Bandol - Les Nervis Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right then, let’s have a look at what’s cookin’ for Bandol.

Honestly, the next 16 days are a bit of a struggle for us. The first real chance of a wave that’s worth paddling out for doesn’t show up until Thursday the 10th of September, and even then, it’s pretty ordinary. For the first few days, we’re staring at flat or near-flat conditions with poor surf, so don’t bother waxing up just yet.

Thursday morning the 10th brings a bit of a pulse from the WNW at 5 ft, but with a short period of 6 seconds, it’s gonna be a bit lumpy and disorganised. The combined energy is moderate at 188, and the wind is moderate offshore, so it’ll be clean, but the waves won’t be anything to write home about. By the afternoon, the swell shifts to the west at 5 ft, period pushes to 7 seconds, and the energy jumps to 330, but the wind goes cross-offshore. It’s still clean, but the word “marginal” is doing a lot of heavy lifting here.

The standout, if you can call it that, is actually the following Wednesday the 23rd of September. We get a morning glass-off with a 5 ft easterly swell, period of 6 seconds, and moderate energy of 169. The surf will be rideable but very ordinary. The real interest comes in the afternoon when the swell jumps to 8 ft from the ESE, period hits 7 seconds, and the energy cranks up to 435 – that’s strong wave energy. The wind is a moderate cross-offshore from the WNW, so it’ll be clean. But this is proper size, over 8 ft, so it’s strictly for experts. The swell direction is from the ESE, and the break likes it from the SSW, so it’s not the perfect angle, but the power is there. For a beach and reef setup, that amount of energy with a cross-off wind could be a handful, and it might actually be more interesting for the kite surfers than the paddle crew.

The rest of the run is a whole lot of nothing. Tiny waves, poor conditions, glassy mornings with no swell. You’ll get a few 2 ft days, but with next to no energy, it’s not worth the effort. The water temp is about average for the time of year, nothing unusual there.

So, for the whole 16-day window, Thursday the 10th is the only real chance for a beginner-friendly wave, but it’s just average. The only day that packs a punch is the 23rd of September afternoon, and that’s for the experienced crew only. It’s a long wait for very little reward, I’m afraid.

Rusty.

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