Etang-Sale Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's have a look at what's on offer at Etang-Sale over the next couple of weeks. It’s an advanced reef break that needs a solid southwest swell to get going, and that’s exactly what we’re seeing in the long-range picture. Water temp is sitting at 76°F, which is very close to average for this time of year, so nothing unusual there.

We start off on Monday the 6th of July with a decent pulse already in the water. The early morning sees a 7ft – 7ft SSW groundswell, period around 13 seconds, pushing a lot of energy through (moderate to strong energy at 1798). It's a bit punchy and the wind is a moderate offshore from the SSE, making for clean, lined-up waves. This is definitely one for experienced surfers only – it’s got some grunt. The afternoon drops a little in size to 6ft but the wind freshens to 30 km/h, still offshore, but makes paddling a fight.

Tuesday the 7th gets tricky. The swell is still solid – 6ft in the morning jumping to 10ft in the afternoon – but the wind is howling at 40 km/h from the SE. Clean faces, sure, but you’ll be battling just to get out. The wave energy is huge (2845 in the arvo), but this is expert-only territory, and even then it’s a workout.

Wednesday the 8th is where we see the first real standout. A gentle offshore breeze from the ESE, speeds only 15 km/h, with a 7ft S swell (period 11 seconds) in the morning and an 8ft ESE short-period swell (8 seconds) in the afternoon. The energy is moderate to strong (1843 and 1946). With the wind light and clean, these are excellent, surfable conditions for the experienced crew. This is a proper session.

Thursday the 9th is a bit of a write-off – tiny 4ft – 5ft swell with light cross-onshore wind. The energy drops off a cliff (489). Not worth the paddle.

Now, from Friday the 10th into the weekend, we get something special. A glassy morning on Friday 10th with a long-period SSW groundswell of 16 seconds, pushing 3ft – but it's clean as a whistle. Then Saturday the 11th morning is glassy with a 5ft SW groundswell (15 seconds) and moderate energy (1048). The real highlight, though, is Sunday the 12th morning. Glassy conditions, 8ft of SW groundswell (15 seconds), and very strong energy (2634). That is the best on offer for the entire forecast. It’s big, it’s long-period, and it’s perfect for this reef. Crowds are listed as ‘sometimes’, so you might get a few out, but with a swell that good and clean, it’ll be worth your while.

The second week gets a bit more mixed, but there are still windows. Monday the 13th afternoon has a clean 7ft SW swell (14 seconds) with a light offshore. Tuesday the 14th sees a very long-period 17-second SSW groundswell hitting 8ft in the morning, but the wind is a light cross-onshore, so not as clean. The energy is massive (3447), but the wind takes the shine off. Thursday the 16th morning has a 7ft S swell with cross-shore wind. The following Friday, the 17th, sees a return to glassy, smaller conditions (4ft, 12 seconds), which would be fun and easy.

Looking way out, Monday the 20th starts with a 6ft SSW groundswell (14 seconds) and a clean, light offshore – good energy (1555). Tuesday the 21st morning is another one for the experts: 10ft of ESE short-period swell (9 seconds) with a moderate offshore. Big, clean, and powerful, but that short period will make it a bit walled-off at the reef.

Don't hold your breath for the 18th and 19th – it gets small and mixed. Overall, we’ve got a lot of action here over the 16 days; it’s not a blank run at all. The standout without question is the morning of Sunday the 12th of July.

Rusty

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