Salcombe Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s take a look at what’s on the table for our little corner of the coast over the next couple of weeks.

To be straight with you, it’s a bit of a slow burn. We’ve got a long stretch of flat, wind-affected days to start. The first sign of anything actually surfable doesn’t show up until Thursday the 20th of August, so don’t even bother checking the tides before then. For the first few days, it’s all tiny lumps and onshore or cross-shore junk. Not worth a second look.

Thursday the 20th morning is where things get interesting. Salcombe wakes up to a 2 ft west swell, and the wind is looking clean offshore from the WNW at 19 mph. The combined energy hits moderate 407, so there’s a bit of push. It’s not massive, but with that glassy, offshore wind, it’s going to be clean. The water temp anomaly is a solid 2° warmer than average at 66°, so the water feels surprisingly nice. This morning window is the only time it gets a decent score, but even then it’s a bit marginal on the quality side—just a heads up.

Thursday afternoon stays similar in size, 2 ft, but the wind stays offshore and clean, and the combined energy climbs to 416. It’s still borderline, but if you want a clean wave with no one else out, that’s your spot. The crowd factor is always a problem here, but with conditions like these and only small swell, it might be quieter than usual.

We get a little pulse on the weekend of the 23rd and 24th of August, but the devil is in the detail. The swell jumps to 2 ft on Sunday and 2 ft on Monday, all from the east with a short period around 6–7 seconds. That’s short-period windswell, and with cross to cross-onshore winds hitting 40 km/h, it’s going to be a churned-up, lumpy mess. The combined energy is strong (394 to 529) but the quality is just not there. This looks a whole lot more like a kite-surfing session than a proper surf. Leave the log at home.

Then we hit another flat spell through the middle of the week. Not a whole lot happening until the end of the forecast period. Friday the 28th of August sees a bit more life with a 2 ft west-southwest swell (combined energy 547) but still short period and light cross-shore wind. It’s still only getting a marginal nod. Not the clean, well-shaped stuff we want.

The real standout, and the one to mark on your calendar, is Saturday the 29th of August – morning session. We’ve got a 1 ft west swell pushing in with a moderate 11-second period. The wind is a beautiful offshore from the NW at 12 mph. Clean lines, proper push, and the combined energy is the strongest of the whole run at 618. This is the best we’re going to get. With the long gap in consistent quality leading up to it, this could be a magical, uncrowded morning if you get in early.

After that, the wind swings onshore and the swell drops off again quickly into September. The last week is downhill fast.

So, bottom line: don’t bother before the 20th. Thursday morning the 20th is okay if you’re desperate. The weekend of the 23rd is more for the kite crew. But if you want the best wave of the outlook, pin Saturday morning the 29th of August. It’s far out, so keep an eye on the charts, but on paper, that’s the one.

Rusty.

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