La Nartelle Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, it’s Rusty here. Let me level with you straight off the bat: the next couple of weeks are looking dead flat for the most part. We’ve got a long stretch of nothing happening, and if you’re chasing a wave, you’re going to be waiting a while. The first real chance of anything remotely rideable doesn’t even pop up until the 12th, and even then, it’s barely a ripple.

The opening days are a total write-off. From the 8th through the 11th, there’s simply no swell on the cards. The wind is mostly light and variable, with some clean mornings, but with zero energy in the water, it’s glassy but empty. You’re better off finding a pool or a skatepark. That’s a solid four-day gap with nothing on offer.

Come the morning of the 12th, we finally see a tiny pulse of swell – around 1ft from the northeast, with a pitiful 3-second period. That’s essentially wind chop, not a wave you can ride. The combined energy is a weak 1. The afternoon sees it drop even further to under 1ft. It’s frustrating, to be honest. The conditions are clean enough in the morning with the light NNW wind, but there’s just no power behind it.

From the 13th through the 18th, we’re back to a blank canvas. The water is often clean, especially in the mornings with those light offshore breezes, but the ocean is a lake. No swell, no push, nothing. You’ll see a few days with a tiny ankle-high blip, but it’s not even worth mentioning. It’s a long, dry spell.

The first glimmer of something almost surfable arrives on the 21st. The morning shows around 1ft from the east, but the period is a short 4 seconds. The afternoon builds slightly to 1-2ft at 6 seconds, with the combined energy sitting at a weak 13. It’s still marginal, tiny, and the cross-onshore ESE wind will chop it up. Not a day to get excited about, but at least there’s something moving.

The 22nd is where we see the most energy of the whole window, but it’s still small. The afternoon brings 3ft from the east with a 5-second period. The combined energy is 37, which is still weak, but it’s the biggest we’ve seen. The ESE wind at 9 mph will make it a bit crumbly, but this is the pick of a bad bunch. It’s the one day you might actually get a few grovelly ones on a longboard. After that, the 23rd sees it fade back down to under 1ft.

So, realistically, we’ve got one slightly interesting afternoon on the 22nd. The rest is a waiting game. The water temp is sitting at a very warm 83° – that’s a full 9° above the norm for this time of year, which is very unusual. You won’t need a wetsuit, just a rashie.

It’s a tough outlook, but that’s the nature of it sometimes. The conditions are often clean, so when the swell does finally show up, it’ll be worth it. Keep the board waxed and be patient.

Rusty.

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