La Palue Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright surfers, Rusty here with a look at what’s cookin’ at La Palue. I gotta be straight with you – this stretch is a long, slow burn with a couple of serious flashes of power right at the end. We've got a whole lot of "maybe next week" energy for the first part of this.

Right off the bat, it’s flat. Almost nothing happening during the week of August 17th. The water is sitting at 68°, which feels a touch warmer than usual for this time of year, but with barely a ripple on offer, you aren't going to be in it much. We see a few pulses of swell from the WNW mid-week, but the wind is always on it or cross-onshore, making it a complete write-off. Forget about it – we are looking at a solid gap of nearly two weeks with nothing worth paddling out for.

Finally, the morning of Friday, August 21st shows a little life. A 5ft swell from the WNW with a period of 9 seconds creeps in, but the wind is still cross-onshore. The combined energy is modest at (334), and it’s only rated as marginal. It's a tease, not a session.

Saturday, August 22nd, is the first time things clean up. A light cross-offshore breeze from the NE sets up some clean, rideable lines. The swell is small though – only 3ft to 3ft from the NW and NNW with a short period. The energy is weak (122). It's surfable, but it’s a small-wave grovel session.

Then the waiting game continues. The wind gets fresh and the swell drops back to near nothing until we get to the end of the month. The real story, the one that gets the heart pumping, is the last few days of August and the very start of September.

Monday, August 31st is the standout. This is the one. The morning shows a solid 8ft groundswell from the WNW with a period of 15 seconds. The combined energy is enormous (4549). It's going to be powerful and clean-looking. The wind is light from the SW, so it’s a gentle cross-onshore, which keeps it from being perfect but is workable. The afternoon is where it gets wild. The swell pushes up to 10ft, still from the WNW, with that same 15-second period, and the energy skyrockets to (6909). The wind swings to a moderate cross-shore from the SSW.

Now here’s the thing about a 15-second period groundswell at a beach break like La Palue – it’s got that deepwater energy that can make it sectiony and hard to read. But for an expert, it's an absolute freight train. This is the best window in the whole 16-day run, but this is only for experts. At 8ft to 10ft, this is a serious, heavy paddle out. The afternoon session looks absolutely thumping, but you need to know what you're doing.

After that, the beginning of September has more size, but the wind goes straight onshore again, which just ruins the potential. The Tuesday morning of September 1st still has a 7ft swell, but with a fresh onshore breeze, it’s a mess.

So, the call is simple: write off the next two weeks for real surf. The only serious chance you have is that massive pulse at the very end of the month. Mark your calendar for August 31st – that is the one to watch, but only if you've got the skills for a heavy, long-period groundswell. It’s a long-range call, so keep your fingers crossed it holds together.

Stay salty,
Rusty

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