Surfing — South Hams Coast

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Today's Surf Conditions

Bantham & Bigbury — 26 Feb 2026

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🌊 Wind is directly onshore (ENE) — this kills wave face quality. If you're not that experienced, consider waiting for the weekend when SW winds may clean things up.

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Bantham Tides — Surf Timing

26 Feb 2026

📅 Add a free WorldTides API key in conditions.js for live tides | Bantham tides ↗ | Tides4Fishing ↗

⭐ Best Tide for Bantham River BreakLow tide — the sandbanks expose and waves peel properly

⭐ Best Tide for BigburyMid tide — beach flattens out at low, closes out at high

⭐ Best Tide for ChallaboroughMid to low — protected cove, works on smaller swell

Today's low is ~13:00. Hit Bantham around 11:00–14:00 for the best sandbar exposure. Watch the rip current that runs alongside the river channel at low tide — it's always there and catches people out.

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5-Day Surf Outlook

Bantham & Bigbury Bay

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Fetching forecast

Fri 27 Feb

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3–4 ft

SW backing — cleaner!

6/10

Sat 28 Feb

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4–5 ft

SW swell building, windy

5/10

Sun 1 Mar

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3–4 ft

Lighter winds, cleaner

7/10

Mon 2 Mar

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2–3 ft

NW offshore! Clean surf

8/10

🤙 Best session of the week looks like Monday morning — light NW (offshore!) with 2-3ft of clean groundswell. Classic Bantham day. Get there early for dawn patrol before the wind picks up.

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Surf Spots Guide

Bigbury Bay & surrounds

🏄 Bantham

River mouth — sandbar

🌊 Works: SW–W swell
💨 Offshore: NE–E
🕐 Best: Low to mid tide
📏 Size range: 2–8ft
⭐ South Devon's best break
⚠️ Rip current in channel

Consistent

🏄 Bigbury-on-Sea

Beach break

🌊 Works: SW swell
💨 Offshore: N–NE
🕐 Best: Mid tide
📏 Size range: 1–5ft
⭐ Beginner/intermediate friendly
🏄 Surf hire at beach

Beginner OK

🏄 Challaborough

Small cove — beach break

🌊 Works: SW–S swell
💨 Offshore: NE
🕐 Best: Low to mid tide
📏 Size range: 1–4ft
⭐ Sheltered, smaller waves
🏕️ Camping nearby

Sheltered

🏄 Thurlestone

Beach break — rock reef

🌊 Works: SW–W swell
💨 Offshore: NE–N
🕐 Best: All tides
📏 Size range: 2–6ft
⭐ Scenic, often less crowded
⚠️ Thurlestone Rock — beware

Intermediate+

🏄 Hope Cove

Sheltered cove

🌊 Works: S swell only
💨 Offshore: N
🕐 Best: Mid tide
📏 Size range: 1–3ft only
⭐ Protected — calm days only
🐟 More of a snorkelling spot!

Tiny & Fun

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Wetsuit Guide — Year Round

South Devon water temperatures

Jan

8°C
5/4mm
+ hood + boots

Feb

9°C
5/4mm
+ hood + boots

Mar

9°C
5/4mm
+ hood + gloves

Apr

10°C
5/4mm
+ boots

May

12°C
4/3mm

Jun

14°C
3/2mm

Jul

17°C
2mm/spring

Aug

17°C
2mm/spring

Sep

16°C
3/2mm

Oct

14°C
4/3mm

Nov

12°C
5/4mm
+ boots

Dec

10°C
5/4mm
+ hood

Today (Feb) — 5/4mm with hood, boots and gloves is the minimum. Cold water incapacitation can hit within seconds of an unexpected wipeout. Don't cut corners on rubber in winter.

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Surf Hire & Lessons

Local surf schools

Operator	Location	What's Available
Island Surf	Bigbury-on-Sea	Board & wetsuit hire, lessons, SUP
Bantham Surf School	Bantham Beach	Lessons, coaching, board hire
WSM Surf School	Bigbury	Group & private lessons, camps
Ocean Source	Kingsbridge nearby	Equipment, repairs, local knowledge

Most hire shops are seasonal — phone ahead in winter to check availability. Local surf shops are gold mines for up-to-date local conditions knowledge too.

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Parking & Access

Getting there & getting changed

Beach	Parking	Notes
Bantham	National Trust — pay & display	Walk through dunes to beach. Can get full in summer by 9am.
Bigbury-on-Sea	Large pay & display above beach	Steep walk down. Year-round access. Facilities open in season.
Challaborough	Camping park car park	Pay at campsite kiosk. Reasonable and close to beach.
Thurlestone	Free village car park	15-min walk to beach. No facilities at beach.

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Beach Safety & Rips

Bantham — know the hazards

🌀 Bantham RipPermanent rip current runs along the River Avon channel — always there at low tide

🏊 Caught in a Rip?Stay calm — paddle parallel to beach or float and signal for help

🚩 Beach FlagsAlways surf between red & yellow flags in season — RNLI lifeguards May–Sep

🌊 Bigbury ChannelStrong tidal current between beach and Burgh Island — don't swim across it

🆘 Emergency999 — ask for Coastguard

📱 RNLI AppDownload for beach safety info

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Live Surf Cam

Check before you drive down

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Bigbury Live Cam — Surfline

Full surf forecast, table view, cam & tides for Bigbury/Bantham

Open Live →

Also check Surf-Forecast.com — Bantham for the 6-day charts — great for planning your week.

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Surf Blown Out? Alternatives

When the sea's not playing ball

Activity	Where	Notes
🚵 Mountain biking	Dartmoor — Widgery Cross, Haytor, Burrator	20-40 mins drive — epic trails when sea's too wild
🥾 Coastal walk	South West Coast Path	Bolt Head → Salcombe stunning, Thurlestone to Hope Cove
🏊 Swim / sauna	Salcombe or Plymouth	Warm up after a cold winter session
🍺 Pub session	The Pilchard, Burgh Island	Cross the causeway at low tide — art deco legend
⛵ Sailing	Salcombe Estuary	When surf's blown out it's often windy enough for a cracking sail

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Post-Surf Pit Stop

Get that salt out of your mouth

Venue	Where	Why
The Pilchard Inn	Burgh Island	Iconic. Order a pint and watch the sea from the terrace. Can't be beaten.
The Fishermans Arms	Kingston	Proper local, no frills, great ales. 5 mins from Bigbury.
The Journey's End	Ringmore	Medieval pub, tiny, brilliant. 10 mins from Bigbury.
The Sloop Inn	Bantham	Right on the approach to the beach, proper Devon pub
Burgh Island Hotel	Burgh Island	Have a look inside even if not eating — art deco 1930s gem

🏄 Surfing

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