La Cote Sauvage Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G'day, I'm Rusty, and I've had a good look at the prospects for La Cote Sauvage.

I've got to be straight with you, the next 16 days are a tough watch. The water temp is sitting about average for the time of year, so no surprises there. The first real glimmer of hope doesn't show up until Saturday morning, the 22nd of August, and even then, it's a weak one. The wait is a long one, with nothing but poor surf conditions for the first few days.

The main issue is the wind. For the most part, it's blowing straight onshore or cross-onshore, which just wrecks the surface. The swell is small and the energy is weak, with readings like 106 (Thursday afternoon) and 120 (Friday morning) – just not enough push. There's a brief window on Saturday morning, the 22nd, with a clean, glassy look to it. The wind swings light offshore from the ENE, but the swell is tiny at 2 ft from the W with a short 9-second period, and the energy is only 55. It's surfable, but you'd be scratching for a ride. That window closes quickly, and by the afternoon it's back to cross-onshore chop.

After that, it's a total flat spell for days. The combined energy drops to single digits, like 7 and 9, and the surf is just not happening. The wind is all over the place, from cross-off to cross-on, but with no swell, it doesn't matter.

The next time we see any real energy is on Thursday morning, the 27th of August, when the swell bumps up to 5 ft from the W with an 8-second period and a moderate energy of 221, but it's still cross-on and choppy. Then on Friday the 28th, the energy hits 301, but it's a lumpy, fresh cross-onshore mess. This pattern continues, with swell building to 5 ft and energy up to 302, but the wind is always on it or cross-on, spoiling the surface.

The most promising period is the final two days of the forecast. On Thursday morning, the 3rd of September, the conditions finally align. The wind is a light offshore cross-off from the NE, cleaning up the 4 ft swell from the W (288 energy). It's a classic setup for a clean, glassy morning, and the W swell is ideal for this exposed beach. The next morning, Friday the 4th, is marginal, with a light cross-shore wind and a 4 ft, 10-second swell.

For the best on offer, I'd pin my hopes on Thursday morning, the 3rd of September. The swell is a solid 4 ft from the W (288 energy), and with that light offshore wind, it'll be clean. The period is 9 seconds, so it's a short-period wind swell, but it's the most rideable window in the whole outlook. The previous day, Wednesday the 2nd, has a bigger 7 ft swell but it's a choppy, cross-onshore mess, so that's for experts only and not much fun.

Rusty.

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