Guethary - Les Alcyons/Avalanche Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's take a honest look at what's on offer for the next couple of weeks at Guethary. The focus is on Les Alcyons/Avalanche, a reef setup that takes an exposed west swell. I've got to be straight with you – it's a tough stretch ahead.

We’re looking at a long, dry spell to kick things off. For the first nine days, from Wednesday the 8th right through to Wednesday the 15th of July, the surf is flat and poor. Forget about it. The energy just isn't there, with combined swell energy readings mostly under 100 (34 to 128). The wind is a constant issue too, mostly onshore or cross-onshore, keeping things messy. There’s a glassy moment Sunday morning the 12th, but with only 2 ft of weak swell, it’s not worth paddling out for. We need to wait it out.

Things start to look a little more interesting on Friday the 17th of July. Through the morning, the swell builds to 4 ft from the NW, but it’s still a bit chopped up. The real glimmer comes Friday afternoon. The swell jumps to 5 ft from the WNW with moderate wave energy (343), and the wind swings light onshore. It’s a step in the right direction, but the data still flags it as only “marginal.” For a spot that’s best with a clean W groundswell, this is the first real sniff we get, but it's big enough to be a bit much for beginners.

Saturday the 18th morning is a real standout window. We get clean conditions with a light cross-offshore breeze from the east and a workable 3 ft swell from the WNW. The combined energy is low (78), so it won’t be pumping, but it’ll be the cleanest surf of the entire run. Keep in mind, this break is an expert-level, consistent reef, and it can get crowded often. If you’re a competent surfer, that Saturday morning is your best bet for a fun, uncrowded-feeling session on a longboard or a groveler, despite the smaller size.

After that, the forecast gets a bit wilder. From Monday the 21st of July, the swell size picks up, with head-high + waves (5 ft to 5 ft) from the WNW and NW, but it's coming with strong onshore winds (16 to 22 mph). The combined energy gets into the moderate-to-strong range (222 to 282), but the quality is shot. For a beach-and-reef setup like this, with that much wind and messy conditions, honestly, it’s looking more like a kite surfer's playground than a clean paddle session. It’s going to be lumpy and difficult.

Thursday the 23rd of July cleans up slightly, with a 4 ft WNW swell and light cross-onshore winds. But it’s still just a “marginal” tick. It’s a long way out and the confidence is low, so don’t bank on it.

So, to sum it up: the first week and a half is a total bust. Your only real windows for a paddle are a small, clean session on the morning of Saturday the 18th, and maybe a messy, windy but bigger day on Friday the 17th afternoon if you're desperate.

Rusty.

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