
Surf Forecasts:
Lacanau Ocean surf forecast from 12 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Thursday 17 Sep, 8AM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.4m), 12s period, WNW swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Saturday 19 Sep, 2AM (local time) - 5ft (1.6m), 13s period, WNW swell with 837 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Saturday 12 Sep, 11AM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.7m), 8s period with WNW swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Lacanau Ocean this week:
The surf forecast for Lacanau Ocean over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Saturday (Sep 12) at 11AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.7m and 8s period. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Lacanau Ocean in the next 16 days are 1.6m 13s and forecast to arrive on Saturday (Sep 19) at 2AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives.
| Wave Type | Time (CEST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 11AM (Sat 12th Sep) | 2.5ft (0.7m) 8s |
| Best Surf | 8AM (Thu 17th Sep) | 4.5ft (1.4m) 12s |
| Most Powerful | 2AM (Sat 19th Sep) | 5ft (1.6m) 13s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Lacanau Ocean over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s on the cards for Lacanau over the next couple of weeks. We’ve got a few windows of clean conditions, but you’ve got to pick your moments.
The pattern starts with a tiny pulse on Saturday morning the 12th – the ocean's alive, but there's not much to get excited about with only 2ft of WNW swell and weak energy (72). The glassy NE wind at 3 mph will make it look pretty, but it's really just a splash-around for a longboard.
The real action kicks off Sunday morning the 13th. The swell jumps to 4ft from the WNW with a solid 13-second period. That's groundswell energy (367) and with a light NNE cross-off breeze, it’ll be clean. Lacanau Ocean will be the spot. Water temp is sitting at 73°, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year. This is a solid intermediate session.
Monday morning the 14th keeps it fun: 3ft of WNW at 11 seconds, glassy ENE wind, energy at 214. Clean again. Then we hit a flat spell through Tuesday and Wednesday – don’t bother paddling out mid-week.
Thursday morning the 17th brings a return of decent size: 5ft WNW with an 11-second period. Cross-off NNE wind keeps it clean, and the combined energy hits 452. That’s a good moderate-energy day for confident surfers. Not for beginners though, as 5ft is getting up there.
The standout of the whole outlook? Saturday morning the 19th of September. Glassy conditions, 4ft of WNW groundswell at 13 seconds, and serious energy pumping at 578. That’s a proper autumn session. Light offshore wind, clean waves, and a long period that will wrap nicely into the points. Crowds are possible at Lacanau Ocean, so get out early.
Sunday morning the 20th drops back to 3ft – ordinary but clean. Then Monday the 21st morning lights up again: 3ft, 14-second period, cross-off wind, and energy at 591. Another excellent morning session, but the afternoon gets blown out with a 16 mph NNW cross wind.
Into the second week, we see a few more clean mornings with modest swell: Tuesday 22nd morning is 4ft with cross-off wind, and Thursday 24th morning is small but clean at 2ft with 14-second period. Nothing huge, but rideable if you’re keen.
After that, the last few days of September fade into small, weak, chopped-out surf. From the 25th onward it’s really just knee-high dribble with onshore winds – not worth the wetsuit.
