La Palue Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Look, I’ll be straight with you – this forecast for La Palue is a bit of a mixed bag and we’ve got a long wait for anything decent. The first real session to even think about is a good week and a half away, so don’t be in a rush.

We kick off on Saturday the 25th of July with nothing but weak, onshore junk. Tiny 2ft – 3ft swell from the NNW and NW, a cross-on wind mess, and combined energy barely breaking 35 to 44 (weak). This is a write-off. Sunday the 26th sees a bump in size to 5ft – 6ft, but it’s all onshore, lumpy, and messy. The combined energy jumps to 272 – 424 (moderate), but the wind kills it. Monday the 27th morning is a little better – still cross-on, but a light breeze and a 6ft swell from the WNW with a 10-second period (decent groundswell) pushes the energy to 501 (moderate). It’s only marginal, though, and the afternoon gets choppy again. Tuesday the 28th morning is a tease – glassy conditions with a light offshore breeze from the ESE, but the swell has dropped to just 3ft with a 10-second period. The energy is weak at 188. It’s clean, but tiny. Then the next few days are a blur of poor conditions and small, onshore waves. Wednesday the 29th and Thursday the 30th offer nothing but small, weak swell and onshore winds.

Now, here’s the bright spot. After a long stretch of nothing, Friday the 31st of July afternoon finally turns it around. The wind swings to a moderate offshore from the ENE, and we get a clean 3ft swell from the WSW with a longer 11-second period. The combined energy hits 280 (moderate). It’s a small window, but it’s the first time the conditions actually line up for a decent wave. Expect good, clean surf for an expert break like La Palue.

But don’t get too excited. Saturday the 1st of August and Sunday the 2nd of August go straight back to mush – cross-on winds and choppy, poor surf. The glassy morning on the 2nd is only 3ft with a 5-second period (weak, 91 energy), so it’s surfable but ordinary. The next week is a grim run of onshore winds and lumpy, poor conditions, with the swell bouncing between 2ft and 4ft. The wind is almost always onshore or cross-on.

Then, on the 9th of August (Sunday morning), we get a big late-season pulse. A 7ft swell from the SW with an 8-second period, combined energy of 623 (moderate-to-strong). The wind is a light cross-shore from the N, keeping it clean. This is a standout for the whole outlook – proper size, clean conditions. But at 7ft, this is expert territory at this exposed beach break, and the shorter period (8 seconds) means it could be a bit walled and punchy. The afternoon gets blown out with a fresh cross-on from the NNW, so aim for the early session.

The best on offer is that Friday the 31st of July afternoon for the clean, offshore conditions, and the Sunday the 9th of August morning for the biggest, most powerful swell of the forecast. The water temp is sitting at 65°F, which is pretty normal for this time of year, so a steamer is a wise call.

Rusty.

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