Seignosse - Le Penon Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's have a look at what the next couple of weeks are shaping up like for our local stretch.

Honestly, it's a bit of a flat spell to kick things off. We’ve got a long stretch of small, weak swell and a lot of onshore or cross-onshore wind. The first real chance of anything worthwhile doesn't show up until the end of the second week, so don't be holding your breath for a quick fix. There are a couple of windows where it goes glassy, but the swell is just too small to get excited about.

Looking at the first few days, it’s pretty grim. Sunday the 9th has some clouds and a onshore breeze with a tiny 2ft NW swell. The energy is weak at 69, and conditions are just poor. That theme continues right through the week. Monday and Tuesday mornings are clearer, but the swell stays tiny. On Tuesday the 11th, we get a glassy morning with that 2ft NW swell and a period of 9 seconds – the wave comment says "surfable but very ordinary," and I’d agree. It's a score of 1/10. The water temp anomaly is average for this time of year.

There’s another glassy window on the morning of Wednesday the 12th with a calm wind, but the swell has dropped to a tiny 2ft and the energy is only 72. It’s just not enough to push anything decent through. The pattern of poor surf continues all the way through to the 20th, with onshore winds and very small swell, rarely getting above 3ft. There’s a brief moment on the morning of the 19th with glassy conditions, but the swell is a pathetic 1ft with an energy reading of just 25 – barely a ripple.

Now, the end of the window is where things get interesting. On Friday the 21st of August, we see a proper pulse of energy. The morning shows a 3ft NW swell with a 11-second period, and the combined energy jumps to 356 – that's moderate energy. The wind is onshore though, so it’s messy. Then the afternoon gets bigger: 6ft from the NW, a period of 11 seconds, and energy rocketing up to 690 – that's strong energy. But again, the wind is a moderate cross-onshore at 12 mph, so it’s going to be choppy and blown out. That size (6ft) is getting towards the limit for beginners, but with that wind, it’s really only one for the experienced crew who don’t mind a battle. The swell period is over 11 seconds, so it’s got some groundswell grunt, but at a beach/jetty setup like Seignosse - Le Penon, that longer period can make it break a bit straight and fat.

Saturday the 22nd holds some size too. The morning has a 4ft NW swell, period of 10 seconds, and 334 energy. The wind is light from the NW at 3 mph, which is cross-on. It's a marginal forecast, and the light rain won't help the mood. The afternoon picks up the wind again, so the morning is the better call if you’re desperate, but don't expect perfection.

So, if I’m being honest, the only true standout is the Friday afternoon session on the 21st of August. The 6ft NW swell is the biggest of the period, and that 690 energy reading tells you there’s some proper power behind it. It’s a long-period groundswell, which is better for points or reefs, but at Seignosse - Le Penon, a beach/jetty, it’s going to be a heavy, close-out shorey for the most part, and only for experts who can handle a beating. The winds are the killer though – that moderate cross-onshore will chop it up. It's the best on offer, but that’s not saying much. For the rest of us, it’s a waiting game. The forecast can always change, but right now, there’s not much to get the heart racing for the first two weeks.

Rusty.

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