La Nartelle Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s be straight with you – this is a tough one for the coming weeks. We’ve got a long 16-day window staring at us, and honestly, there’s hardly a bump in the road. The first few days? Flat as a pancake.

For La Nartelle, the story starts on Friday, 24th July. We’re looking at tiny, weak waves. The morning has a bit of a cross-off breeze from the NNW at 6 mph, but with zero swell energy (0). The afternoon brings a new swell, but it’s only 1 ft from the ESE with a period of just 3 seconds. That’s short-period, weak stuff, with a combined energy of only 3. It’s onshore, choppy, and not worth paddling out for.

Saturday, 25th July, is more of the same. A tiny 0.7 ft swell from the E in the morning, period of 4 seconds, energy of 1. The wind is cross-on from the NE at 6 mph. The afternoon is a bit bigger at 2 ft from the E, but still a poor 4-second period and onshore wind from the ESE at 12 mph. The water temp is about average for the time of year, but that doesn’t help the waves.

The rest of the first week stays flat or offers only scraps. Sunday morning the 26th is glassy and clean with a NNW wind, but there’s only 0.7 ft of swell. The afternoon has a bit more energy (10) from a 1 ft S swell, but the wind is a strong 16 mph from the S, making it messy. We slide through the end of July and into the first week of August with virtually nothing. There are many days of zero swell and clean flat spells, particularly from the 30th of July right through to the 5th of August. The conditions are often glassy or clean, but with no waves.

Then, on Thursday, 6th August, we finally get a shift. The wind turns offshore, strong from the W at 16 mph, and the swell is a tiny 0.3 ft at 7 seconds from the S. The energy is still just 2. It’s clean, but the size is laughable. The same pattern holds for Friday, 7th August, with offshore winds from the WNW at 9 mph and a 0.3 ft S swell. The period is 7 seconds, but the energy is only 1. It’s a clean, empty lineup, but you’d need a longboard and a lot of imagination.

The best of the best? Honestly, there isn’t a standout here. If you’re desperate, the strongest offshore winds and cleanest conditions come on Thursday, 6th August and Friday, 7th August, but the swell is so small it’s basically a lake. The break is sheltered and inconsistent, which is typical for this spot when the swell is this dead. For beginners, it’s too small to even practice pop-ups. For experts, it’s a waste of time. The setup looks more interesting for a kite or a foil than a paddle board.

There’s a long gap with no recommendations from the end of July through early August. This is a blank run, and it’s more normal for this area when the Mediterranean goes quiet. Forecasts can change, but for now, I’d save the wax.

Rusty.

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