Le Kerou Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, grab your board, let’s see what we’ve got.

The next 16 days are a real mixed bag, to be honest. There’s a lot of junky, wind-blown stuff on the menu, and you’re gonna have to be patient and pick your moments. Don’t get too excited about that big pulse of energy at the very end of the window, because the wind is gonna be howling right on it. It’s not going to be a classic run, but there are a couple of windows where it cleans up enough to make it worth a paddle.

We start off with a stretch of poor conditions. Tuesday the 18th and Wednesday the 19th are a write-off with messy, cross-onshore slop. It’s not big, around 2ft to 2ft, but the wind just chops it all up. You’d be fighting a losing battle. The swell energy is weak, with values only in the 40s and 90s at times.

Then, we get a little tease. On Thursday the 20th, the swell pushes up to 4ft to 4ft with a moderate 247-292 wave energy, but it’s still blown out by a fresh cross-onshore breeze. It’s just frustrating.

The first real standout comes early on Friday morning, August 21st. The wind drops right out, going glassy, and while the swell is a modest 3ft from the W with a 9-second period, it’s clean. The energy is moderate at 178. This is your window for the week. Le Kerou will actually have some shape to it. Get out there before that afternoon sea breeze ruins it again.

The weekend is all over the shop. Saturday the 22nd has a bit of a pulse from the NNE early, but it’s small at 2ft and the wind is only good until the afternoon. Sunday the 23rd, the swell drops right off to 1ft, so don’t even bother. We go through a flat spell early next week. Monday the 24th is tiny, and it stays that way through Wednesday the 27th. There are a few moments of glass, but the waves are just too small to get any joy from, except maybe a 3ft on Wednesday if you’re desperate. Water temp is running much warmer than normal at 69°F, which is a nice bonus for that first session on Friday, but the waves are the story.

As we roll into the second week, the pattern stays poor. The final third of the month is mostly small, poor surf. There’s a slight bump on the 29th to around 4ft, but it’s messy and the energy from that swell is not well-directed. It’s a constant fight against the cross-shore winds.

Now, the big one. On the 1st of September, we see a huge jump in energy. The combined swell energy readings go from a few hundred into the thousands (1160 and even 2251), and the swell height jumps to 8ft. That’s not a summer swell; that’s a proper groundswell. But, and it’s a big but, the wind is a fresh cross-onshore southerly, and it’s going to be lumpy and chaotic. At 8ft, it’s also too big for the beginners, and only for the experienced guys who know the bank. This looks more like a day for the kite surfers to be honest; the paddle would be a battle. There is a slight improvement on the afternoon of the 2nd, as the wind shifts and drops a little, with the swell still a solid 6ft and cleaner conditions, but it’s still not perfect.

So, the best bet on offer is Friday morning, the 21st of August – it’s clean, has a bit of power, and will be the most fun you’ll have for a while. The big swell on September 1st is a spectacle, but conditions look rough. It’s not going to be a classic week, but the ocean always offers something if you’re keen and know where to look.

Rusty.

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