Ilbaritz - Edouard VII Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Let’s talk about what’s on the cards for Ilbaritz - Edouard VII. It’s a reef break, and right now things are a bit ordinary to start. There’s a bit of a gap at the beginning because the first couple of days aren’t really giving us anything to get excited about. The water’s sitting at 75°, which is much warmer than usual for this time of year.

Looking at the whole run, the standout window really starts to shape up around September 5th, and there’s another promising session on September 11th. The surf will be pretty inconsistent and lackluster until we get to that first highlight.

Alright, let’s get into it.

We kick off with Saturday afternoon August 29th, but honestly, it’s a write-off. There’s 5ft of WNW swell with a 9-second period and 15 km/h cross-shore wind from the NNW. The wave energy is moderate at 362, but the onshore chop is ruining the surface looks. It’s poor surf.

Sunday August 30th gives us a window. The morning session is the first real glimmer. It’s glassy with zero wind from the NNE, and 5ft of WNW swell with a 10-second period. The combined wave energy is up to 421, moderate, and it’s looking clean. This is a good, honest surf session, but the swell isn’t huge. The afternoon goes downhill with a 20 km/h cross-onshore from the NW, so don’t bother after lunch.

Monday August 31st through to Wednesday September 2nd is a bit of a mixed bag. Monday has 5-6ft of NW swell, but the wind is constantly cross-onshore and the conditions are marginal at best. Tuesday September 1st morning is actually clean with a light cross-offshore breeze from the ENE and 5ft of NW swell (10-second period), wave energy at 384. It’s good, but not a standout. Wednesday September 2nd morning has glassy conditions with a tiny 3ft swell, very weak energy at 123. It’s surfable, but you’ll be scratching for waves.

Now, here’s where it gets interesting. Friday September 4th has a cracking morning session on offer. It’s glassy with a light wind from the WNW, and a long-period groundswell of 3ft rolling in from the NW with a period of 15 seconds. The wave energy is moderate at 370. That long period means it’s going to break better at this reef, creating nice, lined-up waves. The sets will be clean and the gaps are big, so the paddle out is easy. It’s a quality option.

The absolute best of the whole run comes on Saturday September 5th. The morning is a treat. Offshore wind from the E at 15 km/h, 5ft of NW swell with an 11-second period, and strong wave energy at 568. That’s clean, smooth lines, and proper power. The conditions are excellent. This is the one to circle. Surf is beautifully shaped. The afternoon is still good, but the wind swings cross-shore and it gets a little bit rippled.

September 6th sees the wind turn onshore from the W at 20-25 km/h, and the quality drops right off. The swell drops to 4-4ft and it’s messy. Skip it.

Monday September 7th has a glassy morning with a small 3ft NW swell and a 9-second period. Clean, but not a stand-out. The week after that is pretty flat until Friday September 11th.

Friday September 11th morning is another real gem. It’s glassy again, with a tiny breeze from the ENE, and a very long period groundswell from the WNW at 16 seconds. The swell height is only 3ft, but the period is massive, giving it real grunt and shape. Wave energy is moderate at 347. This is the kind of session where you get perfect, peeling waves with long, clean walls at the reef. The afternoon gets a cross-onshore wind and becomes marginal, so get out early.

Saturday September 12th has a bit of a pulse, with 5ft of WNW swell but it’s onshore wind from the W. Conditions are marginal.

The final highlight is Sunday September 13th morning. Glassy conditions, a light NE wind, and 4ft of NW swell with an 11-second period. Wave energy is moderate at 413. A solid, clean session to wrap things up, but it won’t have the same punch as the 5th or the 11th.

Overall, the best two sessions are the morning of Saturday September 5th, with clean offshore wind and a solid 5ft NW swell, and the glassy morning of Friday September 11th, with that super-long-period groundswell. Everything else is either too small, too windy, or too inconsistent to get overly excited about.

Rusty.

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