Belle Ile - Les Donnants Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right, let’s have a look at what’s on the cards for our slice of the Atlantic.

This is a tough stretch, plain and simple. Truth be told, this 16-day outlook is a write-off for any proper paddle surfing. We’ve got a long, dry gap here with no decent waves on offer, so don’t be holding your breath for a session. The first bit of any real swell energy doesn’t show up until the very end, and even then, the conditions are a mess.

Let’s start with Belle Ile - Les Donnants (river). This spot is normally a reliable little river mouth, but for the next two and a half weeks, it’s just not happening. The water temperature is sitting at 71°, which is a massive 7° warmer than usual for this time of year – that’s very unusual, mind you. Right now, on Wednesday afternoon, there’s a wobbly, weak 3 ft swell from the west, with a short period of 9 seconds, and a cross-on shore wind of 19 mph is churning it up. The combined swell energy is a paltry 108 (weak), and it’s just poor.

The next few days are flat as a pancake with tiny dribbles under 2 ft and periods of 7 to 8 seconds. The wind does swing offshore or clean out of the ENE a few times on Thursday, Friday, and Sunday mornings, but with swell heights barely reaching 1.0 ft and combined energy in the teens or twenties, there’s nothing to push you down the line. It’s a nice looking ocean, but wave-less.

The pattern keeps up: wee bits of swell from the west-northwest, but always too small and too weak. The morning of Tuesday the 21st has a clean offshore wind, but the swell is a feeble 1.0 ft. Not worth paddling out for.

We don't see any real energy until the 26th of July, a Sunday, where the swell picks up to 2 ft from the west with a period of 11 seconds and combined energy at 57 – still weak, and the wind is cross-on from the northwest. By the 28th of July, a Tuesday, we get a spike of energy with a 5 ft swell from the west, but the period is super short at 5 seconds, and it’s blowing a strong onshore 28 mph out of the west-northwest. The combined energy hits 119 (moderate), but with that kind of wind and a jumbled up short-period sea, it’s not surfable for a board. That setup looks far more interesting for a kite surfer than us paddle folk.

And the final day, the 30th, shows a similar story – a 4 ft swell from the west-northwest with a shocking 5-second period and onshore wind. All 0/10 scores here. There is no standout session in this entire window. The river mouth will be flat and clean, but empty.

It’s a blank run, lads. This area can have proper long gaps like this, and unfortunately, this is one of them. Forecasts can change, but right now, it’s a time to wax the longboard and wait.

- Rusty

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