Guethary - Les Alcyons/Avalanche Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, this is Rusty checking in from the Basque Coast. We're looking at a strange, drawn-out forecast for Guethary - Les Alcyons/Avalanche, a proper expert reef break. The water is sitting at a very unusual `77°`, which is a solid `6°` warmer than normal for this time of year – that's a real anomaly, almost like bathwater for August.

The first week is a bit of a write-off, honestly. We've got a ton of onshore wind and messy conditions. From Wednesday the 19th through to the end of the following week, there's a lot of cross-on and onshore wind, with tiny, weak swell. The energy is mostly in the weak range, with readings like `15` and `89` – nothing to get excited about. There's a small window on Saturday morning, the 22nd, with a clean, cross-off breeze from the east and a `4 ft` swell from the northwest, but it's short period at `9 seconds` and the energy is still weak at `241`. It's surfable, but not a standout.

The end of the first week and into the second week is a big gap of poor to marginal conditions. The wind is all over the place, mostly onshore, and the swell is either too small or too messy. We finally get a promising look on Friday, the 28th of August. The morning is looking crisp with a clear sky, offshore wind from the east-southeast, and a clean `6 ft` swell from the northwest with a period of `10 seconds`. The energy is moderate at `707`, and the conditions are forecast to be very good. This is the real standout of the period – it's got the right wind, a decent size, and it's a reef break that handles the longer period well. This is where you want to be.

Then, after a few more days of small, glassy but ordinary surf, we get a bigger pulse on Monday, the 31st of August. The swell jumps to `10 ft` from the west-northwest, with a period of `10 seconds`. The energy is very strong at `1939` in the morning and `2203` in the afternoon. This is a powerful, heavy swell, but the wind is onshore or cross-on, making it choppy and marginal. That size and power make it expert-only, and the wind is not playing ball.

The real highlight for the long-range is Wednesday morning, the 2nd of September. Glassy conditions with a `7 ft` swell from the northwest, a period of `9 seconds`, and very strong energy at `720`. The forecast says "expect very good surf conditions." This is a solid, clean swell for the experts, with no wind to mess it up. It's a promising call, but we're a week and a half out, so keep an eye on it.

After that, Thursday the 3rd of September morning looks clean and glassy with a `4 ft` swell, but it's a step down in energy.

So, to wrap it up: the first week is a bust. The two true standouts are Friday morning, the 28th of August with that clean offshore wind, and Wednesday morning, the 2nd of September with the glassy conditions. Both are for the experts at this reef, but they're the best on offer.

Rusty.

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