Surf Forecasts:
Les Dunes surf forecast from 30 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Monday 31 Aug, 8PM (local time) - 5ft (1.6m), 10s period, W swell with cross-onshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Monday 31 Aug, 11AM (local time) - 6ft (1.9m), 10s period, W swell with 668 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Monday 31 Aug, 8PM (local time) - 5ft (1.6m), 10s period with W swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Les Dunes this week:
The surf forecast for Les Dunes over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Monday (Aug 31) at 8PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.6m and 10s period. The wind is predicted to be cross-onshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Les Dunes in the next 16 days are 1.9m 10s and forecast to arrive on Monday (Aug 31) at 11AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.5m 3s period and expected on Wednesday (Sep 02) at 2AM.
| Wave Type | Time (CEST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 8PM (Mon 31st Aug) | 5ft (1.6m) 10s |
| Best Surf | 8PM (Mon 31st Aug) | 5ft (1.6m) 10s |
| Most Powerful | 11AM (Mon 31st Aug) | 6ft (1.9m) 10s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Les Dunes over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
G’day, Rusty here. Well, to be honest, the next couple of weeks are lookin’ pretty grim for a proper paddle session at Les Dunes. We’ve got a bit of a slow start, and then a whole lot of onshore junk. Let’s get into it.
The first chance to even think about a surf shows up on Tuesday, the 1st of September. The sea’s been a mess the last couple of days – strong onshore winds and scrappy waves. But Tuesday morning, the stars almost line up. There’s a little 4ft swell rolling in from the West, with a period of 10 seconds. The real kicker is the wind: it’s glassy. Dead calm. That’s a major positive for clean faces. The combined swell energy is sitting at a moderate 230. The water temp is around average for this time of year at 69°F, so nothing unusual there. The only problem is, the forecast reckons this swell might actually be a touch too big for Les Dunes to handle properly, so while it’ll be clean, it might be a bit of a wash-through. It’s still the best on offer by a long shot for that day. Later Tuesday arvo, the wind swings onshore and chops it up again.
We then hit a proper drought. From Wednesday the 2nd all the way through to Thursday the 10th of September, it’s just a run of poor conditions. Winds are mostly side or onshore, swell is small or messy, and the energy readings are weak. There’s a tiny window on Thursday the 3rd morning with some glassy 2ft waves, but it’s barely a ripple – surfable but very ordinary.
Things get a little more interesting on Saturday the 5th of September. The morning brings a bit more life with a 3ft West-northwest swell, and importantly, the period bumps up to a nice long 13 seconds. That’s groundswell energy with some proper push behind it. The wind is off from the North at 9 mph, keeping it clean. The combined energy hits a moderate 356. It’s not pumping, but it’s clean and has some shape. The downside is Saturday arvo the wind goes cross-shore and the quality drops again.
Beyond that, we’ve got a couple of mornings that look clean but tiny – Sunday the 6th and Monday the 7th, with 2ft to 2ft swells. Nothing to write home about.
Now, the standout option in the whole outlook is for Saturday, the 12th of September, and then again into Sunday, the 13th and Monday, the 14th. The swell is predicted to get big. On the Saturday morning, we’re lookin’ at a clean 5ft West-northwest swell with a period of 10 seconds, and a nice offshore wind from the Northeast at 6 mph. The energy is a solid 407, right in the moderate range. The comment on the data says the wind and tide are favourable, but the swell might be too big for this break. For an experienced surfer on a proper board, this could be the most fun session of the whole run. Sunday the 13th morning pushes it even bigger, with a 8ft swell from the West, clean with offshore wind, and an energy reading of 963 – getting up into strong territory. That’s getting into expert-only size for anyone out at Les Dunes, but the conditions are clean. By Monday the 14th, it’s a clean 6ft swell again. These days are promising, but realise we’re lookin’ at forecasts over a week out, so pin your hopes gently. If the swell direction holds West-northwest (optimum for the spot) and the wind stays off, this could be a real treat. It’s the most promising patch of the whole 16 days.
