
Surf Forecasts:
Le Petit Train surf forecast from 3 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Saturday 5 Sep, 11PM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.3m), 13s period, WNW swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Saturday 5 Sep, 11PM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.3m), 13s period, WNW swell with 569 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Friday 4 Sep, 2AM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.7m), 8s period with NW swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Le Petit Train this week:
The surf forecast for Le Petit Train over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Friday (Sep 04) at 2AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.7m and 8s period. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Le Petit Train in the next 16 days are 1.3m 13s and forecast to arrive on Saturday (Sep 05) at 11PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives.
| Wave Type | Time (CEST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 2AM (Fri 4th Sep) | 2.5ft (0.7m) 8s |
| Best Surf | 11PM (Sat 5th Sep) | 4.5ft (1.3m) 13s |
| Most Powerful | 11PM (Sat 5th Sep) | 4.5ft (1.3m) 13s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Le Petit Train over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's have a look at what's on the menu for the Le Petit Train stretch over the next couple of weeks.
Right off the bat, I gotta be straight with you – it’s a bit of a slow burn for the first week. The water is sitting at 75°, which is *much warmer* than we usually see this time of year, a proper anomaly of 5° making it feel like a late summer holdover. The energy is weak for the first few days, with combined swell energy only in the 50 to 80 range, so we’re dealing with small, short-period windswell mostly.
The first real chance to get a wet suit on and actually enjoy it comes on Friday, September 4th morning. It’s only 2 ft from the WNW, but with a period of 8 seconds it’s not packing much punch. The real story there is the wind: a glassy, dead-calm NE breeze at 3 mph. It’s the cleanest the ocean will be for a while. It’s surfable, but don't expect a lot of push.
The wind goes to crap by the afternoon, and that's the theme for most of the first week – cross-onshore or onshore breezes ruining the shape. The best bet for the first week, and the only real standout, is Sunday, September 6th morning. We’ve got a nice 3 ft of WNW swell, but the period jumps to 12 seconds, which is proper groundswell, and the combined energy climbs to 252 (moderate). The real kicker? A clean offshore breeze from the ESE at 6 mph. That’s what we’re looking for. It’s a beginner-friendly break, so 3 ft with clean conditions is a solid little session.
After that, it’s a barren stretch of choppy, poor surf from Monday through to Friday the 11th. The wind is relentless out of the NW, and the swell is small and messy. Not worth the paddle out.
You have to wait until Saturday, September 12th morning for a sniff of something better. The swell is small again at 3 ft from the WNW, but the wind swings to a light E at 6 mph, which is cross-offshore. It’s clean, but again, small. It’s surfable but just ordinary.
Now, Sunday, September 13th morning is the real blue-ribbon session of the entire outlook. This is the one to circle on the calendar. We see 4 ft of groundswell from the WNW, with a period of 13 seconds and a combined energy of 560 (strong). That’s a proper, powerful swell. The wind is a light ENE breeze at 6 mph, making it cross-offshore and clean. The forecast expects very good conditions. It’s still a beginner-friendly wave, so the size is perfect, just enough to get fun. The only downside is that the break is listed as *inconsistent*, so you might have to wait for the sets, but the quality will be worth it.
The last week offers a few more glassy mornings – Monday, September 14th morning and Tuesday, September 15th morning – with tiny 3 ft clean waves. Nice for a longboard or a learner, but nothing to get the heart racing. The 16th of September also has a glassy morning, but the swell is weak and the period is short. It fizzles out from there into the 18th, with no real swell and poor winds.
