Belle Ile - Les Donnants Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, this is Rusty. Let's talk about Belle Ile - Les Donnants. I'm looking at the whole 16-day stretch, and I've got to be straight with you – it’s a tough run. The setup here is a river mouth that’s exposed to the SW, and the swell that rolls in just doesn't seem to line up with the wind. We’re looking at a lot of poor conditions.

Right off the bat, the water temp is sitting at 70°, which is a whopping 6° warmer than usual for this time of year. That’s very unusual, so you can pretty much leave the thick wetsuit at home.

So, the first chance you get is Saturday the 11th in the morning. It's small, only 1 ft from the WNW with a moderate 11-second period (80 combined energy). The wind is offshore from the ENE at 12 mph, so it’s clean, but it’s barely a ripple. The rating for that session is poor, just a 1 out of 10 for "surfable waves but very ordinary conditions." After that, it’s a total dead zone. From Saturday afternoon all the way through to Monday the 20th, it’s just a parade of "poor surf conditions." Onshore winds, cross-offshores, no clean surf to speak of. There’s a good 9-day gap where you wouldn't even bother paddling out. On Wednesday the 15th, the swell bumps up to 4 ft, but a 25 mph onshore wind from the West makes it just a lumpy mess.

Finally, there’s a flicker of hope on Monday the 20th in the morning. It’s glassy – literally a "glass" wind state from the NNE at 3 mph. The swell is 3 ft from the WNW at a 7-second period (81 combined energy). It’s clean, it's small, but at least you could have a fun little session on a longboard. The rating is still just a 1, but that glassy wind is a beautiful thing. Do not expect much else that week, as the wind turns onshore again in the afternoon and stays messy.

Looking further out, there is some real size showing up. On the 23rd of July, we see 6 ft to 6 ft from the WNW with strong energy (433 to 486 combined energy), but it's all onshore wind at 12 to 18 mph. Same story on the 25th – 8 ft swell from the West (720 combined energy!) but with 12 to 15 mph onshore winds. That's a lot of power, but on a river mouth with that wind, it’s going to be a washing machine. That size is honestly more interesting for the kite surfers than for us.

There is no true standout here. The only time you’d get a wave without getting hammered by the wind is that tiny, glassy window on Monday the 20th. The rest is a long, frustrating wait. Conditions like these can change, but based on what I see, it’s a blank run for paddlers unless you're desperate for a small, clean one on the 20th.

Rusty.

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