Lacanau Ocean Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here, let’s take a look at what’s coming our way down at Lacanau-Ocean.

To be honest, the next couple of weeks are looking pretty average for us here. The swell is mostly up and down but the real issue is the wind. For the first several days, we’ve got a window of surf but it's plagued by onshore and cross-onshore winds, keeping things messy and choppy. The water temp at the start is a standout, sitting at 76°, which is a huge 6° warmer than usual for this time of year – that’s really unusual and feels like bathwater for late August.

From Friday the 28th through to Monday the 31st, there’s a decent push of West to West-northwest swell running around 5 ft to 6 ft. The combined energy is moderate, hitting 400 to 540 (kilojoules or whatever we call it). But the wind is your enemy here – cross-onshore from the Southwest or West all the way. The waves will be lumpy and pretty poor quality, not really worth paddling out for.

We get a tiny break on Tuesday morning, September 1st. The swell drops to 4 ft from the West-northwest with a 10-second period, and the wind goes cross-shore from the North at only 3 mph, almost glassy. Combined energy is still moderate at 307. This is probably the cleanest window in the first week, but the swell direction isn’t ideal for Lacanau’s open beach setup, and the shape will be so-so. A marginal call at best, but if you’re desperate, it’s the least choppy option.

After that, from Tuesday afternoon onward, the swell really fades. We’re looking at drops to 3 ft and smaller, with mostly messy wind. There’s a good gap from about September 3rd to the 7th where the swell is tiny, under 3 ft, and even though we get some glassy mornings on the 3rd and 5th, the wave height is just too small to get excited about. Combined energy is weak, mostly below 100.

There’s a slight pulse around the 6th with a 3 ft swell and a very long 12-second period from the West-northwest. That’s a proper groundswell, but it’s small and the wind is onshore. For a beach break like Lacanau, long period swells can be too straight and close out, so not great.

The second week, from the 8th to the 12th, stays small and inconsistent. We see a little lift on the 8th with a 4 ft northwest swell, but it’s cross-onshore. Nothing really stands out as a proper session.

If I had to pick the best of a mediocre bunch, it’s Tuesday morning, September 1st, for the cleanest conditions, but don’t expect much. The real standout is the water temperature – it’s weirdly warm.

Rusty

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