Guethary - Les Alcyons/Avalanche Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s face it, this is a tough one. We’re looking at Guethary - Les Alcyons/Avalanche, a reef break that’s strictly for experts and doesn’t often come alive. For the next couple of weeks, it’s pretty grim. There’s no real swell to speak of for the bulk of the outlook, with the first signs of anything happening appearing on the morning of Friday the 21st. Before that, we have nearly a week of nothing worth paddling out for.

From the 15th to the 20th, it’s flat or near-flat with tiny, weak waves. The water temp is a very unusual 77°, which is much warmer than normal for the time of year, but you wouldn’t know it with the lack of surf. The combined swell energy is pitiful, barely hitting double digits (94 or less), and the wind is mostly onshore or cross-onshore, ruining any chance of a decent shape.

Then Friday the 21st of August morning brings a pulse. Swell bumps up to 4 ft from the NW with an 11-second period, and the combined energy jumps to a moderate 344. That’s the most interesting reading in the whole file, but it’s marginal at best. The wind is onshore from the NW at 6 mph, which isn’t doing us any favours. Still, for this spot, that’s the only window worth a mention.

The following days stay lukewarm. Saturday the 22nd and Sunday the 23rd mornings see a little drop to 3 ft, but the wind shifts to a light cross-offshore from the east, so it cleans up. Those mornings offer the cleanest conditions of the run, but the swell is still weak and short-period – around 8 to 9 seconds. The combined energy sits in the moderate range (between 145 and 158), so you can surf, but you won’t be raving about it. Crowds are likely here on a consistent day, but given the lack of quality, you might have it quiet.

Beyond that, it fades back into tiny, glassy mornings with no push. The morning of the 26th is dead flat with a glass-off, but no swell to ride. This is a long, dry spell for a break that needs a proper NW groundswell to fire.

Honestly, if you’re not an expert and you’re not here for the 21st, this forecast is a bust. Even the best day looks more like a gamble than a classic. If the wind holds east on the 22nd or 23rd morning, that’s your best bet for a clean but weak session.

Keep an eye on the sky, but don’t hold your breath.

Rusty.

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