Belle Ile - Les Donnants Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s on the cards for Belle Ile - Les Donnants over the next couple of weeks. It’s a bit of a mixed bag, but there are a couple of moments that’ll get the heart rate up.

The opening window isn't much to write home about. Wednesday, the 26th, we’ve got tiny little 2ft waves rolling in from the WNW with a period of 9 seconds. The combined energy is weak at 69. The morning’s a write-off with a cross-off wind, but the afternoon cleans up with an offshore breeze. It’s surfable but very ordinary – you wouldn’t rush out for it.

Thursday the 27th sees the swell bump up a touch. The morning brings 4ft from the SW with a short, punchless 6-second period, but the wind is cross-on and it’s choppy. The afternoon gets a bit more size at 5ft from the WSW, but it’s still cross-on and marginal. Not great.

Friday the 28th is a write-off. We’ve got building swell – 6ft in the morning with building energy (418), and then the afternoon hits 8ft from the WSW with a very strong combined energy of 1329. But the wind is howling onshore or cross-on at 25 mph, and it’s just messy. This setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing.

Saturday the 29th stays big and ugly – 8ft to 10ft from the WSW, with strong cross-on winds. The energy is huge (610 to 1051), but the conditions are poor. For experts only, and even then, it’s not clean.

Sunday the 30th drops back to 6ft from the W, but the wind is still cross-on. The morning is marginal at best (energy 665), and the afternoon goes back to poor. Still not the one.

Monday the 31st through to Wednesday the 2nd of September is a slow decline. Swell drops from 7ft down to 2ft, and it’s mostly onshore or cross-on. A few sessions look clean but the waves are tiny – not worth a paddle.

Now, here’s where things start to look up. Thursday the 3rd of September is a standout. We’ve got 3ft from the WNW with a 9-second period. The combined energy is moderate at 181. The morning has a light cross-off breeze, but the afternoon turns glassy – zero wind. That’s pure, clean surf. Expect good conditions, and this break is consistent and exposed to the SW swell, which is pretty close to the optimum direction. This is the best on offer in the first week.

Friday the 4th keeps the swell at 5ft from the WNW, but the period stretches to 11 seconds – a bit longer, which means cleaner lines. The morning has a light cross breeze, but it’s marginal. The afternoon goes onshore and poor. Not a full day.

Then we hit a gap. From Saturday the 5th through to Wednesday the 9th of September, it’s mostly poor or marginal. The swell stays between 2ft and 6ft, but the wind is constantly onshore or cross-on, and the conditions are choppy or messy. A couple of mornings (like the 7th) look clean with cross-off winds, but the waves are small and energy is low.

Finally, the last real highlight is Wednesday the 9th of September. We’ve got 8ft from the W with a 10-second period and very strong combined energy of 1362. The wind is a light cross breeze, so it’s manageable. This is big – too big for beginners for sure, and only for experienced surfers. But the quality is marginal due to the size and the cross wind ripples. Still, it’s the biggest, most powerful swell of the run.

Then Thursday the 10th of September closes things out nicely. The swell is 8ft from the W, with a combined energy of 978 – still strong. But here’s the magic: glassy conditions. The wind is dead calm. That’s going to be clean, powerful waves. Expect very good surf. This is your second standout, and with a bit of luck, it’ll be the pick of the whole outlook.

So, to wrap it up: the first few days are ordinary. The real gems are Thursday afternoon the 3rd of September for clean small waves, and Thursday morning the 10th of September for clean, powerful swell. The 9th is a big, raw option for the brave if the cross wind behaves.

Keep an eye on the long-range calls – they’re promising but less certain.

Stay wet,
Rusty.

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