Seignosse - Le Penon Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here, but I’ll translate that into feet and miles per hour for you.

Straight up, this is a grim stretch for Seignosse - Le Penon. The whole 16-day window is tough with barely a sniff of decent surf. For the first week, from Friday July 31st all the way through to Thursday August 6th, the swell is tiny, mostly under 2 feet, and the wind is either cross-onshore or onshore, making it choppy and messy. There’s nothing to get excited about. The water is sitting at 75°F, which is much warmer than usual for this time of year – about 5°F above the norm, so you’ll be comfortable in a spring suit, but the waves just aren’t cooperating.

We finally see a glimmer on Friday August 7th morning. The swell is still only 1 feet from the WNW with a 10-second period, but the wind switches offshore from the east at just 3 mph. That’s clean. The combined energy is a weak 43, so it’s not going to give you much push, but if you’re a beginner or just want to get wet on a longboard, there’s a tiny window of clean little waves. The afternoon blows out again.

The real standout, and the only decent call in the whole outlook, is Sunday August 9th morning. Swell jumps to 5 feet from the WNW, period a solid 9 seconds, and the wind is glassy – absolutely dead calm from the NE at 3 mph. The combined energy hits 452, which is solid moderate energy. That’s the morning to be out there. The waves will have some punch, and with that offshore wind, it’ll be clean. That’s a beach/jetty setup, and with a 5-foot swell, it’s getting into the zone where it might be a bit much for absolute beginners, but still very manageable for anyone with a bit of time in the water. The crowd situation is “sometimes”, so you might have some company, but it won’t be a circus.

After that, Monday August 10th morning sees a bigger 7-foot WNW swell, but with a 6 mph cross-onshore, it’s going to be a lumpy mess. That’s pushing into expert-only territory size-wise, and the wind ruins it. The rest of the second week is a write-off – tiny swell, and strong winds from the NW on the 13th and 14th gusting up to 19 mph, making it choppy and horrible. The period drops right off too, down to 4-6 seconds by the end. That’s windswell junk.

So, bottom line: if you’re in the area, point your board for Seignosse - Le Penon on Sunday August 9th morning. That’s the one clean, moderate-sized session on offer. The rest of the 16 days is a long, flat, or blown-out gap. It’s a tough run, but forecasts can change – don’t lose hope entirely.

Rusty.

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