
Surf Forecasts:
Bud Bud surf forecast from 15 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Thursday 17 Sep, 5AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.0m), 11s period, W swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Friday 18 Sep, 5PM (local time) - 5ft (1.5m), 16s period, W swell with 1,107 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Thursday 17 Sep, 5AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.0m), 11s period with W swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Bud Bud this week:
The surf forecast for Bud Bud over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Thursday (Sep 17) at 5AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.0m and 11s period. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Bud Bud in the next 16 days are 1.5m 16s and forecast to arrive on Friday (Sep 18) at 5PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.5m 3s period and expected on Wednesday (Sep 16) at 2AM.
| Wave Type | Time (CEST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 5AM (Thu 17th Sep) | 3.5ft (1.0m) 11s |
| Best Surf | 5AM (Thu 17th Sep) | 3.5ft (1.0m) 11s |
| Most Powerful | 5PM (Fri 18th Sep) | 5ft (1.5m) 16s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Bud Bud over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
G’day, Rusty here. I’ve been scanning the forecast for Bud Bud over the next fortnight, and to be honest, it’s a bit of a dog’s breakfast for most of it. There are a few nice windows, but you’ve got to wait for them.
Water temp is 70°F, which is a touch warmer than the usual for this time of year – nothing crazy, but it’s a nice little bonus.
The first week is mostly junk. Onshore and cross-onshore winds, weak and jumbled swell. The combined energy is all over the place – from a weak 73 up to a moderate 484, but the quality is poor. The waves are just lumpy and choppy, not worth the paddle.
Thursday the 17th is the first slight glimmer – glassy in the morning, with a small 3ft W swell at 11 seconds. The energy is moderate (144), but the waves are very ordinary. Surfable, but nothing to write home about.
The rest of the week stays in that same vein – small, weak swells, a bit of cross-shore chop. The 20th has a light cross-offshore breeze and a clean 3ft W swell, but it’s weak (112). The 21st and 22nd get stronger offshore winds (NE and ENE), but the swell stays small and the energy drops right down to 66 and 93. Clean mornings, but only ankle to knee high. Not worth suiting up for.
Now, the standout is clearly the 26th of September. Finally, a proper push. The morning has a moderate offshore ENE breeze, a 3ft WSW swell with a 15-second period, and the energy is moderate (276). The afternoon is the pick: still offshore ENE at 20 km/h, the swell bumps up to a clean 4ft from the W with a 14-second period, and the energy jumps to 460 (moderate). This is the cleanest, most powerful day of the run. The 30th also sparks up – Wednesday morning has a light offshore ENE breeze with a 5ft WSW swell at 11 seconds (431 energy), and the afternoon goes cross-offshore with a clean 5ft W swell at 10 seconds (825 energy). That’s a solid backup option.
But there are a few things to keep in mind. Bud Bud is an exposed break, and these W and WSW swells aren’t perfectly from its ideal direction (WSW is the optimum). The 26th is the best – the direction matches the optimum and the winds are clean. The 30th is close, but the direction is slightly off. Also, those long-period swells (14-15 seconds) can tend to wall up and break a bit straight at a beach break like this, so the shape might not be perfect, but the clean offshore winds should help a lot.
For the rest of the run, there are a few bigger swells over 5ft (like the 28th and 29th), but they’re coming with onshore winds and choppy conditions, which pretty much ruins them for surfing. If it gets big and messy like that, this exposed stretch is going to look a lot more interesting for the kite surfers than the surfers.
