Belle Ile - Les Donnants Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what Belle Ile – Les Donnants has got cooking for us over the next couple of weeks.

Right off the bat, I gotta be straight with you: this is a tough stretch. We’re looking at a long, dry spell of tiny surf and onshore winds that’s gonna last a good ten days or so. The first half of this outlook is basically a write-off. From Thursday 16th July all the way through to Saturday 26th July, the swell is tiny, mostly under 2ft, and the wind is almost always on it or cross-onshore. Even when it’s glassy, like on the morning of Saturday 18th July, the wave height is only 1.0ft. There’s just no energy to work with.

The real action doesn’t start to show its face until Sunday 26th July. The morning of Sunday 26th finally sees a bit of life. We’ve got 2ft from the WNW with a period of 8 seconds. The combined energy is still pretty weak at 84, but it’s the most we’ve seen in a while. The wind is a light breeze from the NE, which is cross-offshore, keeping things reasonably clean. The waves are there, but the conditions are nothing to write home about. It’s surfable, but very ordinary.

Now, the one standout, the only real highlight in this whole 16-day window, is Monday 27th July. The morning of Monday 27th is looking like the best session you’ll find. The swell is 2ft from the WNW, but the period stretches to 10 seconds, which gives it a bit more push. The combined energy hits 80, still not huge, but the key here is the wind. It’s a dead calm, glassy morning. No wind at all. The waves will be clean and smooth. This is the window you want to target. The swell is small, but it’s a river break, so it can handle a bit of size. For a log or a fun shape, it’ll be a lovely morning.

After that, things get messy again. The afternoon of Monday 27th brings onshore wind, and the rest of the week is a mix of onshore wind and moderately sized swell. We do see a jump in swell around Thursday 30th July, with a 5ft WNW swell, a long 13-second period, and a combined energy of 866 (moderate energy). But the wind is cross-onshore in the morning and full onshore in the afternoon. That’s a lot of power but with a chop on it. The morning of Friday 31st July has 4ft WNW swell with a 11-second period (combined energy 390), but it’s still cross-onshore. The Friday afternoon pushes 5ft from the WNW, but it’s onshore and messy. That’s a bit too much size for a river break with the wind on it.

If you’re an expert, the morning of Thursday 30th July might be worth a paddle for the power, but don’t expect perfection. The water temperature is currently 71°, which is a massive 6° warmer than normal for this time of year – very unusual. So you can leave the thick wetsuit at home.

To sum it up: the first ten days are a washout. The only real session to pencil in is the glassy morning of Monday 27th July. After that, there’s some power but no wind to go with it. Forecasts can change, but for now, pick your moment carefully.

Rusty.

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