Ilbaritz - Edouard VII Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, this is Rusty. Let’s be straight with you—this forecast is a real test of patience. The first week and a half is mostly a write-off, with barely a ripple worth paddling for. We’ve got a long, frustrating gap with no real surf on offer from now until the end of August, and even into early September it’s looking grim. The only light at the end of the tunnel comes in the second week, with a few promising windows that might just save the trip.

Looking at Ilbaritz - Edouard VII, a reef break that’s fairly consistent and exposed to the west, the water temperature is sitting about average for this time of year—nothing out of the ordinary there. The first real standout arrives on Monday morning, 31 August. We’ve got a 5 ft swell from the WNW, with a period of 9 seconds, and the wind is glassy—dead calm. That’s clean, smooth, and the combined energy is moderate (338). It’s not huge, but for a reef break, those conditions are pure magic. The swell direction is right on the money from the west-northwest, and with glassy conditions, you’ll be surfing silk. Crowds are often a factor here, so get in early.

The next highlight is Tuesday morning, 1 September. The swell drops a touch to 4 ft, still from the WNW, period 9 seconds, and the wind turns offshore from the east, giving you clean, lined-up waves. Combined energy is moderate (282). This is another solid session—offshore wind on a reef with waist-to-chest high waves is a treat. Again, crowds are likely, so be ready.

The final standout is way out in the forecast, on Monday morning, 7 September. The swell is 5 ft from the NW, period 10 seconds, and the wind is offshore from the east again, making for clean, peeling waves. Combined energy is moderate (387). This is a longer-period swell, so there’ll be more power and longer lulls between sets—perfect for a reef break like this. It’s a promising call, but it’s far out, so keep an eye on it.

The rest of the period is filled with poor surf, onshore winds, and choppy junk. The small bump on the 6th of September with glassy conditions and a 2 ft swell from the NW is surfable but very ordinary, and the 8 ft swell on the 8th of September is too big for most and comes with marginal conditions—only for experts.

The combined swell energy is mostly weak to moderate (10–568) through the first two weeks, except for the 8th of September, which hits a strong 1832, but the quality isn’t there.

So, in short: the first ten days are a write-off. The best bets are the glassy morning on 31 August, the offshore clean-up on 1 September, and the long-range promise on 7 September. Don’t hold your breath for the rest.

Rusty.

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