | 7 | 2 | — | — | 1 | 2 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 18 | 18 | 17 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 19 | 18 | 18 | 17 | 16 | 18 | 19 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 17 | 17 | 18 | 17 |
Feels °C | 17 | 16 | 15 | 13 | 12 | 13 | 11 | 11 | 15 | 14 | 11 | 9 | 14 | 15 | 13 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 15 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 5 | E 5 | WSW 8 | SW 12 | — | S 11 | — | — | — | W 9 | — | — | — | — | W 10 | W 9 | S 17 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 15 |
36 | 7 | 20 | 5 | — | 2 | — | — | — | 355 | — | — | — | — | 432 | 240 | 6 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 8 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 8 | W 8 | W 9 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | S 17 | — | — | S 10 | — |
19 | 19 | 7 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 6 | — | — | 2 | — | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 12 | SE 4 | E 4 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
6 | 4 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 6 | SW 7 | SW 7 | WSW 5 | WSW 6 | WSW 6 | SW 6 | WSW 9 | WSW 9 | SSW 7 | SW 9 | WSW 8 | WSW 10 | WSW 10 | — | — | W 9 | W 8 | W 8 | W 8 | WSW 7 |
8 | 36 | 43 | 113 | 315 | 187 | 307 | 1708 | 870 | 86 | 572 | 1271 | 1225 | 833 | — | — | 157 | 107 | 63 | 60 | 43 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 104 | 119 | 119 | 269 | 170 | 505 | 193 | 157 | 50 | 85 | 558 | 176 | 91 | 157 | 0 | 451 | 169 | 217 | 1 | 119 | 442 |
Best forecast wave conditions in South Devon | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United Kingdom | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the Salcombe Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Salcombe provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Salcombe can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Salcombe surf forecast is unique since it includes wave energy (power) that defines the real feel of the surf rather than just the height or the period. If you surf the same spot (Salcombe) regularly then make a mental note of the wave energy from the surf forecast table each time you go. Very soon you may start to choose your surf days based on the wave energy alone combined with our forecast of favourable offshore wind conditions. Our star ratings will help here and of course you will also find the usual wave height and period predictions on our surf forecasts as well as a full break down of the swell components under our advanced users option (to reveal that, click the little Einstein character under the tide times).
Further information to help with frequently asked questions about our surf forecast for Salcombe may be found under the help tab on the top menu and also by moving your mouse over the question marks on the surf forecast table itself. Please always bear in mind that the forecast is for near-shore open water and local factors at each surf break influence the actual breaking wave height, such as the beach / reef profile, water depths offshore and shelter.
Salcombe is 21 km (13 miles) from the city of Dartmouth. If you plan a holiday in South Devon, look for hotels and other accommodation in Dartmouth. Dartmouth has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.











