La Palue Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right then, let’s have a look at what’s on the cards here in this part of the world. The main spot on the menu is La Palue, and it’s an expert-only wave that faces a west-south-west optimum direction, so when it’s on, it’s a serious bit of ocean real estate. The water temp is about average for this time of year, nothing weird going on there.

Right off the bat, the pattern for the next few days is a bit of a mixed bag. The combined swell energy is sitting at a moderate 400 (in metric units) for Friday morning, with a 5ft swell from the west at a 10-second period. But the wind is a cross-onshore from the north-west at only 3 mph, so it’s not terrible, but it’s not clean either. The afternoon goes onshore and drops in quality, so Friday’s really a write-off.

Saturday morning the 12th is where we get a little window of potential. The wind goes glassy, barely a breath from the south-south-west, and the swell drops to 3ft from the west-north-west, still with a 10-second period. Energy is moderate (219), and conditions should be pretty clean. It’s small, but for a patient expert, that glassy morning session could be a bit of a treat.

Sunday the 13th sees the swell bumping up to 6ft with an 11-second period, but the wind is onshore from the west-south-west, making it a marginal call. Energy climbs to 753, but the wind chops it up.

Monday morning the 14th is another good shout. A 3ft swell from the west, 9-second period, and a light cross-offshore breeze from the south-east at 6 mph. The combined energy is moderate (220), and it’s clean. Not a standout, but a solid little session.

From there we hit a real lull in quality. Tuesday through to the following Monday, the wind is either onshore, cross-on, or just too strong. There’s a few small windows, like Friday morning the 18th with a 5ft swell and 12-second period, but the cross-shore wind and moderate energy (715) keep it marginal at best. Nothing to get excited about.

Then, right at the tail end of the forecast, we get a proper standout. Wednesday morning the 23rd of September is the one to circle. Swell is 5ft from the west-north-west, with a 12-second period, giving moderate energy (669). The wind is offshore from the east at 9 mph, and it’s clean. The guidance says the optimum swell direction is west-south-west, and this is coming from west-north-west, so it’s a bit off, but the wind and clean conditions make this a real pocket of quality.

But the absolute highlight of the whole 16-day run is Thursday morning the 24th. The swell jumps to a solid 10ft from the west-north-west, with a 12-second period, and the combined energy is a hefty 2253 – that’s strong stuff. The wind is offshore from the east at 16 mph, keeping it clean. However, this is an expert-only break, and that size is far too big for anyone who doesn’t know what they’re doing. It’s a big, powerful groundswell, so the sets will have long gaps, but the shape at a reef/point like La Palue should be excellent. A true standout session for the brave and the skilled.

After that, Friday morning the 25th is another good call with 6ft swell and offshore wind, and Saturday morning the 26th offers a cleaner 6ft from the north-west with offshore wind again, though the period drops to 9 seconds.

So, the long and short of it: the first week is patchy with a few clean but small windows. The real gold is waiting at the end of the second week, particularly the 23rd and the 24th, with the 24th being the standout, heavy-hitter session for experts only.

Rusty

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