Anglet - La Barre Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let's have a look at what's on the table for Anglet - La Barre.

The next couple of weeks are looking pretty flat and frustrating overall. There's a lot of small, weak, onshore wind-affected surf on the menu, with very little to get excited about. The real standout is a late burst of power, but it's a long way off and comes with some messy wind.

We start off with a real dud. Sunday the 9th and Monday the 10th are a write-off. We're looking at tiny 2ft NW swell with period around 10 seconds, but the wind is on it or cross-on, and the combined energy is weak at 95 (Sunday) and 119 (Monday). The report says "poor surf conditions" and that's exactly what it is. Not worth paddling out.

Tuesday the 11th morning offers a tiny glimmer. The swell is still only 2ft from the NW, but the wind goes glassy, dead calm from the NNW. That's a major positive for a beginner-friendly spot like La Barre, and the report calls it "surfable waves but very ordinary conditions." The energy is a feeble 66. It's a log or a foamie kind of morning, tiny and clean, but at least you won't be battling the wind. The water temp is about average for the time of year.

Wednesday the 12th morning is the same story: a repeat of that glassy, 2ft NW swell. It's a short 8-second period, so it's a bit weak and soft, but it's clean. For a beginner, this is the best of a very average bunch. The energy is even lower at 56.

From Thursday the 13th right through to Monday the 24th, the forecast is a monotonous run of small, wind-affected slop. Swell heights bounce between 1ft and 3ft, mostly from the NW or WNW, and the wind is almost always cross-on or onshore. The combined energy stays mostly in the double digits, sometimes creeping into triple digits, but it's never backed by decent conditions. The period is often short, between 7 and 10 seconds, meaning weak, unshapely waves.

The one true standout in this whole outlook is the burst of swell arriving on Friday the 21st of August. The forecast shows a 4ft NW groundswell with a 11-second period in the morning, building to a solid 6ft from the NW by the afternoon. The combined energy jumps right up to 543 in the morning and a very strong 819 in the afternoon. That's a lot of power. However, the wind is a real problem. It's a moderate cross-onshore from the WNW at 12 mph, making for choppy, blown-out conditions. For a river/jetty break like La Barre, this is a classic case of "good swell, bad wind." It's an expert-only session at 6ft, and the wind means it's going to be a bumpy, challenging paddle. The 11-second period means it's a groundswell, which will bring better shape but also longer lulls between sets.

Saturday the 22nd drops back to 4ft NW swell with a cross-on wind, and the energy is still moderate at 334. The risk of thunderstorms in the morning doesn't help. Sunday the 23rd and Monday the 24th are just more of the same, with the swell dropping and the wind remaining a problem.

To be honest, the only window for a clean, easy paddle is those glassy mornings on Tuesday the 11th and Wednesday the 12th. For the rest of it, you're either fighting the wind or the swell is too small. The late month pulse on the 21st has the power, but the wind is a real buzzkill. It's a promising setup if you're a strong paddler who doesn't mind a bit of chop, but for the average surfer, it's a tough sell.

Rusty, signing off.

Read more