So, to sum it up: early next week, Tuesday morning is your best bet for a glassy, clean small-wave session if you’re a beginner. The real prize is the weekend of the 12th and 13th of September, with clean, proper-sized swell – but that’s for the crew who know what they’re doing. For the rest of the time, it’s mostly a write-off. Don’t say I didn’t warn ya.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 20°C on Sun morning, min 17°C on Mon night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the WSW on Sun night, calm by Tue morning). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 22°C on Thu afternoon, min 16°C on Fri night). Winds increasing (calm on Thu morning, fresh winds from the NW by Fri night). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Sunday 30 | Monday 31 | Tuesday 1 | Wednesday 2 | Thursday 3 | Friday 4 | Saturday 5 | |||||||||||||||
AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | |
Swell Height Map | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 9 | W 8 | W 8 | W 10 | W 10 | W 10 | W 10 | W 9 | W 9 | W 8 | W 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 9 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 11 | WNW 11 | WNW 13 | WNW 12 | WNW 10 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
199 | 317 | 413 | 668 | 567 | 379 | 230 | 136 | 78 | 49 | 33 | 19 | 61 | 72 | 87 | 154 | 444 | 194 | 356 | 224 | 108 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | on | on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross | glassy | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-off | glassy | cross | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross | off |
High Tide | 6:45PM4.42m | 7:01AM4.21m | 7:15PM4.35m | 7:32AM4.14m | 7:48PM4.18m | 8:07AM3.99m | 8:27PM3.93m | 8:47AM3.76m | 9:14PM3.61m | 9:40AM3.48m | 10:23PM3.26m | 11:13AM3.24m | 00:45AM3.11m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 12:46PM0.04m | 1:08AM-0.01m | 1:22PM0.07m | 1:45AM0.09m | 2:01PM0.20m | 2:24AM0.29m | 2:44PM0.41m | 3:09AM0.57m | 3:34PM0.69m | 4:02AM0.89m | 4:35PM0.96m | 5:09AM1.16m | 5:52PM1.13m | ||||||||
7:22 | — | — | 7:24 | — | — | 7:26 | — | — | 7:26 | — | — | 7:28 | — | — | 7:30 | — | — | 7:31 | — | — | |
— | 8:51 | — | — | 8:49 | — | — | 8:46 | — | — | 8:45 | — | — | 8:43 | — | — | 8:40 | — | — | 8:39 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 20 | 20 | 19 | 19 | 20 | 19 | 17 | 19 | 18 | 18 | 20 | 19 | 20 | 22 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 18 | 16 | 20 | 19 |
Feels °C | 17 | 16 | 15 | 16 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 14 | 17 | 17 | 16 | 20 | 20 | 18 | 19 | 18 | 15 | 14 | 16 | 14 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 9 | — | — | W 10 | W 10 | W 10 | W 10 | W 9 | W 9 | W 8 | W 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 9 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 11 | WNW 11 | WNW 13 | WNW 12 | WNW 10 |
199 | — | — | 668 | 567 | 379 | 230 | 136 | 78 | 49 | 33 | 19 | 61 | 72 | 87 | 154 | 444 | 194 | 356 | 224 | 108 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | W 10 | — | — | — | — | — | NW 5 | — | — | — |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | 38 | — | — | — | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | W 15 | — | — | — |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 159 | — | — | — | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WSW 8 | W 8 | W 8 | — | — | — | — | — | NW 3 | — | — | NW 3 | — | — | NW 3 | — | WNW 11 | — | ENE 2 | — | E 2 |
157 | 317 | 413 | — | — | — | — | — | 5 | — | — | 3 | — | — | 2 | — | 240 | — | 1 | — | 1 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 234 | 128 | 353 | 68 | 68 | 9 | 3 | 237 | 0 | 3 | 22 | 180 | 0 | 22 | 9 | 369 | 68 | 22 | 0 | 22 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Vendee | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in France | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the Les Dunes Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Les Dunes provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Les Dunes can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Les Dunes surf forecast is unique since it includes wave energy (power) that defines the real feel of the surf rather than just the height or the period. If you surf the same spot (Les Dunes) regularly then make a mental note of the wave energy from the surf forecast table each time you go. Very soon you may start to choose your surf days based on the wave energy alone combined with our forecast of favourable offshore wind conditions. Our star ratings will help here and of course you will also find the usual wave height and period predictions on our surf forecasts as well as a full break down of the swell components under our advanced users option (to reveal that, click the little Einstein character under the tide times).
Further information to help with frequently asked questions about our surf forecast for Les Dunes may be found under the help tab on the top menu and also by moving your mouse over the question marks on the surf forecast table itself. Please always bear in mind that the forecast is for near-shore open water and local factors at each surf break influence the actual breaking wave height, such as the beach / reef profile, water depths offshore and shelter.
Les Dunes is 8 km (5 miles) from Les Sables-d'Olonne. If you plan a holiday in Vendee, look for hotels and other accommodation in Les Sables-d'Olonne. Les Sables-d'Olonne has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.











