Salcombe Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let’s be straight with you. The Salcombe area is in for a tough run over the next 16 days. I’ve looked through everything, and honestly, there’s not a single session that I’d recommend you paddle out for. The forecast keeps churning out poor surf conditions across the board, so if you’re itching for waves, you might be better off checking the forecasts again in a few days.

Right now, the only break on the radar is Salcombe, a sheltered spot that’s inconsistent and rarely breaks – and when it does, it’s not doing us any favours this period. The water temperature is sitting at 65°F here, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year, so at least a spring suit will be fine.

We start off on Monday afternoon (31 August) with some lumpy 7ft swell from the west, period at 10 seconds, and a cross-off wind from the WNW at 19 mph. There’s a decent amount of energy in the water (904), but the quality just isn’t there. It’s a no-go. Tuesday morning (1 September) drops right off to 3ft, and the wind swings around to a light cross, but the surf is still poor. That trend continues through the first week – small, messy, and mostly cross or onshore winds. By Wednesday morning (2 September), we’re down to 1.0ft, and it’s not worth a second look.

There’s a bit of a bump mid-week: Thursday and Friday (3-4 September) see waist-to-chest high swell around 5-5ft, with cross-off winds and clean conditions, but the energy is only moderate (218-326) and the period is short at 8 seconds. Even then, the surf quality is rated poor, so it’s not going to deliver. The weekend (5-6 September) turns onshore and small, with winds from the ESE and SE, leaving us with choppy, blown-out scraps.

The second week brings a few more pulses, but nothing that changes the story. Wednesday (9 September) shows a 6ft west swell with a 10-second period and a fresh cross-off wind, giving us a solid 539 in combined energy, but again, the surf quality is poor. Thursday (10 September) has similar size but with near gale-force winds – that’s a kite-surfing setup if anything, not for paddling. By Friday (11 September), we get a clean offshore wind from the NW, but the swell is only 3ft, so it’s tiny and weak (96 energy). The following weekend (12-13 September) sees a shift to an easterly swell, with 8ft on Sunday morning, but it’s wind-affected and onshore, making it a messy, expert-only affair at best, with strong energy (770) but no quality.

The final few days (14-15 September) fade back to small, weak, and mostly onshore, with a brief offshore window on the 15th giving us clean but tiny 3-4ft waves from the east. Nothing to get excited about.

So, the bottom line: there’s a 16-day stretch with no standout surf at Salcombe. The inconsistency here is normal for this spot, and while the forecasts can change, right now I’d say save your energy and wait for a better window.

Rusty.

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