Ilbaritz - Edouard VII Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Looks like we’re in for a long, dry spell at Ilbaritz - Edouard VII. This reef break is usually pretty exposed to the west, but the next couple of weeks just aren’t delivering. The water is sitting at a toasty 76°, which is much warmer than normal for this time of year, so at least the swim will be nice. But for surfing? We’ve got nearly two weeks of barely anything happening.

Thursday the 30th through to Sunday the 9th of August is a total write-off. The swell is tiny, mostly around 0.7 ft to 3 ft, with short periods of 4 to 8 seconds, and the wind is almost always cross-onshore or onshore, making it choppy and messy. The combined wave energy is weak, sitting between 13 and 86, so there’s just no punch. Every session is flagged as “poor surf conditions,” and the scores are a flat zero. It’s a grim run.

There’s a tiny glimmer on Tuesday the 4th of August morning with glassy conditions and a 1.0 ft west-northwest swell, but at 9 seconds it’s still weak and insignificant. Then again on Saturday the 8th of August morning, glassy with a 2 ft from the northwest, but the period is a ridiculously short 4 seconds, so it’s just bumpy whitewater.

The first real chance comes mid-week, on Tuesday the 11th of August. The morning shows a 3 ft northwest swell at 6 seconds, with a light offshore from the northeast and clean conditions. It’s only a 1 out of 10, but it’s the best we’ve seen. The combined energy is 69, still weak, but you might find a knee-high wave if you’re desperate. That trend continues into Wednesday the 12th of August, with similar 3 ft northwest swell, clean winds from the east-northeast in the morning, and a 1 out of 10 rating. The afternoon also holds at 3 ft but with a north-northeast cross-offshore breeze, keeping it rideable but ordinary.

After that, it all fades back to nothing through Thursday the 13th and Friday the 14th of August. Friday the 14th has a longer-period 1 ft northwest swell at 11 seconds, but it’s onshore and messy, with combined energy of 66—still not enough to get excited about.

So, to be honest, there’s no standout here. If you absolutely have to paddle, aim for the mornings of the 11th, 12th, or maybe the 4th of August for the cleanest conditions, but don’t expect much. This is a quiet stretch for Ilbaritz - Edouard VII. Keep an eye on the forecasts, because it tends not to stay this poor for long.

Rusty.

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