Ilbaritz - Edouard VII Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right, let’s have a look at what’s on offer for the next couple of weeks. The main break to talk about is Ilbaritz - Edouard VII, a reef setup that’s fairly consistent. The water is sitting at 74°, which is much warmer than normal for this time of year – that’s a nice surprise when you’re paddling out.

The first real chance to get wet comes on Saturday the 5th. It’s not a classic, though. We’ve got a 5 ft swell from the NW, with a period of 13 seconds, and a cross wind from the north. The energy is moderate (732), but the wind is going to put a bit of chop on it, so it’s only a marginal call. Not the best way to start.

Sunday morning the 6th is where it starts to get interesting. The swell drops slightly to 5 ft from the NW, still a solid 12 seconds, but the wind swings around to a light ESE cross-offshore at just 3 mph. That’s clean. The energy is still moderate (661), and the chart says “very good surf conditions.” This is one of the true standouts of the whole period – a clean, lined-up reef break with a bit of grunt, and the wind playing ball. You’ll want to be on it early.

Sunday afternoon goes onshore and messy, and Monday the 7th is a write-off – small, onshore, and poor. Tuesday morning the 8th offers a brief window: glassy conditions with a 3 ft, 11-second swell from the WNW, but the energy is weak (226) and the surf is small. It’s surfable, but not a standout.

There’s a big gap of poor conditions from Wednesday the 9th through to the end of the week. Strong winds, lumpy seas, and a lot of chop. The 9th afternoon has a 6 ft, short-period swell (8 seconds) from the NW, but with 16 mph winds, it’s a mess – more of a kite day than a paddle day.

The next real highlight comes on Sunday the 13th. Morning brings glassy conditions with a 3 ft, 12-second NW swell. The energy is moderate (328), and with clean glass, it’s another good call. The sets will have a bit of length to them, and the reef should handle the longer period nicely.

Then on Monday the 14th, another clean morning with a 4 ft, 10-second NW swell and glassy conditions from the ENE. Again, a solid option for a morning session.

The best of the whole run, though, looks to be Wednesday the 16th. The morning has a 5 ft NW swell at 12 seconds, with glassy conditions and a light WSW breeze. The energy is strong (585), and the forecast says “very good surf conditions.” That’s a long-period groundswell hitting the reef perfectly with no wind – a proper session. The only caveat is that longer-period swells can sometimes break a bit too straight on a beach break, but on a reef, this is exactly what you want.

After that, the last few days of the period taper off. Thursday the 17th is onshore, and from Friday the 18th through to Sunday the 20th, the swell drops away and the energy falls below 100. The 20th morning has a tiny 1 ft, 8-second swell with glassy conditions, but it’s barely a ripple.

Bottom line: Sunday the 6th morning and Wednesday the 16th morning are the two standouts. Both have clean, offshore winds and solid, long-period NW swell on a reef that knows how to handle it. The rest of the window is a mix of chop, onshore winds, and small surf, so plan your sessions around those two windows.

Rusty.

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