Croyde
United Kingdom · Atlantic Europe
Right now
OvercastWind and swell direction
Swell: 0.4m WSW
Wind: 12 km/h SE (offshore)
Beach faces: NW
Offshore wind (blowing from land to sea). Ideal conditions, holding up wave faces for cleaner surf.
Swell is coming in at an oblique angle, some refraction expected.
0.5m swell is 63% below the April average
Today hour by hour
Updated 08:42Expected crowds
Prediction model v16amDawn patrol territory
7amMidweek quiet
Next 7 days
Forecast via Open-MeteoWhat to pack
- 4/3mm wetsuit recommended for 12°C water.
- Small waves expected. Longboard or fish to make the most of it.
- Strong winds on some days. Check the forecast each morning.
Forecast accuracy at Croyde
Not enough data yet. Log a session to help build the accuracy score.
Best time to go
quiet before the morning rush, conditions building through the session
quiet evening session
quiet evening session
Nearby spots right now
Crowd report
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Session journal
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Create free accountTide
Approximate modelBest on low-mid tide
Swell forecast
7-day forecastWater quality
5 nearby outfallsUpdated 08:42
Daily score breakdown
This week is looking about average for late April.
Comparing the 7-day forecast to the last 5 years of marine data for the same week at Croyde.
What's driving it
Recent form
Last 4 days of logged conditions.
Historical averages
Best month to visit: March
Best time to visit Croyde
Combining historical conditions with school holiday crowd pressure to find the sweet spot.
Key insights
- The best week for surf at Croyde is the week of 4 May (score 3/5) with low crowds.
- Avoid the week of 13 July if you can due to Summer holidays and Vacances d'ete.
Best time to visit
Crowd calendar
How busy each week is based on school holiday overlap from feeder markets.
School holidays affecting this destination
How are these scores calculated?
The timing score combines two signals: historical conditions quality (how good the skiing or surfing typically is in a given week, based on 5 years of weather data) and crowd pressure (how many of this destination's feeder markets have school holidays that week).
Crowd pressure is weighted by each feeder country's share of visitors. If 40% of a resort's visitors come from France and France is on holiday, that contributes 0.40 to the crowd pressure score. Crowds can reduce the timing score by up to 35%, ensuring conditions still matter most.
Scores: 5 = great conditions with low crowds (the sweet spot). 4 = great conditions with moderate crowds, or good conditions with low crowds. 3 = average. 2 = below average conditions or very crowded. 1 = poor conditions or peak holiday chaos.
About Croyde
A charming Devon village with a powerful beach break that comes alive on autumn and winter swells, offering some of England's most hollow waves. A more local, less commercialised alternative to Newquay with seasonal surf instruction and pub work.
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Create Profile →Frequently asked questions
How often is this page updated?
Current conditions refresh every 6 hours when the cron runs. Hourly data updates every 30 minutes. The 7-day forecast, luck factor, and packing notes are all pre-computed at the same time.
What is the luck factor?
We compare the 7-day forecast to the last 5 years of marine data for the same week at Croyde. The delta tells you whether conditions are shaping up better, worse, or about the same as a typical late April.
How is 'best session' picked?
We score each day of the 7-day forecast using the same algorithm as the leaderboard, and highlight the highest scorer.
Where does the data come from?
Open-Meteo's Marine API (swell height, period, water temperature) and Weather API (wind and conditions).
Does the score capture local knowledge?
Honestly, no. Every break has tide windows, swell directions and reef contours that a global model cannot see. Treat the score as a starting point, then check a local cam.
When is the best time to surf Croyde?
The best week for surf at Croyde is the week of 4 May (score 3/5) with low crowds.