La Palue Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let's get into it.

Well, I’ll be honest with you, this outlook for La Palue over the next 16 days is a rough one. We’re looking at a long stretch of pretty ordinary conditions, and it’s going to be a real test of patience. The water temp at La Palue is sitting at 67°, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year, so at least you won’t be freezing while you’re waiting for something decent.

The trouble starts from Thursday the 13th of August. We’ve got a consistent westerly swell running, around 4ft, with a period of 10 to 11 seconds, giving us a moderate wave energy of 277. Sounds alright in theory, but the wind is a killer. It’s coming from the NW, sitting cross-onshore and chopping everything up. That pattern basically holds through the rest of the week and into the next.

Saturday the 15th sees the swell bump up a little to 4ft from the WNW, and the period drops to a short 8 seconds. With a fresh N wind at 19 mph creating a lumpy cross-chop, the energy climbs to 353, but it’s just messy. This isn’t a surf setup; it’s a kite-surfing breeze.

From the 17th through the 21st, the swell drops right off. We’re looking at waves barely hitting 3ft, with periods as low as 4 or 5 seconds. The wave energy is weak, down in the 40s and 50s. The wind is still not cooperating, mostly cross-onshore. There’s nothing to get excited about for over a week.

There’s a little glimmer on the morning of Saturday the 22nd of August. The wind goes glassy for a moment, with a tiny 2ft NW swell. The energy is only 65. You might get a few knee-high blobs if you’re desperate, but it’s truly a last resort.

Now, hold on. The real standout, the only one worth marking on your calendar, is looking like Sunday the 23rd of August. The morning shows a solid 7ft swell from the WNW, with an 8-second period. The energy jumps to 594 – a solid pulse. The wind is light from the SSW at just 3 mph, making it cross-shore. Now, don’t get too stoked just yet. 7ft is getting into expert territory, so if you’re not solid, stay on the sand. The cross-shore wind should keep it cleaner than we’ve seen, but the afternoon on the same day gets blown out by a 12 mph SW wind and bigger, messier swell.

The following Monday the 24th is also big, with a 7ft swell and onshore winds, so it’s likely a washing machine. There’s a chance of thunderstorms and rain showers, so it’s going to be a raw one.

After that pulse, it fades back into weak, wind-affected junk for the rest of the month. The morning of Wednesday the 26th of August has a bit of glassy offshore wind from the ENE, but the swell is only 3ft from the NNW with a short period. It’s clean, but tiny and weak.

That’s the picture. A long wait for one big, expert-only window on the 23rd. Don’t hold your breath for much else.

- Rusty

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