Guidel Plages Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right, let’s have a look at what’s on offer here at Guidel Plages (beach and reef). The water’s sitting at 66°, which is pretty much bang on average for this time of year, so no surprises there.

Honestly, mate, the first week is a bit of a write-off. We’ve got a long stretch of poor surf conditions starting from Wednesday morning, 5th August, all the way through to Tuesday afternoon, 11th August. The swell is tiny, mostly around 0.7ft to 1ft, and when it does show a pulse, the wind is often cross-onshore or onshore, just mucking it up. There’s a brief window on Thursday morning, 6th August, with a bit of a 2ft swell and a clean cross-offshore breeze, but the wave energy is weak (42) and the period is short at 7 seconds, so it’s not going to be anything to write home about. The morning of Tuesday, 11th August, sees a 1ft swell with a light offshore and clean conditions, but again, the energy is weak (31) and the period is short (8 seconds). It’s just not happening.

The outlook picks up a touch on Thursday morning, 13th August. The swell bumps up to 3ft from the WSW with a period of 9 seconds, and the wind goes glassy. That’s a real nice window for a paddle, with the combined energy registering a moderate 95. It’s still on the small side, but glassy conditions at Guidel Plages are a treat.

Then things get a bit more interesting on Monday, 17th August. We see a proper pulse of swell coming through, with heights of 6ft on the morning and 6ft in the afternoon, both from the west. The wave energy jumps right up to 701 and 890, which is strong. However, the wind is cross-onshore and moderate to fresh, so the surf will be lumpy and choppy. The period is 9 to 11 seconds, which is decent, but that wind is the spoiler. This is a period where the beach is going to be messy, and honestly, the setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing.

The real standout, if you can be patient, is the glassy morning of Thursday, 13th August. That’s the one to aim for. It’s not huge, but the conditions will be perfect for a clean, fun session. The bigger swell on the 17th has the power, but the wind ruins it.

The rest of the second week continues with predominantly poor conditions, with the wind onshore or cross-onshore most of the time. There are a few cleaner windows with cross-offshore winds, like on Wednesday morning, 19th August, with a 3ft swell, but the energy is only moderate (100) and the period is short (8 seconds). It’s a case of one step forward, two steps back. The long-range promise of the 17th is there, but it’s a long way off and the wind is a gamble.

So, overall, it’s a lean run. Hang in there for that glassy Thursday morning and keep an eye on the 17th, but don’t hold your breath.

Rusty.

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