Bandol - Les Nervis Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a good look at what’s coming up for Bandol - Les Nervis over the next couple of weeks. I gotta be straight with you—this is not a classic stretch for us. The wait is going to be painful, but there’s a little window that could make it all worthwhile if you're patient.

Right now, we’re in a flat spell. The water is sitting at a very unusual 81°, which is much warmer than normal for this time of year, so at least a paddle won’t be a shock to the system.

For the first week, honestly, there’s almost zero reason to get wet. From Sunday the 16th right through to the end of next week, the swell is tiny or non-existent. The only flicker of life shows up on Tuesday the 18th: a small building swell hits late in the day, with waves around 5 ft coming from the W, with a period of 7 seconds. The wind goes light WSW in the afternoon, and the energy reading is moderate at 342. It’s surfable, but it’s not going to light your fire. Most of the other days have next to no energy (values of just 1 to 15) and the conditions are either glassy and flat or chopped out.

Now, here’s where you need to pay attention. The real standout—and I mean the only true standout in this entire 16-day outlook—is Tuesday the 25th of August. That morning, a solid 10 ft W swell is due to roll in, with a period of 9 seconds. That’s a groundswell, packing plenty of punch. The combined energy reading is a massive 1526, so that’s strong to very strong energy. It’s big—over 8 ft, so this is experts only, no question.

The wind that morning is blowing hard from the NW at 19 mph, straight offshore. That will make for clean, lined-up faces. The catch? The forecast notes that the swell might be too big for this break, which is a beach and reef setup. With size like that, it could be a washing machine at high tide, but for a crew that knows the bank, it could be a session of the month. The swell direction is W, which is close to its optimum SSW, so not a perfect match but close enough to work.

After that, the swell drops back into the 7 ft range on Wednesday the 26th with gentle NW offshore winds—still clean, still fun, but the magic moment is that Tuesday morning.

For the final days of August and into the 31st, it’s back to flat, windy, onshore junk. A few small pulses show 5 ft from the W on Monday afternoon the 31st, but with a strong onshore wind from the E at 22 mph, it’s going to be messy and lumpy. Not worth dragging the board out.

So in short: don’t hold your breath for the first week. Save your energy for Tuesday the 25th. Mark it in your calendar. Be ready early, and if you’re not comfortable in serious size, sit it out. The water might be warm, but the paddle out will be a grunt.

This is Rusty, signing off.

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