Hourtin Plage Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here again. Let’s break down this 16-day stretch at Hourtin Plage in feet and miles per hour. Truth is, it’s a pretty flat and frustrating outlook. There’s no real juice in the water for most of it, and the wind just keeps turning it ugly.

The combined energy is weak for the vast majority, with readings mostly below 100 – numbers like 47, 75, 33. That tells you the ocean is nearly asleep. There’s one bump on the 8th of August, but the conditions mess it up.

So, starting from Thursday the 30th of July through Sunday the 2nd of August, you’re looking at tiny surf – about 1 to 2 feet – with cross-onshore winds making it choppy and unrideable. From the 3rd to the 5th of August, it’s a bit bigger, but still onshore or cross-onshore, and the waves are only around 2 feet with periods under 10 seconds. Not worth paddling out.

Then we hit a quiet gap. The morning of the 6th of August is glassy – dead calm – but the swell is a tiny 1 foot from the west with an 11-second period. That’s a nice period for the size, but there’s barely any energy (37). It’s flat. The 7th of August has a light offshore breeze from the east, but again, only 1 foot. Very ordinary.

Here’s the one real standout: the morning of Saturday the 8th of August. The wind is calm – glassy conditions, dead still. The swell is 2 feet from the west, period of 8 seconds. Combined energy hits 82 – moderate, but the best we get for a clean window. The score out of 10 is a 1, but in this flat spell, it’s clean and rideable. Hourtin Plage is an exposed beach break, consistent, but advanced. It’s likely to be crowded sometimes. The water temperature is about average for the time of year.

But here’s the kicker: that afternoon the swell jumps to 6 feet from the west, energy rockets to 528 – that’s strong – but the wind swings to a cross-onshore from the north-west at 12 mph, chopping it up completely. It’s a shame because that’s solid swell, but the wind kills it. With that size and wind, this spot might actually be better for kite surfing than paddle surfing.

From the 9th of August onward, it fades. The 9th morning has 6 feet but again cross-onshore wind – poor. Then it drops back to tiny, weak waves with moderate to fresh cross-onshore winds through to the 14th of August. The morning of the 14th offers a slight hope: a light cross-offshore breeze from the north-east, but only 1 feet from the west with 9-second period and 50 energy. It’s clean, but barely surfable.

Bottom line: the only real chance is the morning of the 8th of August. After that, there’s a gap of several days with nothing good. It’s a flat spell, but forecasts can shift. Keep an eye on it.

Rusty.

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