La Palue Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Righto, grab a coffee and settle in. We’re looking at La Palue over the next couple of weeks, and I gotta be straight with you – it’s a tough stretch. This is an exposed, expert-only beachie that needs the stars to align, and for the most part, they’re not playing ball.

We start off with a bit of size on Tuesday the 8th of September – around 8 ft from the W with a short, weak 8-second period. Problem is, a howling 37 mph NNW wind has it completely blown out and messy. The combined swell energy is moderate (783), but with that wind, it’s a write-off. Water temp is 66°F, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year – a pleasant surprise, but not enough to save the day.

The whole first week is a grind. Wednesday the 9th sees the swell drop a little and the wind stays cross or cross-on. Thursday the 10th is tiny – 3 ft from the WNW, weak energy (144). Friday the 11th and Saturday the 12th have a bit more push, with Saturday afternoon seeing a nice pulse of 6 ft from the WNW and a long 13-second period, giving strong wave energy (1058). But again, the wind is cross-on and choppy. The real tease comes on Sunday the 13th – 6 ft from the WNW with a long 12-second period and a gentle offshore from the WSW. The forecast calls it marginal, but that’s the cleanest window we’ve seen. You might score a few if you’re willing to hunt for the right bank.

Monday the 14th and Tuesday the 15th drop back to small, weak surf. Wednesday the 16th is more of the same with a fresh cross-breeze messing it up.

Now, a glimmer of hope. Thursday the 17th of September morning: we’ve got 7 ft from the WNW, clean conditions with a cross-offshore from the NNE, and moderate combined energy (758). This is getting into bigger, more powerful territory – definitely for experts only, as it’s over 8 ft for a brief time? Actually, 7 ft is solid, but not overhead closeout. Worth looking at.

But the real standout, and I mean the *only* true standout in this entire 16-day outlook, is Saturday the 19th of September. The morning session has 5 ft from the WNW with a 10-second period, and the key detail is a gentle 9 mph offshore from the east. The forecast says “expect very good surf conditions” – and with light offshore wind hitting that exposed beach, it could get clean and hollow. The combined swell energy is moderate (578), but quality over quantity here. If you can only pick one day, this is it. Be aware – crowds are listed as “often,” so expect company.

Sunday the 20th is still clean but much smaller. Then the final week gets wild but not rideable. Monday the 21st of September sees a huge pulse – 7 ft to 8 ft from the WNW with a very long 17-second groundswell. The energy is massive (2820 to 3084), but it’s accompanied by a near-gale, 31 mph cross-on wind from the WNW. That’s a raw, dangerous, blown-out mess. Even though the period is stupid-long, at a beach break it’ll be closing out and shifting all over the place. Only a kite surfer would find fun there.

Tuesday the 22nd stays big with strong wind, and by Wednesday the 23rd it fades to 3 ft with a moderate cross-shore chop.

So, to wrap: La Palue is mostly a no-go for the next two and a bit weeks. Saturday the 19th morning is your best bet – clean 5 ft with a gentle offshore. Sunday the 13th is a distant second, with clean but weaker conditions. The rest is either too small, too windy, or too big and blown out. Forecasts can change, but right now, this is a waiting game.

Stay salty,
Rusty

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