Etretat Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's be straight up about what's on the table for the next couple of weeks at Etretat.

It's a tough outlook, I'm not gonna lie. The forecast is a long dry spell with very little to get excited about. We're looking at a solid gap of poor surf conditions right through the middle of the period, with nothing really rideable for days on end.

The first week, starting Friday the 10th, is a write-off. Strong onshore winds from the Northeast are just hammering the coast, making a mess of things. The water is sitting at 65°F which is a massive 6°F warmer than usual for this time of year – a real anomaly. But that doesn't help us when the waves are blown out. We see a combined swell energy of just 9 (weak) on Friday morning, and it only gets worse from there. By Saturday the 11th, the wind is up to 25 mph and the swell is a messy, short-period 5ft from the NNE. It's just not the kind of surf you paddle out for.

This poor run continues all the way through the end of the week. There's a glimmer on Thursday the 16th morning with a clean look and a light WSW wind going cross-offshore, but the swell is a tiny 3ft from the NNE with a combined energy of 50 (weak). It's a tease, but it's still being called "poor surf conditions." The afternoon brings a risk of thunderstorms and a cross-onshore wind, so that window is gone.

Honestly, the best chance on offer in this whole 16-day window is a long shot on Friday the 17th morning. The wind swings light offshore from the WSW at 9 mph and the conditions are clean. But the swell is just a sliver of 0.3ft from the west – a 9-second period, but it's so small it's barely a ripple, with a combined energy of 1 (weak). It's a promise of a clean surface, but not much to ride.

After that, we slide back into another gap. Saturday the 19th sees a bit more size, with 4ft from the north on Sunday morning, but it's onshore and short-period, so it's going to be a bumpy, close-out mess. The rest of the forecast into the second week is a monotonous pattern of tiny swell and onshore winds. The whole run from the 17th afternoon through to the 25th is a graveyard of 0.3ft and 0.7ft swells and poor conditions.

I hate to say it, but there's no standout here. There's no one to call out as the best session. The consistent wind and low energy just aren't lining up. If you see a clean-looking ripple on the 17th morning, you might get a fun little one-footer, but don't hold your breath. This is a real fallow period for the Etretat reef. When it goes quiet, it goes quiet.

Rusty.

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