Guethary - Les Alcyons/Avalanche Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright mates, Rusty here. Let’s break down what’s happening at the Basque coast, the Guethary stretch.

The next couple of weeks are a bit of a rollercoaster. There’s some decent swell on the charts, but the wind is gonna be a real pain in the arse for a lot of it. The first weekend is a total washout, so we’re waiting for a window.

Les-Alcyons-Avalanche (Guethary - Les Alcyons/Avalanche)

Starting off, this Saturday the 25th of July is a complete no-go. Thunderstorms threatening, a cross-onshore WNW wind at 25 km/h, and a messy 7ft swell from the WNW with a short 7-second period. Water temp is a toasty 77°F, which is a massive 7°F warmer than average. The combined energy is moderate (372), but it’s just poor. Sunday the 26th is the same story with onshore winds.

We get a little hope on Monday morning, the 27th of July. The swell drops to 3ft, but the period jumps to 11 seconds – that’s a nice, long groundswell from the NW. The combined energy is moderate (274). The problem is a light cross-onshore wind from the West at 10 km/h, making it only marginal. The afternoon gets a bit bigger at 5ft, but the wind goes cross-onshore again, so it’s still poor.

Tuesday morning, the 28th of July, is the first real standout. The wind swings to a light ESE at 5 km/h, giving us a clean, off-the-back breeze. The swell is a solid 4ft from the NW with a 10-second period, carrying moderate energy (362). The conditions are clean. This is your best early-week bet. The afternoon on Tuesday gets messy again with a cross-onshore wind, so hit the dawn patrol.

Wednesday morning, the 29th of July, is another gem. The morning is glassy – dead flat calm with a light NNW breeze at 5 km/h. The swell is 4ft from the NW with a 9-second period. Combined energy is moderate (216). This is clean, well-shaped surf for the experts. This reef is consistent and needs an offshore from the SE, and the optimum swell direction is W, so this NW swell is a good angle.

After Wednesday, the 30th and 31st of July, the swell drops right off, with heights under 3ft and weak energy. It’s a dead few days.

The big one to circle is Monday morning, the 3rd of August. The swell jumps back up to 5ft from the NW with a 10-second period, and the combined energy is strong (562). The best part? The wind is a light offshore from the NE at 5 km/h, leaving it glassy. The forecast says "expect very good surf conditions." This is a major standout for the second week. It’s a long way out, so it’s promising but not locked in. The afternoon on the 3rd brings onshore wind again, so it’s a morning-only window.

After that, the 4th of August onwards sees the swell drop back into the 2ft to 4ft range, with the wind mostly onshore or cross-onshore, keeping things poor. The 9th of August has a bit of a pulse with 4ft swell, but it’s cross-onshore again.

So, to wrap it up: the best windows are Tuesday morning (28th July) and Wednesday morning (29th July) for clean, fun waves. The big one to keep an eye on is Monday morning (3rd of August) – that’s the one with the most energy and clean conditions. Get out there for those windows.

Rusty.

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