Etretat Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s on offer for the next couple of weeks.

It’s a pretty grim outlook for the Normandy coast, I’m not gonna lie. We’ve got a long stretch of nothing really worth paddling out for, so don’t get your hopes up too early. The water here at Etretat is currently sitting at 69°, which is a whopping 6° warmer than usual for this time of year – that’s very unusual, almost like the ocean’s had a fever. But that’s about the only thing that’s exciting.

The first few days are a write-off. Sunday the 2nd and Monday the 3rd have barely a ripple, with swell around 0.7 ft from the west, and the combined energy is just a pathetic 9 (weak). The wind is onshore or cross-onshore, so it’s all messy. Tuesday the 4th morning sees a glassy offshore from the WSW, but the swell is still a tiny 0.7 ft, so it’s flat and clean, but flat. This pattern of tiny, weak swell continues right through the first week.

We get a little bump of 3 ft from the WNW on Friday the 7th, but the energy is still low (33) and the wind is cross-onshore, making it choppy. Saturday the 8th morning is glassy, but again, the swell is only 1 ft. It’s frustrating.

The second week is a bit more hopeful. Monday the 11th morning sees 3 ft from the WNW, with a moderate combined energy of 42 and a gentle offshore wind, so it’s clean. But the period is short at 5 seconds, so the waves will be a bit weak and fat. Not a standout.

Now, the best we’ve got in this whole window is the morning of Saturday the 15th. The swell jumps to 4 ft from the NNE, with a combined energy of 83 (moderate), and the wind is a clean cross-offshore from the WNW. That’s a decent bump for Etretat, and it should be pretty clean. The afternoon sees the swell even bigger at 5 ft, and the energy hits 149 (moderate), but the wind goes cross-shore, so it might get a bit of a chop on it. Still, that’s the pick of the whole period.

Then, on Sunday the 16th morning, we get a 4 ft swell from the NNE again, with a gentle offshore from the SW. The energy is 91 (moderate), and the wind is gentle offshore, so it’ll be clean. The period is still short at 6 seconds, so not a lot of power, but it’s surfable and very ordinary.

The rest of the run after that gets flat again. So, if you’re keen, keep an eye on Saturday the 15th and Sunday the 16th. That’s your best bet. The rest of the time, it’s a waiting game. Forecasts can change, though, so don’t give up entirely.

Rusty.

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