Guethary - Les Alcyons/Avalanche Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here, and I’ve been staring at the charts for Guethary - Les Alcyons/Avalanche. This is a reef break, expert territory, and it’s consistent. The water temperature is about average for this time of year, nothing wild.

The next couple of weeks look like a real mixed bag. We’ve got a lot of wind and onshore junk to work through, but there are a couple of windows that’ll get the blood pumping.

This Thursday morning (20th August) is a write-off. We’ve got a 4 ft NW swell (384) but it’s cross-on with a 10 km/h W wind, and the report says poor. Not worth paddling out. The afternoon and most of Friday stay average with rain and onshore winds, swell bumping up to 6 ft (724) on Friday morning but still onshore and messy.

Saturday morning the 22nd of August, things start to shift. The wind swings east at 15 km/h, going cross-offshore, and the 4 ft NW swell (269) is coming in clean. That’s a solid option for a relaxed session, but it’s small. By the afternoon, the wind picks up and the quality drops.

Sunday the 23rd through to Tuesday the 25th is a brutal stretch. Swell drops under 3 ft, energy falls to 37-15, and winds are all over the place. It’s a quiet spell, dead in the water for a few days.

Wednesday morning the 26th of August shows a glimmer – a 3 ft WNW swell (82) with a 5 km/h SSE wind going glassy off. Clean, but tiny. Worth a paddle if you’re desperate.

Thursday afternoon the 27th of August, the swell starts to ramp up hard. We’re looking at 10 ft WNW swell (1364) with a 20 km/h onshore wind. That’s a big, powerful groundswell, but the wind is on it, and the period is short at 9 seconds. Marginal at best, and 10 ft is expert-only territory.

Friday the 28th of August morning sees 7 ft WNW swell (788) with cross-on winds. Still lumpy. The real standout is shaping up for Saturday morning the 29th of August. We’ve got 7 ft NW swell (634) with a light 10 km/h W cross-on breeze. The report says marginal, but it’s the best of the big stuff. Sunday morning the 30th of August, the wind goes glassy with a 5 km/h ESE breeze, and the swell is 5 ft from the NW (370). That’s clean, lined-up, and perfect for the reef. That’s the one to aim for.

Monday morning the 31st of August is also clean with a 5 ft NW swell (330) and E cross-off winds. Solid.

The week after that, from Tuesday 1st September, the swell holds around 5-6 ft (338-461) but the wind is mostly cross-on or onshore. Wednesday the 2nd of September has a 7 ft NW swell (697) in the afternoon, but again, cross-on winds.

Now, the true standout: Thursday morning the 3rd of September. This is a cracker. We’ve got a 7 ft NW swell (880) with a 5 km/h ENE cross-off wind. The report says “expect very good surf conditions.” The energy is strong (880), the wind is light offshore, and the period is 10 seconds – a nice groundswell. This is the best session on offer for the reef, but it’s expert-only at that size. The crowd factor is “often” there, so expect company.

Friday morning the 4th of September drops back to 5 ft WNW (385) with light cross-on winds – marginal.

So if you’re picking a highlight, lock in Thursday morning 3rd September at Les Alcyons/Avalanche. Clean, 7 ft NW swell, light offshore wind. That’s a proper day.

Rusty.

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