L'Hermitage Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s on the table for the next couple of weeks.

Honestly, this is a tough one to call. Right now, the forecast is showing a long stretch of flat days, with no real swell to speak of and mostly cross-off or offshore winds that just don’t have any waves to work with. The first sign of any rideable surf shows up around Saturday morning, the 12th, but it’s tiny—like, barely a ripple. We’re looking at a 0.3ft swell from the SW with a period of just 4 seconds, and combined energy at a measly 2. That’s not going to get you wet. There’s a bit of a bump on Friday afternoon the 11th, 0.7ft from the WSW at 5 seconds, but it’s cross-off conditions and still poor.

The pattern stays flat and forgettable through the middle of the month. There are a few glassy moments—Sunday afternoon the 13th is dead calm, and Saturday morning the 19th is glassy too—but with zero wave energy, it’s just a flat ocean. The water temperature is running at 77°F, which is a whopping 7° above normal for this time of year, so it’s much warmer than usual at L’Hermitage.

The first tiny hint of a pulse shows up on Monday morning, the 21st of September. We’ve got 1ft from the west at 6 seconds, with a combined energy of 5. Winds are offshore from the north at 19 mph, so it’ll be clean, but that swell is just too small to get excited about. Still, it’s the best we’ve seen in a while.

The real standout—if you can call it that—is the afternoon of Tuesday the 22nd. The wind goes glassy from the SE, and we see a 0.7ft swell from the ESE at 6 seconds, energy up to 4. It’s tiny, but with the glassy conditions, it might be worth a paddle if you’re desperate for a few ankle-biters. The only problem is, L’Hermitage is a beach and reef setup, exposed to the south, and this swell is coming from the wrong direction for quality. It’s inconsistent, and crowds are sometimes a thing here.

Then, later in the week, Thursday morning the 24th shows a 0.7ft from the west at 5 seconds, with strong offshore winds from the NNW at 25 mph. The energy is 4, but the wind is so strong it’s going to be hard to paddle into anything. Not great.

Bottom line: the whole 16-day window is a write-off for any real surf. There are no waves worth chasing. The conditions are clean at times, especially on the glassy days, but without swell, it’s just a flat lake. If you’re into kite surfing, the strong cross-off winds on the 17th and 20th might look more interesting, but for paddle surfing, it’s a blank run. That’s the reality of the area at this time of year.

Rusty.

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