Guidel Plages Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here, let’s talk about what’s going on with your local waves.

To be straight with you, the next ten days or so are looking pretty bleak. We’ve got a long stretch of poor conditions with very little to get excited about. The swell is small and the wind is often a mess. It’s a real test of patience.

Let’s run through it. Starting Tuesday morning, the 4th of August, we’ve got a bit of swell pushing in at about 4ft from the WSW, but the wind is howling onshore from the same direction at 12 mph. The combined energy is weak at 138, and the water temp is 65°, which is about average for this time of year. It’s not worth paddling out for.

The whole first week is a write-off. Wednesday the 5th brings a little more size, up to 5ft from the W, but the wind is still cross-onshore and strong, making a mess of things. By Thursday the 6th, the swell drops right off to 2ft, and the wind is either light cross-shore or fresh and onshore. It’s just not happening.

Friday the 7th gives us a morning of glassy conditions with a tiny 1ft swell and a period of 9 seconds, but there’s no energy in the water (combined energy of 24). It’s pretty but unsurfable. The weekend is even smaller, with swell around 0.7ft to 1ft. The wind is light and occasionally offshore, but there’s just no wave to ride.

The start of the following week stays flat. Monday the 10th and Tuesday the 11th see tiny 0.7ft to 1ft swells with glassy conditions at times, but the combined energy is in the teens. It’s a good time to clean your wetsuit, not to surf.

The first real sign of life comes on Thursday the 13th of August. The morning shows a little bump in swell to 3ft from the WSW, with a 9-second period. The wind is cross-offshore from the NNW at 9 mph, and the conditions are clean. The combined energy is still weak at 84, but it’s the first time we get a “surfable” rating. It’s not going to be epic, but for a quick session on a longboard, you might just find something.

After that, the next few days are a step back into the wind and chop. Friday the 14th and Saturday the 15th offer a bit more swell, up to 4ft, but the wind is onshore or strong cross-onshore, turning the waves to junk. The energy picks up on Saturday afternoon to 282, but it’s blown out.

The one standout in this whole 16-day window is Wednesday the 19th of August. This is the one to circle on your calendar. The morning brings a clean 4ft swell from the west, with a 9-second period. The wind is glassy – just a light air from the WNW at 3 mph. The combined energy is a solid 229, which is a moderate amount of push. The water temp is still around 65°, but the conditions are described as “good surf conditions.” This is your best bet. The wave will be clean and having some shape. The swell direction is from the west, and the optimum direction for Guidel Plages is from the SW, so it’s a little off, but with glassy conditions, it’ll still be fun. Be aware the afternoon turns onshore again, so get out there early.

So, to sum it up: there’s a long, dry gap until the 13th of August for a marginal session, but the real golden hour is the morning of Wednesday the 19th. That’s your window.

Rusty

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