Anglet - La Petite Madrague Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here, let’s talk about what’s cooking for the next couple of weeks. We’ve got one spot on the radar, and it’s a bit of a mixed bag, but there are a couple of windows that’ll get the blood pumping.

Anglet - La Petite Madrague is our only game in town. It’s a beach/jetty setup, and it’s exposed to the west, so it’s catching that NW groundswell. The water right now is sitting at a warm 74°, which is a couple of degrees warmer than you’d expect for the start of September – feels more like a late summer swim than an autumn surf. That’s a nice bonus.

We’ve got a slow start. Thursday and Friday (3rd and 4th) are mostly a write-off with tiny, weak waves and poor conditions. The energy is barely there, with readings of 32 to 72 (combined energy). Not worth paddling out for.

Saturday the 5th is where we see a pulse. The morning session is the standout: glassy conditions with a 3 ft NW swell, period of 9 seconds, and the energy jumps to 226 (moderate). It’s not huge, but it’ll be clean. The afternoon gets a bit messy with a 5 ft NW swell (13-second period, energy 747) but the wind swings onshore, so it’ll be choppy. Stick to the morning.

Sunday the 6th is the real heart of this forecast. The morning is glassy, dead calm, with a solid 5 ft NW swell (12-second period, energy 661). That’s a proper groundswell, and it’ll push through with some real grunt. The jetty should help focus it. This is the best session on offer – clean, punchy, and enough juice for a good drop. The afternoon turns into an onshore mess, so don’t sleep in.

The next week gets quiet. From Monday the 7th through to the 13th, it’s mostly small and weak, or blown out. There’s a few mornings with glassy conditions and a waist-high wave, but nothing to get excited about. Energy drops below 150 for most of that stretch. There’s a gap of about 5 days where the quality drops off.

Then we get a flicker of hope on Monday the 14th. The morning has offshore wind from the east with a 3 ft NW swell (11 seconds, energy 257). It’s clean, but it’s not a standout. The afternoon is similar.

The real standout in the second week is Wednesday the 16th. This is for the experienced crew. The morning delivers a 6 ft NW swell with a very long period of 15 seconds. The energy is massive – 1341 (strong). The wind is light from the northeast, keeping it clean. This is a proper groundswell, and it’s going to unload on the jetty. The period is so long it might make the beach break sections a bit straight, but the jetty should give it shape. This is only for those who know what they’re doing. The afternoon is a bit onshore, so the morning is the window.

Thursday the 17th morning is another glassy dawn with a 5 ft NW swell (12 seconds, energy 561). It’s a good follow-up session, clean and solid, but not as powerful as the day before.

Overall, the best of the best is the morning of Sunday the 6th, and the morning of Wednesday the 16th for the heavy stuff. The rest of the 16 days has a lot of small, weak, or windy surf, but those two sessions are worth pointing the car at.

Rusty.

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