La Govelle Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, this is Rusty. Let’s break down what we’re looking at for the next couple of weeks.

Honestly, it’s a quiet stretch. The swell is mostly tiny, and when it does show a pulse, the wind is usually in the wrong direction. You’ll see a lot of days with small, choppy, or messy conditions. There’s a bit of a bump in the third week of August, but the wind spoils it. For the most part, it’s a waiting game.

The only spot on the radar is La Govelle, a reef break. It’s a beginner-friendly wave, but it doesn’t break often. The water temp is 20°, which is right around average for this time of year, so nothing unusual there.

Let’s run through the dates. Tuesday, 18th August, we start with nothing. The swell is tiny (0.7ft to 2ft) and the wind is a messy cross-on. No good. Wednesday, 19th, the swell gets a little bigger in the afternoon – 4ft from the WSW – but the wind is onshore at 30 km/h, so it’s choppy and blown out. Thursday, 20th, the swell has more energy, but it’s still cross-onshore and choppy. Friday, 21st, same story: weak swell, messy wind.

There’s a small window on Saturday, 22nd, in the morning. The wind turns light offshore from the NNE at 10 km/h, and the 2ft swell from the W is clean. The period is short (8 seconds), so it’s not powerful, but it’s the best we’ve seen. The wind switches back to cross-on in the afternoon.

Sunday, 23rd, the morning has offshore wind (NE, 20 km/h) but the swell is even smaller – just 1.0ft. It’s clean, but barely surfable. Monday, 24th, the same tiny, clean dribble. Tuesday, 25th, we get a longer period (11 seconds), but it’s only 1.0ft and cross-onshore. The shape would be better, but there’s no energy.

Now, around Thursday, 27th August, the swell jumps. We’re looking at 8ft from the WSW in the morning, with strong energy. That’s a solid size, but it’s onshore wind (SSW, 15 km/h) and the conditions are marginal. For a beginner spot, 8ft is too big, and the wind messes it up. Friday, 28th, is even bigger – 8ft from the WSW in the morning, with strong energy – but the cross-onshore wind is 25 km/h. This is expert-only, and with the wind, it’s not going to be clean.

The only real standout in the whole 16 days is Saturday, 29th August, in the morning. The wind is nearly glassy from the NNW, and the swell is a clean 3ft from the WSW. The period is 8 seconds, so it’s a bit short, but the glassy conditions make it the best surf we’ll see. The energy is moderate. This is the one morning to try and get out.

After that, it’s back to tiny, weak, or choppy surf through the end of August and into the start of September. Tuesday, 2nd September, shows a bit of a pulse in the afternoon (4ft, WSW, with cross-shore wind), but the conditions are poor.

So, the bottom line: there’s a long, quiet gap at the start. The best bet is the glassy morning of Saturday, 29th August. If you miss that, the forecast doesn’t look promising. Keep an eye on it, but don’t get your hopes up.

Rusty.

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