Etretat Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Look, I’m not gonna sugarcoat it – this 16-day window for Etretat is a bit of a fizzer. We’ve got a long, dry run of nothing worth paddling out for, stretching from Sunday the 19th of July right through until the end of the month. You’re looking at over a week of tiny, wind-affected slop or flat calm. The only real pulse of energy comes in around Wednesday the 29th of July, and even then it’s barely a blip.

Let’s walk through it. Starting Sunday the 19th, we’ve got a weak 2 ft swell from the NNE with a period of 4 seconds – that’s pure wind chop. The wind is onshore and strong at 16 mph, and the combined energy is a measly 11. It’s a write-off. Monday and Tuesday are identical stories: tiny, short-period junk with onshore winds. The water temperature is sitting at 67°, which is a massive 6° warmer than average for this time of year – that’s very unusual, but with no surf, it’s a cruel tease.

The whole first week is dead. Wednesday the 22nd, Thursday the 23rd, Friday the 24th – all flat or near-flat with combined energy values barely reaching double digits. The wind does swing around to a cross-offshore direction from Saturday the 25th, but the swell is a pathetic 0.3 ft. Clean, sure, but you can’t surf air.

The only bit of hope arrives on Wednesday the 29th of July. The morning shows a 3 ft swell from the NNE, with a 6-second period. The combined energy jumps to 62 – finally enough to push a few ripples. The wind is a light 9 mph cross-offshore from the west, which will keep the surface clean. It’s surfable, but “very ordinary” sums it up. This is a reef break (Etretat), consistent, and it likes swell from the SW, but we’re getting close to nothing from the NNE. It’s a classic case of the wrong direction for the setup. The wave quality is poor, and for a beginner, that 3 ft is fine, but the shape won’t be there.

The afternoon of the 29th gets a bit weaker, and by Thursday the 30th we’re back to nothing. The first few days of August offer a few 2 ft to 2 ft pulses with clean wind, but the energy is still low (33, 31) and the period is short. It’s not worth a special trip.

The one standout, if you can call it that, is the morning of Wednesday the 29th of July. The swell is small (3 ft, NNE), but the cross-offshore breeze from the west will make it the cleanest window of the whole period. The combined energy of all swells directed here is 62 – weak, but the best we’ll see. The water is much warmer than normal, but with no real swell direction for the reef, it’s a session for the longboard or the foamie, not for getting excited.

Honestly, this is a tough outlook. The forecast can change, but as it stands, you’re better off saving your energy. The crowds are “sometimes” at Etretat, but with this lack of swell, you’ll have the place to yourself.

Rusty.

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