Salcombe Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, it’s Rusty here. I’ve stared at the charts for our patch, and I’ve got to be straight with you – it’s a grim outlook for the next 16 days. We’re looking at a long stretch of flat to tiny, messy wind chop, and the guidance is giving us a big fat zero for a reason. The first real chance of seeing anything rideable won’t come until the morning of Tuesday the 11th of August, and even then it’s a pretty poor offering.

Let’s start with Salcombe. It’s a sheltered spot, needing a south swell, and we just aren’t getting that. The water temp is about average for the time of year, so no weird surprises there. The first few days are a write-off. Friday the 7th and Saturday the 8th are tiny, weak, and mostly cross-shore or onshore. Sunday the 9th’s morning is glassy, but with a 0.7 ft, 9-second swell from the west, there’s just nothing to ride. The combined energy is a measly 20 (weak energy). You’re better off having a lie-in.

The first real bump in the road comes Tuesday the 11th. We get some wind swell from the east, pushing 3 ft to 5 ft by the afternoon, but the period is a shocking 5 to 6 seconds. That’s short-period, gutless chop. The wind is a fresh 19 mph cross-onshore, so it’s going to be lumpy and blown out. The combined energy hits 190 (moderate wave energy), but it’s poor quality. It stays messy through Wednesday the 12th, with energy climbing to 260, but again, it’s onshore and raw.

We get a bit of a cleaner window from Thursday the 13th through to Monday the 17th. The west-northwest and west-southwest winds give us cross-offshore conditions, which is a major positive – the surf will be clean. The swell, however, is small, mostly 3 ft to 4 ft, with a 7 to 9 second period. The combined energy sits in the low to moderate range (104 to 196). The 4 ft, 8-second swell on Monday the 17th morning with light 6 mph cross-offshore winds is probably the pick of this period, but it’s still not a standout. It’s just the least bad option.

Then things get weird. Tuesday the 18th afternoon sees a jump in energy to 308 (moderate wave energy) with a 6 ft, 7-second swell from the west-southwest. That’s getting big for beginners, but the period is still short and junky. Wednesday the 19th afternoon has a nice 19 mph offshore wind from the west-northwest, which is a big positive for clean conditions, and the swell holds at 5 ft with 263 combined energy. That’s worth a look if you’re an experienced surfer who can handle a short-period, punchy wave. Thursday the 20th morning is also clean with a gentle offshore, but the swell drops a bit.

The real standout, if you can call it that, is a long way off. Friday the 21st of August morning sees a big jump in combined energy to 691 (strong wave energy) with a 8 ft, 7-second swell from the southwest. That’s a big, ugly wind swell. The problem is the wind is a fresh 22 mph onshore, so it’s going to be a complete washing machine. By the afternoon, it’s a 12 ft, 9-second swell with a near-gale 31 mph cross-shore wind and 1842 combined energy (very strong wave energy). That’s not surf; that’s a survival session for experts only, and even then, it’s a mess. Saturday the 22nd morning cleans up a bit with a 6 ft swell and a strong cross-offshore wind, but it’s a long way out and the pattern is uncertain.

So, to be honest, there’s nothing here that gets me excited. The whole 16-day window is a bust for Salcombe. The only glimmer of hope is the clean, offshore conditions on Wednesday the 19th and Thursday the 20th, but the swell is short-period and lacking the juice. For a sheltered spot, we need the direction to line up, and it just doesn’t. This is one of those stretches where you check the forecast and then go find something else to do. The setups with the onshore winds and lumpy conditions look more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing.

Keep an eye on it, but don’t hold your breath.

Rusty.

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