So, to sum it up: don’t rush out this week. The surf’s small and sloppy, with only a few ordinary, clean windows. Your best bets are the 26th and the 30th, with the 26th being the real standout – decent size, clean, and proper direction. The long-range stuff is promising but less certain, so keep an eye on it. It’s not a total blank, but it’s a patient one.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 2mm), mostly falling on Thu night. Warm (max 24°C on Tue afternoon, min 13°C on Thu morning). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the WNW on Tue night, calm by Thu morning). | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 24°C on Sun afternoon, min 17°C on Fri night). Wind will be generally light. | |||||||||||||||||||
Tue 15 | Wednesday 16 | Thursday 17 | Friday 18 | Saturday 19 | Sunday 20 | Monday 21 | ||||||||||||||
PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | |
Swell Height Map | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WNW 8 | W 7 | W 8 | WNW 10 | W 12 | W 11 | W 10 | W 10 | W 10 | W 16 | W 14 | W 13 | W 12 | W 11 | W 11 | WNW 10 | W 10 | W 10 | W 13 | W 12 |
Wave Graph | ||||||||||||||||||||
73 | 77 | 86 | 288 | 266 | 144 | 212 | 47 | 153 | 1107 | 407 | 206 | 145 | 118 | 112 | 184 | 75 | 72 | 53 | 72 | |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | cross | cross | cross-on | cross-off | glassy | on | cross | cross | cross-on | cross-on | on | on | cross | cross-off | cross-on | cross-off | off | cross-off | off |
High Tide | 7:35PM4.02m | 7:44AM3.92m | 7:59PM3.71m | 8:10AM3.65m | 8:27PM3.38m | 8:42AM3.36m | 9:04PM3.05m | 9:28AM3.05m | 10:06PM2.74m | 1:49PM2.98m | 2:30AM2.98m | 2:48PM3.24m | 3:17AM3.25m | |||||||
Low Tide | 2:04PM0.23m | 2:24AM0.47m | 2:44PM0.59m | 3:03AM0.85m | 3:28PM0.97m | 3:48AM1.23m | 4:18PM1.32m | 4:42AM1.54m | 5:21PM1.59m | 11:19PM2.72m | 5:51AM1.72m | 6:38PM1.66m | 7:10AM1.67m | 7:56PM1.49m | ||||||
— | — | 7:43 | — | — | 7:45 | — | — | 7:46 | — | — | 7:48 | — | — | 7:48 | — | — | 7:50 | — | — | |
8:17 | — | — | 8:15 | — | — | 8:14 | — | — | 8:12 | — | — | 8:09 | — | — | 8:07 | — | — | 8:06 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 24 | 20 | 16 | 19 | 18 | 15 | 19 | 18 | 15 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 19 | 19 | 17 | 24 | 24 | 19 | 27 | 27 |
Feels °C | 19 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 15 | 13 | 15 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 19 | 17 | 22 | 21 | 15 | 24 | 23 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | W 7 | W 8 | WNW 10 | W 12 | W 11 | W 10 | W 10 | W 10 | W 16 | W 14 | W 13 | W 12 | W 11 | W 11 | WNW 10 | W 10 | W 10 | W 13 | W 12 |
— | 77 | 86 | 288 | 266 | 144 | 212 | 47 | 153 | 1107 | 407 | 206 | 145 | 118 | 112 | 184 | 75 | 72 | 53 | 72 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | W 11 | W 10 | — | W 12 | — | — | — | WSW 16 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | WNW 3 | W 14 | W 10 | — |
— | 21 | 33 | — | 73 | — | — | — | 52 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 34 | 30 | — | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WNW 8 | N 3 | — | W 10 | WNW 4 | — | W 10 | W 5 | — | W 16 | — | — | WSW 12 | — | — | W 11 | NNW 3 | E 2 | — | NE 3 |
73 | 6 | — | 196 | 11 | — | 133 | 29 | — | 597 | — | — | 51 | — | — | 110 | 3 | 1 | — | 2 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 205 | 25 | 5 | 40 | 6 | 0 | 40 | 5 | 4 | 40 | 5 | 5 | 40 | 5 | 0 | 12 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Vendee | ||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in France | ||||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the Bud Bud Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Bud Bud provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Bud Bud can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Bud Bud surf forecast is unique since it includes wave energy (power) that defines the real feel of the surf rather than just the height or the period. If you surf the same spot (Bud Bud) regularly then make a mental note of the wave energy from the surf forecast table each time you go. Very soon you may start to choose your surf days based on the wave energy alone combined with our forecast of favourable offshore wind conditions. Our star ratings will help here and of course you will also find the usual wave height and period predictions on our surf forecasts as well as a full break down of the swell components under our advanced users option (to reveal that, click the little Einstein character under the tide times).
Further information to help with frequently asked questions about our surf forecast for Bud Bud may be found under the help tab on the top menu and also by moving your mouse over the question marks on the surf forecast table itself. Please always bear in mind that the forecast is for near-shore open water and local factors at each surf break influence the actual breaking wave height, such as the beach / reef profile, water depths offshore and shelter.
Bud Bud is 25 km (16 miles) from the city of Les Sables-d'Olonne. If you plan a holiday in Vendee, look for hotels and other accommodation in Les Sables-d'Olonne. Les Sables-d'Olonne has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.










