Salcombe Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s break down what’s happening for the next couple of weeks.

Right off the bat, we’re looking at a pretty quiet start. The first few days at Salcombe are a write-off, with small, messy, onshore wind affected surf. The water temp is sitting at 65°, which is a touch warmer than usual for this time of year, a nice little bonus.

The first real glimmer of hope shows up on Friday, the 28th of August. Afternoon sees the wind switch to a light cross-off, and we get a clean 5 ft swell from the SW with a moderate 204 combined energy reading. It’s not massive, but it’s clean, and that’s a big win.

The weekend picks up. Saturday the 29th has a solid 7 ft to 7 ft WSW swell, with clean cross-off winds in the morning. That’s a good one. The combined energy jumps to 405-455, showing a lot more push. Sunday the 30th is a bit more mixed, with a lumpy cross-shore wind, but the swell hangs around 6 ft.

Then we hit the most promising window. Monday the 31st of August through Tuesday the 1st of September. Monday morning has a clean 7 ft W swell and a beefy 683 combined energy, with fresh cross-off winds. Tuesday the 1st of September pushes up to a 10 ft WSW swell, with a massive 1217 combined energy reading. That’s a big, powerful groundswell. The period is 9 seconds, which is decent. This is expert territory—too big for beginners. The wind is cross-off, so the waves will be clean and lined up. This is the standout of the whole forecast.

After that, the swell drops back but still offers some good, clean sessions. Wednesday the 2nd of September has a 6 ft WSW swell with a 10-second period, which is a nice longer-period groundswell, and the combined energy is 727. The wind is clean and cross-off. It’s a great option for a wider range of surfers.

The middle of the week turns a bit fickle again. Thursday the 3rd and Friday the 4th of September are much smaller, with 4 ft and 2 ft swells respectively. The energy is low.

But hold on, the last weekend of the forecast brings another big pulse. Saturday the 5th of September has an 8 ft to 10 ft WSW swell, with 1302 combined energy. That’s strong, groundswell energy. The 8-second period is a bit short, but it’s a powerful, clean cross-off wind session. Only for experts. The water should still be holding that warmer-than-average feel.

After that, we see constant mix of moderate to large, clean swells through to Wednesday the 9th of September. The biggest of that run is on Wednesday the 9th, with an 8 ft WSW swell and a super long 11-second period, giving a massive 1463 combined energy reading. That’s a proper, long-period groundswell that will wrap around the point and offer some very long, powerful lines. Again, expert only.

Overall, there’s a real gap in quality surf for the first few days, but once it kicks in, we have some cracking, clean, powerful swells, especially the 1st and 9th of September. The standout for me is the big, clean 10 ft swell on the 1st, and the super long-period 8 ft swell on the 9th. Keep your eyes on the forecasts for those.

Rusty.

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