Almanarre Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Look, I’ve gotta be straight with you – the next 16 days at Almanarre are looking pretty grim. This is one of those stretches where you’re better off leaving the board in the shed. We’ve got a real dry spell on our hands, with hardly any decent surf on offer.

Let’s start with the overall picture. The water is sitting at a very unusual 83°, which is much warmer than normal for this time of year – feels like a bath out there. But the warmth doesn’t make up for the lack of waves. The forecast starts with a very ordinary Tuesday morning, the 18th of August. We’ve got a weak 4ft swell from the west, but it’s a short-period 6 seconds, and a cross-onshore wind from the NNW at 9 mph is chopping it up. The combined energy is a weak 102, and the conditions are just poor. The afternoon is even worse, with the swell dropping to 4ft and the same messy wind.

Wednesday morning, the 19th, is the only glimmer in the whole outlook. The ENE wind is glassy at just 3 mph, and the swell is 3ft from the west at 5 seconds. It’s surfable, but the waves are small and ordinary. The combined energy is a low 77. It’s the best we’ll see, but that’s not saying much. The crowds are listed as “sometimes,” so you might have a few others out, but nobody’s going to be fighting for these tiny, weak waves. The swell direction is from the west, which is not aligned with the optimum southwest direction for this break, so the shape is going to be average.

From Wednesday afternoon through to the end of the month, it’s a long, frustrating run. The swell drops to under 3ft, and the period is often 4 to 6 seconds – weak, short-period slop. The wind is all over the place: cross-onshore, cross-offshore, and onshore. There’s a short window on Monday morning, the 24th of August, with a 4ft swell from the west at 6 seconds and an offshore wind from the east at 16 mph, giving clean conditions. The combined energy bumps up to 141, but it’s still not enough to make it a worthwhile session. The waves are ordinary.

After that, the swell fades away completely. From the 25th of August onwards, the wave heights are mostly below 2ft, with periods as low as 3 seconds. The wind is often strong and onshore, with gusts up to 25 mph on the 25th afternoon. The combined energy drops to single digits – there’s just nothing there. The last few days of August and the start of September are flat. You’ll be looking at ankle-snappers at best.

So, to sum it up: Wednesday morning, the 19th of August, is the only stand-out, and it’s a weak one. If you’re desperate for a paddle, you might get a few small, clean waves. Otherwise, this is a solid 16-day blank. The forecasts can change, but right now, it’s a wipeout.

Rusty.

Read more