Biarritz - Cote des Basques Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here, let's have a look at what's on the cards for Biarritz - Cote des Basques. We've got a bit of a quiet start, but things are shaping up to get interesting later on.

The first week or so is looking pretty small and average. The good news is there are a few windows of clean, glassy conditions, especially in the mornings. The swell is tiny though, so it’s more about getting a few grovelly rides than anything with any punch. The water temp is about average for this time of year, so no surprises there.

Wednesday the 5th of August starts off glassy but with only 2ft of weak 8-second swell from the WNW. The combined energy is just 47 – really weak. That morning window is the pick of the day before the wind swings cross-onshore in the afternoon.

Thursday the 6th has a cleaner morning with a light cross-offshore breeze and a slightly bigger 3ft swell from the NW. The energy bumps up to 126 (moderate), but it's still small and the period is short at 8 seconds. The afternoon gets chopped up again.

Friday the 7th is another morning glass-off with 3ft from the NNW. The period drops to just 7 seconds, so it'll be a bit fat and weak. Still, it’s rideable.

Saturday the 8th and Sunday the 9th are poor. The swell stays under 2ft, the wind is onshore or cross-onshore, and the energy is below 75. Not worth getting excited about.

Monday the 10th and Tuesday the 11th are similar – small and ordinary. Tuesday morning has a little more shape with a 10-second period and clean cross-offshore wind, but it's only 3ft.

Wednesday the 12th morning is glassy with the swell bumping up to 4ft from the WNW, but the period is a shocking 5 seconds. It'll be lumpy and weak despite the clean surface.

From the 13th to the 15th of August it’s a total write-off. Onshore winds, tiny swell, and poor conditions across the board.

Now, things start to look a bit more promising for the second week. The real standout arrives on Sunday the 16th of August. We’ve got 4 to 4ft of NW swell with a 10-second period, and the combined energy hits 299 (moderate to strong). The morning window is the one to watch – light offshore wind and a clean surface, but the swell is still on the small side. This is the best we’ve seen for a while.

Monday the 17th drops back down to 2 to 3ft and the afternoon gets messy again.

Now, here’s the big one. Tuesday the 18th of August. The swell jumps to 8ft from the WNW with a 9-second period. The energy is massive at 905 in the morning and 1224 in the afternoon. That's strong to very strong wave energy. This is proper size. For a beginner-friendly spot like Cote des Basques, that’s getting into expert territory. The wind is onshore in the morning and cross-onshore in the afternoon, so it won’t be clean, but the power will be there. This is a long-range call, so keep an eye on it, but it’s the only real standout of the whole forecast period.

Wednesday the 19th keeps the size with 7 to 7ft from the NW, and the energy stays high at 1089 in the morning. The wind is cross-onshore though.

Thursday the 20th of August morning finally gives us a clean glassy window with 4ft from the NW and an 8-second period. The energy is 196. After the big days before, this will be a nice, manageable drop back in size with clean conditions.

So, to wrap it up: the first week and a half is mostly small and average with a few clean morning windows for a paddle. The one to really circle on the calendar is Tuesday the 18th of August for the big swell, but that's one for experienced surfers only. Sunday the 16th is the best bet for a clean, fun size session if you're not looking for anything too heavy.

Stay stoked,
Rusty

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