Salcombe Surf Forecast and Surf Report

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.

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