Etretat Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right, let’s have a look at what’s on offer for Etretat. This is a reef break that’s exposed to the west and picks up a solid SW swell window. Water temps are sitting at 69°, which is much warmer than normal for this time of year – you could almost skip the wetsuit for a spring suit, which is a rare treat around here.

The next 16 days are a real mixed bag. It kicks off on Thursday, 27 August, with flat, tiny 0.6 ft waves from the west, a short 8-second period, and weak energy (5). Not worth paddling out for. That theme carries through Thursday and Friday – hardly any swell, and the wind’s all over the place. Saturday morning, 29 August, sees a bump to 3 ft from the west at 7 seconds, but it’s still weak (92) and the wind is a fresh 35 km/h cross-off. Not great.

Saturday afternoon, 29 August, things get a bit more interesting. Swell pushes to 4 ft from the WSW with a 7-second period, and the energy climbs to moderate (167). The wind is a strong 40 km/h offshore, which keeps the surface clean, but that’s a strong breeze – it’ll be a battle to paddle into anything. You’d want to be fit for that session.

Sunday, 30 August, is the first real standout. Morning brings 5 ft from the west at 7 seconds, with moderate energy (219) and a moderate offshore breeze from the SW. That’s clean, rideable, and consistent. The afternoon drops to 3 ft but the period stretches to 9 seconds, giving a bit more shape, and the wind goes glassy from the SW. This is your best window of the first week – clean, manageable, and the reef should start to line up.

Then it goes quiet again. Monday, 31 August, through to Wednesday, 2 September, the swell bottoms out, often showing zero energy or tiny dribbles (1.0 ft – 2 ft). A few clean windows but not enough wave to work with.

Thursday, 3 September, sees a spike to 4 ft from the west at just 6 seconds – short period, so it’ll be a bit mushy and disorganised, but the offshore wind from the SW, 30 km/h, keeps it clean. The energy is moderate (124). Still, not a classic.

Friday, 4 September, is the next real highlight. Morning swell hits 5 ft from the west, 7 seconds, with moderate energy (236). The wind is a light 10 km/h cross-shore, which leaves just small ripples on the surface – pretty clean. That’s a proper surfable size for the reef, and the light wind means it’s not a fight. The afternoon drops to 4 ft, still clean, but the morning is the pick.

After that, there’s a run of small, poor conditions through the first week of September. Saturday, 5 September, has 5 ft but the period is short at 7 seconds, and the wind is moderate offshore – again, clean but not special. Sunday, 6 September, is marginal at best.

Moving into the second week, the outlook is grim. Monday, 7 September, morning has no swell, and the afternoon pushes 6 ft from the WNW at 6 seconds (short period) with a cross-off wind – that’s going to be a choppy, messy 6 ft and not much fun. Tuesday and Wednesday, 8-9 September, are flat or tiny. Thursday, 10 September, has a north wind onshore, so that’s a write-off. Friday, 11 September, brings a 6 ft swell from the west, 7 seconds, with strong energy (321 and 332), but the wind is onshore from the NNE, so it’ll be chopped up and lumpy. That’s more of a windsurf or kite-session than a clean surf day.

Overall, the best is Sunday, 30 August, morning and afternoon, and Friday, 4 September, morning. Sunday has the best combo of clean offshore wind and consistent swell, while Friday has the biggest size with light wind. If you’ve got to pick one, Sunday 30 August is the standout – glassy, manageable, and the reef should be working nicely.

Rusty.

Read more