Le Petit Minou Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s on offer for the next couple of weeks.

Well, I’m not gonna lie to you, it’s a pretty grim start. We’re looking at a solid block of barely-there surf from now until the end of July. The first few days are just tiny, weak lines with poor conditions. Saturday the 18th and Sunday the 19th are pretty much a write-off with ankle-slappers around 1ft to 1ft from the W and NW. The wind is mostly cross-off or fresh offshore, which keeps the surface clean, but there’s simply no energy to work with – the combined energy is barely ticking over (18 to 21). Monday and Tuesday the 20th and 21st are more of the same: tiny 0.7ft to 1ft swells, clean but gutless. The water temp is about average for the time of year, nothing unusual there.

We get a couple of glassy mornings on the 23rd and 24th, but the swell is still microscopic (0.7ft to 1ft). It’s a beautiful sight but no ride. The weekend of the 25th and 26th sees a slight bump in size, but it’s mostly cross-shore wind and short-period junk. By Sunday afternoon the 26th, we’re seeing 6ft from the WNW, but the period is a short 7 seconds and the wind is cross, so it’s a messy, lumpy mess. The combined energy does jump up to 254, but the quality just isn’t there.

Now, here’s where it gets interesting. The period from the 27th of July through to the 29th of July is the only real standout in this whole 16-day window. It’s for the more experienced crew, though. On Monday morning the 27th, the swell pushes up to 6ft from the WNW with a period of 8 seconds, and the combined energy hits 831 – that’s a solid dose of moderate-to-strong power. The wind is a gentle cross-shore, so it’ll be a bit textured but surfable. This is big enough that beginners should sit it out.

The real standout is Tuesday morning the 28th of July. We’re looking at 7ft of WNW groundswell (9 seconds) with a combined energy of 1264 – that’s proper strong energy. The wind is a moderate cross-shore, so it won’t be perfect, but for a beach and point setup like Le Petit Minou, that’s a lot of water moving. This is expert territory at that size. The swell direction is right in the sweet spot from the SW optimum, so the points should handle it well. Wednesday morning the 29th is still solid at 5ft from the WNW with a 10-second period, and a light cross-off wind that will keep it pretty clean. Combined energy is 427. That’s probably the best chance for a strong intermediate to get a piece of the action.

After that, the swell drops off quick. From the 30th of July onward, it’s back to small, clean, but weak surf, with occasional 3ft to 4ft days that are just ordinary. The first week of August looks like more of the same – small and clean but nothing to write home about.

So, to sum it up: chalk off the first week and a half. The only real window is Monday the 27th through Wednesday the 29th of July. Tuesday morning the 28th is the biggest and most powerful, but it’s for experts only. If you’re a confident surfer, Wednesday morning the 29th is your best bet for a clean, solid session.

Rusty.

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