Salcombe Surf Break

Lat Long: 50.21° N 3.79° W

Salcombe Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Issued: 12 am 21 Aug 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's Salcombe sea temperature is
18.6° C
1.7° 

Salcombe surf forecast is for near shore open water. Breaking waves will often be smaller at less exposed spots.


Salcombe surf forecast from 21 Aug 2026:

  • Most powerful swell: Tuesday 25 Aug, 1AM (local time) - 8ft (2.4m), 7s period, E swell with 620 kJ wave energy.

Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Salcombe this week:

The most powerful waves expected at Salcombe in the next 16 days are 2.4m 7s and forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Aug 25) at 1AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.8m 5s period and expected on Friday (Aug 21) at 10PM.

Wave TypeTime (BST) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+)--
Best Surf--
Most Powerful 1AM (Tue 25th Aug)8ft (2.4m) 7s

Table - best surf conditions forecast for Salcombe over the next 16 days.


The Lowdown

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s be straight with you for Salcombe. We’ve got a sixteen-day window stretching from right now into early September, but there’s a pretty brutal gap at the start. Honestly, the first week or so is a rough one. We don’t get a sniff of anything worth paddling out for until late on the 28th, and even that’s a struggle. The whole run from the 21st right through to the morning of the 28th is a write-off—poor surf conditions day after day, with onshore or cross-onshore winds, short-period windswell, and a lot of lumpy, messy water. Scores are zeros across the board. That’s a solid seven-day gap with no recommendations at all.

Things start to look a little better on Friday the 28th. Salcombe picks up a 7ft swell coming from the WSW with a 7-second period. The wind goes cross-offshore from the west, and the wave comment shifts to “clean.” The combined wave energy hits 353, which is moderate. That’s a solid step up, but that short period means the waves won’t have much shape. It’s still worth a look if you’re keen and the wind is holding. The afternoon gets a strong offshore breeze at 25 mph from the WNW, which cleans it right up but makes paddling a mission. Only for the keen boys.

Now, the real standout in this run lands on Saturday morning the 29th. Salcombe gets a 7ft swell from the WSW, 8-second period, cross-offshore wind from the WSW at 16 mph. Combined energy jumps up to 602 — that’s moderate to strong. The conditions are clean, and the rating finally ticks over to a “1” in the score. This is the best on offer. It’s a solid size, and with cross-off wind, it’ll be lined up. Keep in mind Salcombe is sheltered and inconsistent, and crowds are always a factor here. For a break that rarely fires, this Saturday morning window looks like the session to aim for. That size is in the expert zone—over 7ft—so leave the longboard at home. The swell direction from the WSW lines up nicely with the optimum being south. It’s not bang on, but close enough for a sheltered spot to work.

After that, it fades. Sunday the 30th sees the swell drop to 5-6ft but the wind goes cross and then near-gale by the afternoon. The combined energy is still moderate but the quality goes. The rest of the run into early September is a slow decline back to tiny, weak swell with poor wind. By the 4th and 5th of September we’re down to 2ft or less with short periods and lumpy cross-shore chop. Not worth suiting up.

Water temp isn’t provided for the first break mentioned, so I can’t comment on anomalies here.

So, bottom line: you’ve got a long dry spell, then a promising but uncertain Saturday morning on the 29th. Get on it if you can, but don’t expect much else.

Rusty.

Short Range Forecast

Light rain (total 2mm), mostly falling on Fri morning. Very mild (max 18°C on Fri afternoon, min 13°C on Thu night). Wind will be generally light.

Days 4-6 Weather Summary

Moderate rain (total 11mm), heaviest on Tue night. Very mild (max 19°C on Mon night, min 17°C on Sun night). Winds decreasing (strong winds from the ENE on Mon night, light winds from the SE by Tue night).

Friday
21
Saturday
22
Sunday
23
Monday
24
Tuesday
25
Wednesday
26
Thursday
27
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
Rating
(10 max)
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Swell
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Wave
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
0.9
W
9
0.8
W
8
0.5
W
8
0.5
W
10
0.5
W
9
0.4
W
9
0.3
W
9
0.2
SSW
14
0.4
WSW
11
1.2
ESE
5
1.9
E
6
2.4
E
7
1.5
E
7
1
E
6
0.4
SW
8
1.6
SSW
6
1.7
SW
7
1.5
SW
8
1.6
SW
7
1.6
SW
8
1.7
WSW
8
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
133
92
33
45
41
25
13
20
44
72
264
620
204
75
23
160
271
299
268
283
319
Wind (km/h)
10
N
10
NW
10
NNW
25
ENE
20
SE
15
NNE
15
ENE
15
ESE
20
NE
35
E
40
E
45
ENE
30
ESE
15
SSE
10
SE
35
S
35
SSW
20
SSE
30
S
30
SW
40
SSW
Wind State
cross-off
off
cross-off
cross
on
cross-off
cross
on
cross
cross-on
cross-on
cross-on
cross-on
on
on
cross-on
cross-on
cross-on
cross-on
cross
cross-on
High Tide
12:31PM2.91m
00:56AM2.73m
1:35PM2.72m
2:16AM2.57m
3:13PM2.68m
4:13AM2.61m
4:59PM2.88m
5:36AM2.86m
5:56PM3.20m
6:22AM3.16m
6:36PM3.52m
6:58AM3.43m
7:10PM3.80m
Low Tide
5:52AM1.30m
6:25PM1.50m
7:00AM1.59m
8:23PM1.69m
9:13AM1.65m
10:11PM1.55m
10:32AM1.45m
11:08PM1.28m
11:20AM1.17m
11:49PM0.96m
11:58AM0.87m
00:23AM0.64m
12:31PM0.58m
00:54AM0.35m
rain showers
rain showers
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
part cloud
part cloud
part cloud
part cloud
part cloud
rain showers
mod rain
thunderstorm
thunderstorm
thunderstorm
thunderstorm
thunderstorm
rain showers
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
6:11
6:13
6:15
6:16
6:18
6:18
6:20
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
8:22
8:21
8:19
8:16
8:15
8:13
8:10
 mm
1
1
1
7
2
1
6
2
1
15
Temp °C
17
18
14
16
17
17
18
18
17
18
18
19
19
19
19
18
18
17
18
18
17
Feels °C
16
16
11
11
13
14
15
16
14
12
11
11
16
19
19
13
13
15
13
14
12
  • Map Icons:
  • Break
  • Live Wave Height (m)
  • Live Wind Speed (km/h)
  • Surf Rating (10 Max)
  • Ocean Swells (m)
  • Wind Speed (km/h)
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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.

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