Ilbaritz - Edouard VII Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right then, let's be honest with you. Looking at the whole sixteen-day picture from here at Ilbaritz - Edouard VII, it's a pretty grim run for anyone hoping to get a proper surf in. There are long stretches where you wouldn't even bother paddling out.

We kick things off from Wednesday the 8th of July, but don't get excited. The first proper chance doesn't really come until Saturday the 11th of July. The early mornings are the only glimmers, with a small 2ft swell from the NW. It's not much, but with a light cross-offshore breeze it'll be clean. The energy is weak, so you'll be working for scraps.

Then on Sunday the 12th of July morning, the wind goes glassy. Absolutely clean conditions, but the swell is a tiny 2ft from the NW, with barely any energy behind it. It's surfable, but you're just bobbing around on ankle to knee-high lumps. That's probably the best we've got for a while, which says it all.

We get a little pulse on Friday the 17th of July afternoon, with the swell bumping up to 5ft from the WNW, and the energy jumps to a moderate level, but the wind is a messy cross-onshore. It'll be choppy and junky – more of a battle than a pleasure.

There's a moment on the morning of Saturday the 18th of July. The wind swings offshore from the east, giving us clean conditions on a 3ft northwest swell. It's still small and the energy is weak, but with a reef setup, an east wind can offer a few lined-up walls. It's a short window, and the afternoon gets ruined by strong cross-onshore wind.

Later on, Tuesday the 21st of July brings a bigger 5ft swell from the WNW, but it's accompanied by a strong 40 km/h onshore wind and rain. That's a total mess – the kind of day you watch from the car park. The energy is moderate, but the quality is zero.

Honestly, for this entire 16-day window, there's no true standout. The best on offer is that glassy Sunday morning the 12th for those who just need a paddle, or that clean Saturday morning the 18th if you time it perfectly. But for real waves? It's looking bleak. The reef here, which needs a clean W swell, just isn't getting the right conditions. A lot of this period looks better suited for a kite than a paddle, given the cross-to-onshore wind setups.

Keep your eyes peeled, but don't hold your breath.

Rusty.

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