Etretat Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s cooking for our little corner of the coast.

Honestly, the next couple of weeks are looking pretty bleak for paddle surfing. The first week is a write-off, with barely a ripple and a lot of wind from the wrong directions. There is a brief, flashy pulse of energy right at the end of the first week, but it comes with a big caveat. Let’s get into it.

From now through the 7th of September, it’s a flat spell with mostly onshore or cross-off winds messing up any small dribbles. We’re looking at swell heights under 2 ft and combined energies barely scraping three figures – weak stuff. The best you could do is a coffee on the clifftops.

Then, things get interesting but dangerous. On the morning of Tuesday the 8th of September, we get a sudden pulse of swell at Etretat (reef) . The swell jumps to 8 ft out of the WNW with a short period of 8 seconds. The combined energy hits 765 – that’s strong wave energy, no doubt. The wind is a fresh cross-offshore breeze from the WNW, which would keep the faces clean. This is a lot of water moving fast, and at that size, this break is strictly for experts. That powerful, short-period swell will feel pretty chaotic out there. The crowd factor is ‘sometimes’, so it might be quiet with that size, but you’d want it all to yourself anyway.

The afternoon drops to 7 ft, but the conditions are still rated as poor. The rest of the forecast is back to the doldrums, with tiny, wind-affected surf through to the 18th of September. For what it’s worth, the water temp was recorded at 69° on the 3rd, with a huge anomaly of 5° above normal – that’s very unusual for this time of year, so it might feel like a warm bath compared to usual, but with no waves, it’s a moot point.

So, the one standout is that Tuesday the 8th morning. If you’re an expert with a big-wave gun and nerves of steel, that’s your window. For everyone else, keep the board in the car and watch from the shore.

Rusty.

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