Capbreton - La Piste Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let me translate that for the imperial crew.

Plain and simple, we’re looking at a rough stretch. The first ten days are a write-off. From Wednesday, July 8th right through to Tuesday the 14th, there’s nothing worth getting wet for. Swell is tiny, period is short, and the wind is mostly onshore or cross-onshore, just chewing everything up. Wave heights barely hit 3 ft, and the combined wave energy is mostly in the weak zone (44 to 109), often under 100. That’s just whitewater and mush.

There’s a tiny glimmer on the afternoon of Friday the 10th when the wind goes glassy, but the swell is still only 2 ft at 9 seconds, so it’s barely surfable. Saturday the 11th morning cleans up a little with a light cross-offshore breeze from the NE and a bit more energy (117), but the swell is still only 2 ft from the NW. It’s ordinary. Sunday the 12th morning is glassy again, but again, only 2 ft of wave. It’s the kind of tease that just makes you frustrated.

From Monday the 13th through to Thursday the 16th, we’re back to junk. Onshore winds return, heights drop, and we even get a risk of thunderstorms on the 16th. Don’t bother.

Things get interesting from Friday the 17th. That morning we see the swell jump to 4 ft, but it’s still onshore. That afternoon, it pumps up to 6 ft from the WNW at 8 seconds, with wave energy hitting 465 (strong). That’s a proper pulse. But the wind is still onshore, so it’ll be a messy, bumpy cleanup. Only for the experienced guys who know the nooks and crannies.

The real standout is Saturday the 18th of July in the morning. We get a clean offshore breeze from the East at only 6 mph, with a solid 3 ft WNW swell. The energy is low-moderate at 91, but the conditions will be clean. Capbreton - La Piste (France) is fairly exposed and fairly consistent, but it gets crowded often, so go early. The swell is WNW, and the optimum direction here is W, so it’s close enough. With that offshore wind, it’ll be the best session in two weeks. That’s your window.

After that, we’re back to onshore slop on Sunday the 19th, and Monday the 20th is even worse. Tuesday the 21st bring another pulse: 6 ft from the WNW, but with rain and a fresh onshore wind of 22 mph, it’s going to be a lumpy mess. Wave energy is 265 (moderate-to-strong). Wednesday the 22nd is similar: 6 ft swell but onshore, energy at 322. Thursday the 23rd morning really cranks it up to 7 ft from the WNW at 8 seconds, with energy at 515 (very strong). That’s a lot of water moving, but the onshore wind from the West at 9 mph will make it a washing machine. Experts only, and even then, it won’t be pretty.

So, to sum it up: the only truly good session is Saturday morning the 18th of July. The rest is either flat or blown out. It’s a tough run, but sometimes that’s how it goes.

Rusty.

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