Capbreton - La Piste Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s be straight with you. Looking at the charts for the next couple of weeks, it’s a bit of a rough stretch for our stretch of coast. We’ve got a lot of small, messy days ahead, and you’ll need to pick your moments carefully. The water is running at 75°F, which is much warmer than normal for this time of year, so at least you won’t need a thick suit.

The first week is pretty grim. We’re looking at a few days of small, weak surf with poor conditions. The energy is low, with combined swell energy values mostly below 100, like 58 and 78. There are glimmers here and there, like Thursday morning when the wind goes offshore and it cleans up, but the swell is only 3ft from the NW at 8 seconds. It’s surfable, but nothing to get excited about. The weekend is a write-off with tiny waves and onshore wind. Don’t even bother.

There’s a real lull from the 7th through the 10th, where the swell just disappears. We’re talking ankle-biters. The energy values drop to 20 and 24. It’s a proper flat spell. You’re better off finding something else to do.

Things start to look a little more interesting into the second week. Around the 15th and 16th, we see the energy starting to build, with values around 172 and 216, but the wind is still on it, making it messy. The swell is coming from the NW at 9 seconds, so it’s not groundswell, but it’s something.

The one standout, and I mean the only real highlight in this whole 16-day window, is the morning of Wednesday the 19th of August. It’s not huge, but it’s clean. We’ve got a 4ft swell from the WNW with a 9-second period, and the combined energy jumps to 264. But the big one is the wind: absolutely glassy, calm, zero. That’s the morning to be at Capbreton - La Piste. It’s going to be clean and glassy, a real treat after all this chop. The swell direction is WNW, which is a touch off the W optimum for this spot, but with that glass, it'll still be the best on offer. It’s an advanced break, so you need to know what you’re doing, but it’ll be worth it. The afternoon gets a bit cross-on, so make the most of the morning.

The day after, the 20th, still has some size, but the wind goes onshore again, so it will be messy. That 19th morning is the one. It’s far out, nearly two weeks away, so forecasts can change, but it’s promising. Everything before that is a waiting game.

Rusty

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