Le Petit Train Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Grab a coffee, ‘cause we’ve got a long 16-day window ahead, but honestly, most of it’s gonna be a struggle. The opening days are a complete write-off, and it’s not until later in the first week that we see a tiny window of clean, rideable waves. There’s a lot of wind and messy energy to sift through first.

For the first few days, don’t even bother. Thursday the 20th through to Monday the 24th of August are a total bust. The wind is either onshore, cross-shore, or just plain strong, and while there’s some moderate wave energy pushing through (over 300 on the meter in spots), the conditions are poor. We’re looking at choppy, lumpy, or just messy surf. It’s not worth your time.

Now, Saturday the 22nd of August is the first day that offers a real glimmer. Early morning at Le Petit Train, we’ve got a glassy surface with the wind swinging light easterly at only 3 mph. The swell is small, about 3ft out of the WNW with a period around 9 seconds. It’s not going to bowl you over, and the combined energy is moderate at 151, but with clean conditions, a beginner could have a fun little session on a longboard. It’s an exposed spot, so it picks up whatever is out there, and because it’s inconsistent and a beginner-friendly wave, you won’t find it crowded. The water temperature is a whopping 78°, which is a massive 39°F warmer than usual for this time of year – that’s very unusual, so you can leave the thick wetsuit at home.

Sunday the 23rd morning stays clean with a light cross-offshore breeze from the NE, but the swell drops right off to a tiny 2ft and the period is a short 7 seconds. The energy is weak (68), so it’s just ankle-biters. Still, if you’re desperate, the paddle out will be easy.

The next real standout doesn’t appear until way down the track. Wednesday the 2nd of September shapes up as the best day on offer. Early morning, you get a clean surface with a cross-offshore breeze from the SE at 12 mph. There’s a solid 5ft swell rolling in from the WNW with a moderate 10-second period. The combined energy is strong at 532, so there’ll be some push behind them. The wind is right, the waves are a fun size, and the conditions are clean. This is the one to circle on the calendar. Afternoon gets a bit glassy as the wind drops, but it turns slightly cross-onshore, so stick to the morning.

Before that, there’s some seriously big, unruly swell in the final week of August and into early September. From the 26th of August onward, you see powerful swells – well over 8ft at times, with energy readings in the thousands. But the wind is absolutely howling from the west, smashing it all up. On the 27th of August, you’ve got a 10ft W swell, but with 22-25 mph cross-onshore winds, it’s a mess. That’s kite-surfing territory, not paddle surfing. The period is short, and the setup is a beach-and-reef mix, so it’ll be a washing machine.

Overall, if you can wait, Wednesday morning the 2nd of September is your standout. For the short term, Saturday the 22nd of August is a clean, small option for beginners. The rest is either flat trash or blown-out giants. Keep your eye on the long-range forecasts for that 2nd of September window.

Rusty

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