Le Petit Train Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s get straight into it. We’ve got a long 16-day window ahead, and I’ll be honest with you – it’s a tough stretch. The first real chance for a surf doesn’t show up until the morning of Saturday the 22nd of August, and even then it’s a very minor affair. Before that, from Friday the 14th right through to Friday the 21st, it’s basically a write-off. We’re looking at a solid week of poor surf conditions with small, weak swell and cross-onshore winds making a mess of things. The wave energy is low, mostly in the double digits, so it’s a real grind.

Now, the one spot on the cards is Le Petit Train. It’s an exposed beach break that needs a west swell to work, and it’s inconsistent, so you have to pick your moments. The water is sitting at a very warm 78° with an anomaly of 7°, which is much warmer than normal for this time of year – a proper tropical bath.

The first glimmer of hope comes on Saturday the 22nd of August. The morning has a clean, glassy feel with a light cross-offshore breeze from the east-northeast. The swell is tiny though, only 2ft from the northwest with a short, weak period of 5 seconds. The combined energy is a low 45, so it’s barely moving. The conditions are clean, but the waves will be very small and weak. Crowds are possible here, so expect a few others out for the same scraps.

The real standout, the only true highlight in this whole forecast, is a promising window that arrives nearly two weeks out. On Thursday the 27th of August, things look much better. The morning is glassy with a light breeze from the south-southeast, and the swell jumps to a solid 5ft from the west with a period of 9 seconds, giving a combined energy of 339 – that’s moderate, punchy energy. The conditions are expected to be good. The afternoon stays clean with an offshore breeze from the east-southeast, holding 5ft of west-northwest swell. This is the best on offer by a long shot. It’s still a week and a half away, so take it with a pinch of salt, but it’s the one to circle on the calendar.

After that, the forecast takes a nasty turn. Friday the 28th of August brings a much bigger, stronger swell from the west-northwest, pushing 6ft to 7ft with a period of 10-11 seconds. The combined energy rockets up to 712 and 942, but it’s blown out by near-gale force cross-onshore winds. That’s a messy, dangerous situation, not for paddling. Same story on Saturday the 29th of August with an 8ft swell and a 13-second period, giving a massive 2318 combined energy, but again, it’s a lumpy, cross-onshore mess. For a beach break setup like this, that combination of big swell and strong wind is more interesting for the kite crew than for us.

So, bottom line: the 22nd is a tiny, clean window for the desperate, and the 27th of August is the standout. The rest is a long wait. Stay patient.

Rusty.

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