La Palue Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s get into it.

Straight up, we’ve got a slow start. The first few days from Monday the 10th through to the end of the first week are mostly a write-off. It’s not until the morning of Tuesday the 11th that we see anything surfable, and even then it’s pretty ordinary. The swell is small, just 2ft from the WNW, but the wind is light and clean, swinging from the NE at 6 mph. It’s a gentle cross-offshore breeze, so the surface will be tidy. The combined energy is weak (56). The water temp is a touch warmer than normal at 67°. For a beginner-friendly spot it’s tiny, but given how quiet it is, it’s a morning worth a look if you’re desperate for a paddle.

The rest of the first week and into the second is a tough slog. There’s a little bump in energy on Thursday morning the 13th with a 4ft swell from the west and a period of 11 seconds, giving moderate energy (277), but the wind is cross-onshore and choppy. It’s messy. The same story repeats through Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. The Saturday morning of the 15th offers a bit more size at 4ft from the NW, with a clean cross-offshore wind from the NNE at 12 mph, but the period is short and the energy is moderate (267). It’s marginal.

We finally get a proper window of interest on the morning of the 20th. The wind turns clean offshore from the ENE at 15 mph, with a 3ft WNW swell and a 10-second period. The energy is moderate (191), and the conditions are clean. It’s surfable but still ordinary. The afternoon of the 21st is also worth a mention with a 2ft west swell, but the energy jumps to 151 and the wind is gentle cross-off. Clean, but small.

Now, the big one. On the morning of Sunday the 23rd, we’ve got a major swell event. A 10ft WNW swell with a 10-second period hits, and the combined energy is a massive 1776. That’s strong to very strong energy. The wind is moderate cross-shore from the NNW at 15 mph, which will create some chop. This is a standout for the period, but it’s a serious one. For a break like La Palue, a wave over 8ft is expert-only territory. This is not for beginners. The swell direction is WNW, which is close to the optimum WSW, so it’ll wrap in nicely, but the size and the cross-shore wind will make it a beast. This is the one to watch if you’re a seasoned charger. The morning of the 24th still has a 4ft swell, but the wind turns cross-onshore and choppy again.

Towards the very end, on the 25th, we get a very long-period groundswell from the west at 16 seconds, but it’s only 3ft and the wind is onshore. Energy is moderate (357), but the conditions are poor. A long-period swell like that wants a point or reef, not a beach break with chop.

Bottom line: The first two weeks are mostly flat or messy. The standout is Sunday the 23rd morning with a big, powerful 10ft swell. That’s the one day for experts only. Otherwise, it’s a quiet run.

Rusty.

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