So, overall, you’ve got two clear windows: Friday the 4th morning for a tiny, clean glass-off, and Sunday the 6th morning for a taste of proper groundswell with offshore winds. But the true standout, the one you should plan for, is Sunday, September 13th morning. That’s the biggest, best-shaped, and cleanest swell of the whole 16 days.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 32°C on Sat night, min 19°C on Fri night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 4mm), mostly falling on Tue afternoon. Warm (max 20°C on Sun night, min 17°C on Tue afternoon). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||
Friday 4 | Saturday 5 | Sunday 6 | Monday 7 | Tuesday 8 | Wednesday 9 | ||||||||||||||
Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | |
Swell Height Map | |||||||||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NW 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 9 | WNW 9 | WNW 12 | WNW 12 | WNW 12 | WNW 11 | WNW 10 | W 16 | W 14 | WNW 12 | WNW 11 | WNW 11 | WNW 9 | WNW 12 | WNW 11 | WNW 10 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||
69 | 59 | 75 | 79 | 168 | 518 | 517 | 306 | 222 | 109 | 79 | 192 | 494 | 439 | 408 | 141 | 165 | 334 | 270 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | glassy | cross-on | cross | cross-off | cross-on | cross-off | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | on | on | cross-on | on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | glassy |
High Tide | 9:31PM3.21m | 9:59AM3.10m | 10:43PM2.94m | 11:24AM2.94m | 00:25AM2.83m | 1:05PM2.99m | 2:00AM2.96m | 2:27PM3.25m | 3:08AM3.22m | 3:28PM3.58m | 4:00AM3.50m | 4:16PM3.88m | 4:44AM3.72m | ||||||
Low Tide | 3:41AM0.88m | 4:16PM0.94m | 4:51AM1.13m | 5:42PM1.08m | 6:22AM1.21m | 7:19PM1.01m | 7:51AM1.06m | 8:37PM0.74m | 8:58AM0.77m | 9:34PM0.42m | 9:49AM0.47m | 10:21PM0.15m | |||||||
— | 7:30 | — | — | 7:31 | — | — | 7:31 | — | — | 7:33 | — | — | 7:33 | — | — | 7:35 | — | — | |
8:38 | — | 8:37 | — | — | 8:35 | — | — | 8:32 | — | — | 8:30 | — | — | 8:30 | — | — | 8:28 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | 1 | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 25 | 23 | 24 | 23 | 20 | 28 | 32 | 26 | 21 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 17 | 19 | 18 | 18 | 18 |
Feels °C | 22 | 23 | 22 | 20 | 20 | 26 | 30 | 24 | 21 | 20 | 22 | 21 | 21 | 19 | 14 | 17 | 16 | 15 | 16 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NW 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 9 | WNW 9 | WNW 12 | WNW 12 | WNW 12 | WNW 11 | WNW 10 | WNW 5 | W 14 | WNW 12 | WNW 11 | WNW 11 | WNW 9 | WNW 9 | WNW 11 | WNW 10 |
69 | 59 | 75 | 79 | 168 | 518 | 517 | 306 | 222 | 109 | 28 | 192 | 494 | 439 | 408 | 141 | 165 | 334 | 270 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | NNW 4 | WNW 14 | — | — | N 4 | — | — | WNW 9 | W 5 | — | — | — | W 10 | WNW 12 | — | — |
— | — | — | 11 | 61 | — | — | 1 | — | — | 32 | 20 | — | — | — | 96 | 156 | — | — | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | W 16 | NW 9 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 79 | 20 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | NNW 2 | — | — | — | — | — | WSW 3 | W 4 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
— | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 13 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 192 | 0 | 0 | 192 | 2 | 1 | 102 | 3 | 0 | 355 | 153 | 147 | 147 | 94 | 182 | 184 | 117 | 16 | 147 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Gironde | |||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in France | |||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the Le Petit Train Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Le Petit Train provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Le Petit Train can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Le Petit Train surf forecast is unique since it includes wave energy (power) that defines the real feel of the surf rather than just the height or the period. If you surf the same spot (Le Petit Train) regularly then make a mental note of the wave energy from the surf forecast table each time you go. Very soon you may start to choose your surf days based on the wave energy alone combined with our forecast of favourable offshore wind conditions. Our star ratings will help here and of course you will also find the usual wave height and period predictions on our surf forecasts as well as a full break down of the swell components under our advanced users option (to reveal that, click the little Einstein character under the tide times).
Further information to help with frequently asked questions about our surf forecast for Le Petit Train may be found under the help tab on the top menu and also by moving your mouse over the question marks on the surf forecast table itself. Please always bear in mind that the forecast is for near-shore open water and local factors at each surf break influence the actual breaking wave height, such as the beach / reef profile, water depths offshore and shelter.
Le Petit Train is 8 km (5 miles) from Arcachon. If you plan a holiday in Gironde, look for hotels and other accommodation in Arcachon. Arcachon has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.










