Anglet - La Piscine Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right on, surfers. Rusty here, looking at the next couple of weeks for the Basque coast.

We’ve got a bit of a flat spell to start, honestly. The first few days are offering next to nothing worthwhile. The water’s sitting at a very warm 76°F, which is much warmer than normal for this time of year – that’s the only standout early on. For the first week, we’re looking at small, weak swell and mostly onshore or cross-onshore winds messing up the shape. The combined energy is low, often under 100 (weak), so it’s a lot of effort for very little reward.

The real highlight, and the only one really worth circling on the calendar, is Anglet - La Piscine. Early on Tuesday, August 11th, we get a small window of clean conditions. The wind goes glassy from the NNW, which is a massive positive for a spot that’s exposed to the west and north-west. Sure, the swell is only 2ft from the NW with a 9-second period, and the energy is weak (68), but those clean conditions make it surfable. It’s small and ordinary, but ridable. The spot is fairly consistent, but expect it to be crowded sometimes, especially when there’s even a hint of a wave.

After that, it’s more of the same – small swell and tricky winds. We see a slight bump in size around Monday, August 18th, with the swell hitting 5ft from the NW, but the period is a short, weak 6 seconds and the wind is cross-onshore. That makes it a messy, choppy mess, better suited for a kite than a paddle board. The energy does climb to moderate (200), but the quality is just poor.

Further out, on Thursday, August 20th, the morning session could be a sneaky good one. We’ve got glassy conditions again from the WNW, with a 2ft NW groundswell. The period jumps to a very long 12 seconds, which means nice shaped waves with good energy. The combined energy hits 169 (moderate), so there’s some push behind it. That long period at a beach break like La Piscine can make the waves a bit closey-outy and hard to read, but in glassy conditions, it’s a gamble worth taking for a solid session. The tide could be questionable on the afternoon, though.

The following weekend, Saturday, August 22nd, brings a shift. Early morning we get a clean, cross-offshore breeze from the SSE, but the swell drops right back to a pathetic 1ft from the WNW. It’s a tease.

Honestly, for the next 16 days, the surf is pretty lackluster. The only true standouts are the glassy windows on the mornings of Tuesday the 11th and Thursday the 20th. Don’t get your hopes up for the rest of it. The rest is a whole lot of waiting.

Rusty

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