La Palue Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s talk about La Palue. The next 16 days are a tough watch. There are some windows, but you will be waiting.

Right off the bat, there is no surf worth paddling for until Thursday morning, August 27th. Before that, we are staring at a blank, flat run with tiny weak swell and poor conditions. The wait is almost four days. But hang in there.

The best of a tricky bunch is Thursday morning, August 27th. Swell comes up to 6ft from the SW with a short 8-second period. The combined energy hits strong at 597. It is an expert wave for sure – over 5ft and that short period makes it a bit dumpy and fast. The wind is a gentle cross-shore from the SSW, just a light breeze. That keeps things from getting too choppy. Still, it’s only "marginal" so temper expectations. The afternoon gets messy with a fresh cross-onshore.

Friday August 28th sees the swell push bigger, but the wind ramps up hard. Morning is out – a near gale from the WSW at 37 mph smashing the surface. The swell hits 8ft from the SW (10 seconds), and the energy is very strong at 1484. For experts on a beach-and-reef setup with that kind of wind, it’s a kite surfer’s day, not a paddle surfer’s. The afternoon has 8ft from the WSW but a strong onshore breeze – blown out.

Saturday August 29th is another big swell day: 12ft from the W (10 seconds) and massive energy at 1915. But the wind stays cross-onshore and fresh. Too big and messy for a good surf, again better suited for kites.

There is a small reprieve on Sunday August 30th. Swell drops to 5ft from the NW, 8-second period (373 energy). But it is onshore wind from the WSW – not clean.

After that, the surf goes flat and small again until Friday September 4th. Another gap. When September 4th arrives, we get 8ft from the WSW (8 seconds, energy at 635) but a fresh cross-onshore wind keeps it lumpy and poor. September 5th is similar – moderate cross-onshore and choppy with 6ft to 7ft.

The last notable pulse shows up Sunday September 6th. Swell hits 12ft from the WNW with a 12-second period – very strong energy at 2864. The wind is moderate cross-onshore. It’s so big it is literally noted as "too big for this break" even if the wind and tide were perfect. That wave is for experts only and again, the setup looks more interesting for kite surfing.

Water temp is 65°F – pretty much normal for this time of year with a slight anomaly of plus 0.9°F.

Nothing here is a true standout. Thursday August 27th and maybe the first window in September are the least bad options, but for clean, well-shaped waves, this stretch is a bust for paddle surfing.

Rusty.

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