Overall, your best bets are the mornings of Sunday 13th, Monday 14th, Thursday 17th, Saturday 19th, and Monday 21st. The standout is the 19th – glassy, punchy, and clean all morning.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 28°C on Mon afternoon, min 18°C on Sat morning). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 25°C on Tue morning, min 15°C on Thu morning). Winds increasing (light winds from the SSW on Tue morning, fresh winds from the NNW by Tue night). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Saturday 12 | Sunday 13 | Monday 14 | Tuesday 15 | Wednesday 16 | Thursday 17 | Friday 18 | |||||||||||||||
AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | |
Swell Height Map | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 10 | WNW 13 | WNW 12 | WNW 11 | WNW 11 | WNW 10 | NW 10 | W 9 | WNW 9 | WNW 6 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 9 | WNW 11 | WNW 11 | WNW 10 | WNW 9 | WNW 14 | WNW 13 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
72 | 68 | 55 | 367 | 317 | 285 | 214 | 146 | 46 | 41 | 25 | 223 | 247 | 270 | 228 | 452 | 404 | 261 | 136 | 297 | 837 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | glassy | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross-on | cross-off | glassy | cross-on | off | cross | on | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross | cross-off | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross-off |
High Tide | 6:18PM4.32m | 6:37AM4.07m | 6:52PM4.17m | 7:08AM3.94m | 7:24PM3.92m | 7:38AM3.75m | 7:55PM3.62m | 8:07AM3.50m | 8:26PM3.30m | 8:38AM3.23m | 9:02PM2.98m | 9:19AM2.96m | 9:59PM2.69m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 11:49AM-0.07m | 00:13AM-0.11m | 12:27PM-0.04m | 00:48AM0.03m | 1:03PM0.11m | 1:23AM0.26m | 1:40PM0.34m | 1:58AM0.55m | 2:18PM0.63m | 2:35AM0.87m | 3:00PM0.96m | 3:18AM1.19m | 3:50PM1.27m | 4:13AM1.47m | |||||||
7:39 | — | — | 7:39 | — | — | 7:41 | — | — | 7:41 | — | — | 7:43 | — | — | 7:45 | — | — | 7:46 | — | — | |
— | 8:22 | — | — | 8:20 | — | — | 8:17 | — | — | 8:15 | — | — | 8:15 | — | — | 8:13 | — | — | 8:10 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | — | — |
Temp °C | 19 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 24 | 24 | 23 | 28 | 28 | 25 | 24 | 21 | 17 | 18 | 18 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 |
Feels °C | 20 | 19 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 21 | 22 | 26 | 25 | 24 | 22 | 21 | 13 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 16 | 18 | 16 | 17 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 13 | WNW 12 | WNW 11 | WNW 11 | WNW 10 | W 9 | W 9 | WNW 9 | — | WNW 8 | — | WNW 9 | WNW 11 | WNW 11 | WNW 10 | WNW 9 | WNW 14 | WNW 13 |
72 | 68 | 49 | 367 | 317 | 285 | 214 | 146 | 42 | 41 | 25 | — | 247 | — | 228 | 452 | 404 | 261 | 136 | 297 | 837 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | W 16 | WNW 10 | — | — | NNW 4 | — | — | NW 10 | NW 10 | NW 9 | — | W 10 | — | WNW 12 | — | — | — | WNW 14 | WNW 9 | — |
— | 5 | 55 | — | — | 4 | — | — | 46 | 23 | 20 | — | 53 | — | 51 | — | — | — | 20 | 106 | — | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | WNW 14 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | W 12 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
— | — | 41 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 12 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | NW 3 | NNW 4 | — | NW 3 | — | — | — | N 3 | — | SW 2 | WNW 6 | — | WNW 8 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
— | 4 | 9 | — | 2 | — | — | — | 1 | — | 1 | 223 | — | 270 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 286 | 0 | 0 | 161 | 0 | 0 | 151 | 0 | 43 | 428 | 344 | 134 | 250 | 129 | 0 | 250 | 88 | 11 | 161 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Gironde | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in France | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the Lacanau Ocean Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Lacanau Ocean provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Lacanau Ocean can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Lacanau Ocean surf forecast is unique since it includes wave energy (power) that defines the real feel of the surf rather than just the height or the period. If you surf the same spot (Lacanau Ocean) regularly then make a mental note of the wave energy from the surf forecast table each time you go. Very soon you may start to choose your surf days based on the wave energy alone combined with our forecast of favourable offshore wind conditions. Our star ratings will help here and of course you will also find the usual wave height and period predictions on our surf forecasts as well as a full break down of the swell components under our advanced users option (to reveal that, click the little Einstein character under the tide times).
Further information to help with frequently asked questions about our surf forecast for Lacanau Ocean may be found under the help tab on the top menu and also by moving your mouse over the question marks on the surf forecast table itself. Please always bear in mind that the forecast is for near-shore open water and local factors at each surf break influence the actual breaking wave height, such as the beach / reef profile, water depths offshore and shelter.
Lacanau Ocean is 38 km (24 miles) from Arcachon. If you plan a holiday in Gironde, look for hotels and other accommodation in Arcachon. Arcachon has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.










