Surf Forecasts:
Lacanau Ocean surf forecast from 24 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Wednesday 26 Aug, 5AM (local time) - 2ft (0.6m), 6s period, W swell with offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Friday 28 Aug, 5PM (local time) - 8ft (2.5m), 8s period, W swell with 811 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Wednesday 26 Aug, 5AM (local time) - 2ft (0.6m), 6s period with W 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 Wednesday (Aug 26) at 5AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.6m and 6s period with a secondary swell of 0.3m and 10s. The wind is predicted to be offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Lacanau Ocean in the next 16 days are 2.5m 8s and forecast to arrive on Friday (Aug 28) at 5PM. Winds are predicted to be onshore at the time the swell arrives.
| Wave Type | Time (CEST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 5AM (Wed 26th Aug) | 2ft (0.6m) 6s |
| Best Surf | 5AM (Wed 26th Aug) | 2ft (0.6m) 6s |
| Most Powerful | 5PM (Fri 28th Aug) | 8ft (2.5m) 8s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Lacanau Ocean over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s take a good, long look at what’s coming down the line for Lacanau Ocean. It’s a bit of a slow burner this time, but there’s some serious potential hiding in the second week if you’ve got the patience and the skills.
Right now, the opening days are pretty flat and messy. The first solid sign of life doesn't show up until Wednesday morning, the 26th of August. We’ve got a tiny 2ft swell rolling in from the west, but the real story is the wind. It’s a clean, gentle offshore breeze from the east, making for some tidy, lined-up waves. The water is feeling much warmer than normal for this time of year, sitting at 77°F, so the rubber will be thin. The energy is weak though, with a combined swell energy of just 45. It’s a small, clean session for the longboard or a foamie, but don't expect much push.
Thursday the 27th starts with a glassy, 2ft west swell, but the sky is threatening a thunderstorm. The energy is still low (28). It’s surfable, but hardly a standout.
We hit a real rough patch from Friday the 28th through the start of September. The swell tries to build, hitting 7ft on Friday morning and even 8ft on Friday afternoon, but the wind is howling onshore from the west-southwest at 15-22 mph. It’s a complete washing machine. The combined energy spikes to 811, but with that wind, it’s a write-off for a paddle board. Frankly, this setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing.
That windy, messy pattern hangs around through the weekend and into Monday the 31st of August. The swell stays in the 4ft to 6ft range, but it’s constantly cross-on or onshore, creating a choppy, bumpy surface.
The first real glimmer of hope comes on Tuesday morning, the 1st of September. The swell drops to a clean 5ft from the west-northwest, and the wind swings to a light, cross-offshore breeze from the east-northeast. The combined energy is a solid 425, and the period holds at 10 seconds. This is a proper surfable session with clean faces and a bit of grunt. It’s the best call in the first week, but it’s a short window.
Wednesday and Thursday of that week are a bit of a letdown again, with smaller, choppy waves.
Now, we get to the real standout. Mark your calendars for Saturday morning, the 5th of September. We’ve got a 5ft groundswell from the west-northwest with a very long period of 12 seconds. The combined energy hits 579, and it’s only a light cross-onshore breeze. This is a proper, powerful swell. The long period will make the waves at Lacanau Ocean (Gironde) feel punchy and well-shaped, but it might break a bit straight on the beach. For a point break or a rivermouth, this would be heaven. Still, for a surfer ready for some size and power, this is the session to target.
The final big call is a huge one, but it’s a monster. On Monday afternoon, the 7th of September, a massive 10ft west swell arrives with an incredibly long 18-second period. The combined energy is a staggering 5755. The wind is light and cross-shore, so the conditions could be clean, but this is way too big for anyone but serious experts. This is a serious, raw ocean.
Overall, the best two windows are Tuesday morning, the 1st of September, for clean, solid fun, and Saturday morning, the 5th of September, for the power and size of a true groundswell.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 30°C on Wed night, min 19°C on Wed morning). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryModerate rain (total 18mm), heaviest on Thu afternoon. Warm (max 23°C on Thu afternoon, min 19°C on Thu morning). Winds increasing (calm on Thu afternoon, fresh winds from the WSW by Fri afternoon). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Monday 24 | Tuesday 25 | Wednesday 26 | Thursday 27 | Friday 28 | Saturday 29 | Sunday 30 | |||||||||||||||
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) | W 10 | SW 4 | W 8 | W 4 | WNW 12 | WNW 11 | W 6 | W 7 | W 7 | W 5 | W 8 | W 5 | W 7 | W 8 | W 8 | WNW 9 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 7 | WNW 8 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
17 | 18 | 6 | 7 | 14 | 22 | 26 | 37 | 52 | 15 | 186 | 115 | 411 | 811 | 579 | 380 | 221 | 119 | 123 | 89 | 207 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | cross-on | cross-on | on | on | glassy | off | cross | on | glassy | cross-on | on | on | on | on | on | on | cross-on | cross-off | cross-on | on |
High Tide | 3:32PM3.18m | 3:57AM3.15m | 4:11PM3.44m | 4:32AM3.38m | 4:45PM3.69m | 5:04AM3.58m | 5:16PM3.89m | 5:34AM3.74m | 5:46PM4.04m | 6:04AM3.85m | 6:16PM4.11m | 6:34AM3.90m | 6:46PM4.11m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 8:50AM1.29m | 9:25PM1.08m | 9:38AM1.02m | 10:06PM0.80m | 10:16AM0.75m | 10:41PM0.54m | 10:51AM0.50m | 11:15PM0.31m | 11:24AM0.30m | 11:47PM0.15m | 11:57AM0.17m | 00:19AM0.06m | 12:31PM0.11m | 00:53AM0.05m | |||||||
7:16 | — | — | 7:16 | — | — | 7:18 | — | — | 7:20 | — | — | 7:20 | — | — | 7:22 | — | — | 7:22 | — | — | |
— | 8:57 | — | — | 8:54 | — | — | 8:52 | — | — | 8:52 | — | — | 8:50 | — | — | 8:47 | — | — | 8:45 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 5 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 26 | 26 | 24 | 23 | 23 | 22 | 22 | 29 | 30 | 20 | 23 | 23 | 20 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 20 | 22 | 21 |
Feels °C | 24 | 24 | 26 | 23 | 21 | 23 | 21 | 28 | 30 | 22 | 23 | 21 | 16 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 20 | 22 | 20 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 10 | W 9 | W 8 | W 13 | WNW 12 | W 5 | W 6 | W 7 | W 7 | W 5 | W 8 | — | — | — | W 8 | WNW 9 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 7 | — |
17 | 14 | 6 | 3 | 14 | 16 | 26 | 37 | 52 | 15 | 186 | — | — | — | 579 | 380 | 221 | 119 | 123 | 89 | — | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | NW 6 | W 6 | W 8 | W 9 | WNW 11 | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | WNW 9 | WNW 8 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
— | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 22 | 19 | 36 | 26 | 13 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | W 10 | W 9 | W 9 | W 8 | W 8 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
— | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 3 | SW 4 | SW 3 | W 4 | W 4 | — | — | — | — | — | — | W 5 | W 7 | W 8 | — | — | — | — | — | — | WNW 8 |
1 | 18 | 3 | 7 | 14 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 115 | 411 | 811 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 207 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 310 | 151 | 389 | 396 | 396 | 18 | 0 | 11 | 9 | 113 | 9 | 134 | 185 | 185 | 183 | 116 | 211 | 18 | 0 | 211 | 116 |
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.











