Surf Forecasts:
Lacanau Ocean surf forecast from 16 Jul 2026:
- Most powerful swell: Wednesday 22 Jul, 8PM (local time) - 4ft (1.2m), 5s period, NNW swell with 67 kJ wave energy.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Lacanau Ocean this week:
The most powerful waves expected at Lacanau Ocean in the next 16 days are 1.2m 5s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Jul 22) at 8PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.0m 4s period and expected on Monday (Jul 20) at 5AM.
| Wave Type | Time (CEST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | - | - |
| Best Surf | - | - |
| Most Powerful | 8PM (Wed 22nd Jul) | 4ft (1.2m) 5s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Lacanau Ocean over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, let’s break down the next couple of weeks for Lacanau Ocean.
The first week and a half is a total write-off. The swell is tiny, the wind is mostly onshore or cross-shore, and it’s all just nothing. The wave heights are barely scraping 2 feet, and the combined energy is sitting in the weak range, from 10 to 60. For a spot that usually fires, this is a real flat spell, but it won’t last forever.
The first real sign of surf comes on the 28th of July. Tuesday morning brings a 4 foot swell from the west with a 7-second period, and the energy hits 183 (moderate). The problem is the wind: onshore from the west at 15 km/h, so it’s messy. That afternoon, the swell builds to 5 feet from the west, period 8 seconds, energy up to 291. The wind is cross-on from the NNW at 25 km/h, so it’s choppy and not clean. This is for experienced surfers only; 5 feet is too big for beginners.
The 29th of July (Wednesday) is a bit better. Morning sees a 5 foot swell from the west, 8-second period, energy of 251. The wind is cross from the north at 15 km/h, keeping things a little lumpy. The afternoon pushes the swell to 5 feet from the WNW with a 9-second period and energy of 322 – the strongest energy in the whole window. But the wind is cross-on from the NW at 25 km/h, so it’s going to be bumpy and choppy.
The best window is the 30th of July. Thursday morning gives you a 5 foot swell from the WNW, 9-second period, and energy of 314 (moderate to strong). The wind is cross-off from the NNE at 20 km/h, which means clean conditions. The report says “marginal surf forecast or questionable tide conditions,” but the wind is clean, so this is the pick of the 16 days. The swell direction (WNW) lines up perfectly with the optimum for Lacanau Ocean (W). That morning session is your only real shot.
The 31st of July (Friday morning) is a step down: 4 feet from the WNW, 9-second period, 176 energy, with light cross-off wind from the north at 10 km/h. It’s surfable but just ordinary.
The water temp is about average for the time of year, nothing unusual.
So, the call is: wait it out. It’s a long, flat stretch. The only real highlight is the morning of the 30th of July at Lacanau Ocean, with clean cross-off wind and a solid 5 foot groundswell from the WNW. That’s your window.
Stay patient, Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 24°C on Wed night, min 20°C on Sat morning). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 33°C on Mon afternoon, min 19°C on Tue morning). Winds increasing (calm on Sun morning, fresh winds from the NE by Sun night). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Thursday 16 | Friday 17 | Saturday 18 | Sunday 19 | Monday 20 | Tuesday 21 | Wed 22 | |||||||||||||||
Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | |
Swell Height Map |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | |||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 9 | WNW 5 | W 8 | WNW 5 | WNW 5 | WNW 5 | WNW 5 | WNW 5 | NW 5 | NNW 4 | NNW 5 | NW 6 | NNW 5 | WNW 7 | N 5 | N 5 | N 5 | NNW 5 | NW 6 | NNW 6 | NNW 5 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 15 | 17 | 22 | 28 | 43 | 45 | 25 | 12 | 13 | 17 | 9 | 11 | 14 | 5 | 34 | 55 | 33 | 33 | 44 | 21 | 27 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | glassy | cross-on | on | cross-on | on | on | on | on | cross-on | cross | glassy | on | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross |
High Tide | 6:49AM4.00m | 7:06PM4.34m | 7:35AM3.92m | 7:52PM4.23m | 8:20AM3.77m | 8:37PM4.02m | 9:05AM3.57m | 9:23PM3.74m | 9:52AM3.36m | 10:12PM3.43m | 10:43AM3.15m | 11:08PM3.14m | 11:43AM2.99m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 00:18AM-0.13m | 12:33PM0.04m | 1:05AM-0.10m | 1:18PM0.09m | 1:50AM0.03m | 2:03PM0.23m | 2:34AM0.25m | 2:48PM0.44m | 3:19AM0.52m | 3:35PM0.70m | 4:05AM0.80m | 4:25PM0.97m | 4:56AM1.07m | 5:23PM1.19m | |||||||
 | | |  | | |  | | | | |  | | | | | | | | | | |
 | — | 6:31 | — | — | 6:33 | — | — | 6:33 | — | — | 6:35 | — | — | 6:35 | — | — | 6:37 | — | — | 6:37 | — |
 | 9:49 | — | — | 9:47 | — | — | 9:46 | — | — | 9:45 | — | — | 9:45 | — | — | 9:45 | — | — | 9:44 | — | 9:43 |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 24 | 23 | 24 | 23 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 23 | 23 | 24 | 27 | 31 | 27 | 33 | 33 | 25 | 32 | 32 | 25 | 31 |
Feels °C | 25 | 25 | 25 | 23 | 21 | 21 | 22 | 24 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 25 | 22 | 27 | 26 | 19 | 26 | 27 | 21 | 25 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NW 4 | WNW 5 | W 8 | W 8 | W 9 | W 9 | WNW 5 | WNW 5 | W 8 | WNW 9 | NNW 5 | NW 6 | NNW 5 | WNW 7 | W 13 | W 12 | WNW 11 | WNW 11 | NW 6 | NNW 6 | WNW 10 |
| kJ | 8 | 17 | 22 | 12 | 14 | 6 | 25 | 12 | 5 | 7 | 9 | 11 | 14 | 5 | 3 | 11 | 12 | 23 | 44 | 21 | 18 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 9 | W 9 | — | W 6 | — | — | W 8 | W 8 | — | W 10 | WNW 8 | W 8 | WNW 8 | W 9 | W 9 | W 8 | W 8 | W 8 | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | — |
| kJ | 15 | 14 | — | 6 | — | — | 5 | 5 | — | 2 | 7 | 5 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 20 | 19 | — |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 7 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | NW 9 | W 10 | W 13 | W 9 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | 2 | 3 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | WNW 5 | WNW 5 | WNW 5 | WNW 5 | — | — | NW 5 | NNW 4 | — | NNE 3 | NE 4 | NNE 4 | N 5 | N 5 | N 5 | NNW 5 | — | ENE 3 | NNW 5 |
| kJ | — | — | 18 | 28 | 43 | 45 | — | — | 13 | 17 | — | 1 | 21 | 22 | 34 | 55 | 33 | 33 | — | 1 | 27 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 169 | 682 | 904 | 315 | 918 | 918 | 685 | 1041 | 1037 | 378 | 403 | 415 | 186 | 88 | 211 | 88 | 88 | 211 | 54 | 54 | 211 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Gironde | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in France | |||||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||||
- Map Icons:
Break
Live Wave Height (m)
Live Wind Speed (km/h)
Surf Rating (10 Max)
Ocean Swells (m)- Wind Speed (km/h)
FREE! Surf-Forecast.com widget for your website
The surf report / weather widget below is available to embed on third party websites free of charge and provides a summary of our Lacanau Ocean surf forecast. Simply grab the html code snippet that we provide and paste it into your own site. You can choose your preferred language and metric/imperial units for the surf forecast feed to suit users of your site. Click here to get the code.
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.
Nearest