Belle Ile - Les Donnants Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s coming up for Belle Ile - Les Donnants. This is a river mouth setup, and it’s a consistent wave, but we’ve got a long wait ahead before anything really gets going.

The water is sitting at a very unusual 72°, which is much warmer than normal for this time of year. That’s a bit of a treat for the skin, but it won’t help the waves.

The first week and a half is pretty much a write-off. We’ve got tiny, weak swell – mostly under 3 ft – with a combined energy that barely gets above 90 (29-90). The wind is either onshore or cross-onshore, mixing things up and making it choppy and poor. There are a few moments of clean conditions with offshore winds, like Thursday morning the 16th, Saturday morning the 18th, and Sunday morning the 19th, but the swell is just too small, around 1.0 ft, to do anything with. It’s a frustrating stretch of flatness.

The first real glimmer of hope arrives on Thursday, the 23rd of July. The afternoon sees a jump in swell to 5 ft from the SW, with a combined energy of 207 – that’s moderate energy. It’s still got an onshore wind, so it’s a marginal call, but it’s a sign something is brewing.

The standouts are on Friday the 24th and Saturday the 25th of July. Friday morning is the one to circle. We’ve got a 6 ft SW swell (7-second period) and a combined energy of 510 – that’s strong energy. The wind is a clean, moderate offshore from the ENE, so expect some tidy, hollow waves. The period is short, so it’ll be a bit crumbly, but on a river mouth, that can be fine. This is the best on offer during the whole period for most surfers. The afternoon turns back onshore and messy.

Then Saturday morning the 25th is the big one for the experienced crew. The swell jumps to 8 ft from the W, with a very long period of 10 seconds and a massive combined energy of 1318 – that’s very strong energy. The wind is a gentle offshore from the E. This is serious, powerful groundswell. At this size, it’s only for experts. The long period will make the waves wall up, but on a river mouth, it could just offer some big, clean lines if the tide is right. It’s the biggest swell of the window, but the afternoon goes cross-onshore, so you’ll want to be on it first thing.

After that, Sunday the 26th and Monday the 27th still have some size, up to 6 ft and 7 ft, but the wind is either cross-onshore or onshore, killing the quality. The period drops and the energy stays moderate to strong (286-715), but it’s not the clean, lined-up stuff we want.

The final few days from the 28th drop off in size again, and the wind is back to being onshore or cross-onshore, so it’s a fizzle out.

Overall, the best bet is Friday morning the 24th for a solid, clean session, and Saturday morning the 25th for the big-wave chargers. It’s a long, dry spell before that, so be patient.

Rusty.

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