La Palue Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right, let’s have a look at what’s on the cards, mostly for La Palue here. There’s a bit of a slow start, but don’t write it off just yet.

For the first few days, Thursday the 3rd and Friday the 4th of September, it’s pretty ordinary. The swell is coming in around 4 to 5 feet from the west and west-northwest, but the wind is a problem. It’s cross-onshore or onshore, with a moderate breeze making things choppy and messy. Not the kind of session you’d get out of bed for. The combined wave energy is moderate for Thursday (206) but jumps up on Friday (558 to 425), but it’s wasted on the wind.

Then we get a proper window. Saturday morning, 5th September, is the standout. The swell is a solid 7 feet from the west-northwest, period jumps up to a long 13 seconds – that’s proper groundswell. The wind is light and cross-offshore from the southeast. For an exposed expert spot like La Palue, that’s clean, powerful lines. The energy reading is over 1300, so there’s some grunt in the water. If you’re experienced, get on it. For the less-experienced, 7 feet is pushing it. The afternoon stays 6 feet with a very long 12-second period, but the wind swings onshore, so grab the morning.

Sunday the 6th of September drops right off. Swell is down to 3 feet in the morning with weak energy (172). It’s surfable but ordinary. The rest of that week and the start of the next one look marginal. There’s a pulse of swell around Monday the 7th and Tuesday the 8th – 8 to 8 feet from the west-northwest, with strong energy (1610 to 1430), but the wind is cross-onshore or onshore again. For an exposed break, that’s going to be a messy, blown-out affair. Probably more interesting for kite surfing than a proper paddle session.

The water temperature is sitting at 64°, which is about normal for this time of year.

The period from around Wednesday the 10th to Sunday the 14th of September is pretty flat. Swell heights are mostly below 3 feet, with weak energy. A few mornings have clean cross-offshore winds, but there’s just nothing to push into the break. You’d be staring at a lake. There’s a solid 4-5 day gap there where I wouldn't bother getting the wetsuit on.

There is a glimmer right at the end. Tuesday morning, 15th September, we see a 5 foot west-northwest swell with a very long 11-second period and light offshore winds from the northeast. The energy is moderate (469). It looks clean, but the window is small – the afternoon turns to a fresh, lumpy cross-shore. Then Wednesday the 16th and Thursday the 17th drop back to tiny, waist-high stuff with glassy or clean conditions but no power behind it. Friday the 18th of September has a tiny 2 foot swell but with a clean offshore breeze from the east. Might be a longboard glide, nothing more.

Overall, the one to circle is Saturday morning the 5th. That’s the best on offer by a long shot.

Rusty.

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