Seignosse - Le Penon Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here again, lookin’ at the same charts but in feet and miles per hour for the imperial crew.

The next couple weeks are a real mixed bag. The first week’s mostly junk, with a few windows of clean but small surf. The big highlight is waiting for us into the first week of September.

Starting Tuesday the 25th and Wednesday the 26th, don’t bother. We’ve got weak, short-period swell coming in from the west and northwest at around 1 to 2 feet. Wind is messy – onshore or cross-on – with energy barely registering. Thursday the 27th morning cleans up a little with a light offshore breeze, but the swell is still tiny at 1 feet. Thursday afternoon sees a bump to 4 feet from the WNW with an 8-second period and cross-on wind; the energy jumps a bit, but the quality is poor. Friday the 28th is a no-go – the swell jumps to 6 feet in the morning and 8 feet in the afternoon, but the wind is straight onshore at 12-16 mph, turning it into a mess. That’s too big and blown out for beginners anyway.

Now, Saturday the 29th morning is where it gets interesting. We get a window of glassy conditions with a light offshore wind from the southeast. Swell is a clean 5 feet from the WNW at 9 seconds, with moderate wave energy. That’s surfable and clean – a good bet for the weekend warrior. Sunday the 30th morning is similar: glassy again, wind from the east, 5 feet WNW swell. But both afternoons get ruined by a strong cross-shore wind from the north-northwest, so you need to be an early bird.

Monday the 31st and Tuesday the 1st of September are back to poor conditions with onshore or cross-on wind and dropping energy. Wednesday the 2nd and Thursday the 3rd are even worse – onshore gales and rain showers.

Then we hit the real standout. Saturday the 6th of September is the one to circle. The swell is a solid 6 feet from the WNW with an 11-second period (long period groundswell). The energy is strong. Both morning and afternoon have light cross-offshore winds from the southeast to northeast, keeping it clean. This is the best on offer – good size, clean lines, and the light wind will make the paddle out easier with those longer gaps between sets. The break is Seignosse - Le Penon, a beach and jetty setup. It’s exposed to the west, and the optimum swell direction matches the west-northwest we’re getting. Keep in mind it’s an inconsistent spot, but when it fires like this, it’s worth the wait. Crowds are possible here sometimes.

Sunday the 7th of September gets blown out again. Monday the 8th of September sees a predicted 12 feet in the morning and 10 feet in the afternoon with a 15-second period and very strong wave energy. That is way too big for this break – experts only, and even then it’s risky. Tuesday the 9th drops back to 4 feet at 12 seconds, but with cross-on wind.

To sum it up: the first week is mostly dud, with a couple of glassy windows on the 29th and 30th of August. The absolute standout is Saturday the 6th of September – that’s the one with the clean 6 feet WNW groundswell and light offshore wind. Get on it.

Rusty.

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