Ilbaritz - Edouard VII Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, it’s Rusty here. Let’s look at what’s on the cards for this next stretch. Honestly, it’s a bit of a tough one to call. We’ve got a long run of fairly ordinary conditions ahead, with a couple of brief windows that might be worth a paddle, but nothing that’s going to get the heart racing too much. The water is sitting at a very warm 75°—that’s about 7° warmer than usual for this time of year, which is pretty unusual to feel.

The first real chance to get wet looks to be Sunday morning, July 5th, at Ilbaritz - Edouard VII. It’s a reef break, so it’ll handle the swell better than a beach. We’re looking at a tiny 2 ft of swell from the NW, with a period of 11 seconds. That’s a long-period groundswell, which means the waves will have some shape to them, but they’ll be small and the sets will be few and far between. The combined energy is weak (133). The wind is a light 3 mph from the NE, making it a cross-off breeze, so the surface will be clean. The crowds are often there, so you won’t be alone. It’s surfable, but it’s very ordinary.

The small swell continues through the week, but the wind gets messy. On Monday morning, July 6th, an easterly offshore breeze at 6 mph will clean up the same small 2 ft NW swell. It’s still just a tiny wave, but it’s an option if you’re desperate. The combined energy is weak (64).

Then we hit a big gap. From Tuesday, July 7th, all the way through to Thursday, July 16th, the conditions are poor. It’s a mixture of onshore winds, cross-shore chop, and tiny swell. There’s a morning on Tuesday, July 7th that’s glassy, but the swell is only 2 ft and the period is dropping to 8 seconds, so it’s not worth the effort.

The next small window could be Sunday morning, July 12th. The swell pushes up slightly to 3 ft from the WNW, with a 10-second period (moderate energy at 138). The wind is a light cross-off from the NNE at 6 mph, keeping it clean. It’s still on the small side, but it’s the best-looking morning in that first week.

The only real standout, and it comes with a big caveat, is Friday, July 17th. The swell jumps up to 6 ft from the WNW, with a short period of 7 seconds. The combined energy is moderate at 261, so there’s some power there. But the wind is onshore from the W at 9 mph, which will ruin the surface. This is a case of a bit of size but poor quality. With the onshore wind and the short-period swell, this setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing. It’s a no-go for a clean wave.

The rest of the run into the second week is pretty much a write-off, with persistent onshore winds and tiny swell. There’s a brief moment on Thursday morning, July 16th, with glassy conditions from a light NE wind, but the swell is only 2 ft. It’s surfable, but it’s a very marginal call.

So, to sum it up: the best of a bad bunch is the Sunday morning, July 5th and Monday morning, July 6th. The small, clean waves are the only real options. The 17th has some size but it’s blown out. It’s a lean period, but forecasts can change.

Stay stoked.
Rusty.

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