Fausse Passe Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright surfers, Rusty here with the long-range outlook for Fausse Passe. This is a reef break for the advanced crew, and it's a consistent spot that needs a good swell from the southwest to really fire. The water temperature is sitting at 72°, right where it should be for this time of year, so no surprises there.

The forecast starts on Thursday, 27 August with a clean, moderate offshore breeze from the ENE. The swell is from the SSW at 4ft with a very long 15-second period, giving us a moderate wave energy of 763. It's a solid start, but the reports are calling it marginal, so don't expect perfection. Thursday afternoon looks a little better with lighter winds and a similar swell, but still not a standout.

Friday, 28 August, things go south fast. The wind swings onshore and the swell drops off, so you can pretty much write that day off. Saturday and Sunday are similar stories with messy, cross-onshore winds and building but choppy swell. Saturday afternoon sees the swell hit 7ft but with poor conditions, making it more of a kiteboarding session than a clean surf.

Monday, 31 August, we get a bit of a reset with clean cross-offshore winds from the ESE. The swell is still there, around 5ft from the south with a long period, but the energy is moderate. It's a step in the right direction, but still a bit marginal.

The real action starts to build from Tuesday, 1 September. The swell is pumping up to 6ft from the SSW with a 14-second period, and the wave energy is strong at 2393. The winds are clean and cross-offshore. By Tuesday afternoon, it's getting serious with 8ft swell and an 18-second period, pushing wave energy to a massive 4137. This is big, powerful groundswell – definitely for experts only. The wind is a fresh breeze, but it's clean.

Wednesday, 2 September, keeps the energy high with 8ft swell in the morning and 8ft in the afternoon. The wind stays cross-offshore, but it's a fresh breeze, so the surface will have some texture. This is a solid run of good-to-big surf.

The swell starts to ease a bit from Thursday, 3 September, dropping to 6ft, then 6ft. The wind remains clean, though a bit stronger. It's still a good option for the experienced surfer.

We hit a bit of a lull from Friday, 4 September, through the weekend, with swell dropping to around 3ft to 4ft. The period is still long, but the energy is low. The winds are clean, so it'll be a bit of a slow, small-wave session.

Then on Sunday, 6 September, we get a little gem. The wind drops to a light breeze, the swell is 4ft from the SSW with a 14-second period, and the conditions are looking very good. It's a small window of clean, glassy waves.

The following week sees a mix of small, clean days and building swell. The standout here is Wednesday, 9 September. The morning brings 6ft SSW swell with a 19-second period – that's a very long-period groundswell with a massive energy reading of 3477. The wind is offshore from the east, making for a fresh, clean session. This is the best of the fortnight for the experts, but be warned, that long period will make it suck a lot of water off the reef, so it's a serious paddle.

The forecast finishes with a bang on Friday, 11 September. The afternoon shows a huge 10ft SSW swell with a 14-second period and an enormous wave energy of 7489. The wind is clean and cross-offshore. However, the report clearly states this swell is predicted to be too big for this break. This is a monster event, and even for advanced surfers, it might be beyond what Fausse Passe can handle. It's one to watch from the cliffs.

So, to sum it up: the first few days are a write-off, then we get a good run of strong, clean swell from the start of September through to the 3rd. The absolute best windows for the expert crew are the afternoons of Tuesday, 1st and Wednesday, 9th. The 9th looks like the pick of the fortnight for quality, but it's a long way out so keep an eye on the charts.

Rusty.

Read more