Les Sablettes Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s be straight with you – it’s a bit of a tough stretch ahead for the region.

Honestly, we’re looking at a pretty bleak run of surf for the first couple of weeks. The data shows nothing but "poor surf conditions" from the 14th of July right through to the afternoon of the 29th of July. That's a solid fifteen days where the waves are just not cooperating. The wind is almost always onshore or cross-onshore, and the swell energy is weak for the most part. You’ll see the combined energy values struggling to get into the moderate range, mostly sitting between 66 and 399.

The water temp anomaly is about average for this time of year.

The only break in the frame is Les-Sablettes, a reef and point set-up. It’s consistent, which is a silver lining, but the quality is the issue. The swell is tiny, mostly 1ft to 3ft, and from the NW, which is the optimum direction for this spot. But the period is short (5 to 8 seconds), so you’re getting weak, wind-affected waves. The wind is a constant problem – onshore from the N and NNE nearly every day, keeping things choppy. Even when the wind is light, it’s still cross-onshore.

The only flicker of something different doesn’t appear until the 23rd of July. Thursday morning we start seeing the swell bump up to 4ft (NW, 7 secs) and the combined energy climbs to 162. But the wind is still straight onshore from the NW, so the quality is still rated poor. This pattern of slightly better swell but still onshore wind holds through the 24th and 25th.

Then things get interesting on the 28th of July. Tuesday morning shows a solid 6ft swell from the NW, with a period of 9 seconds. The combined energy jumps into the strong range at 525. But – and it’s a big but – the wind is a moderate cross-onshore from the NNE, keeping the conditions choppy. The same goes for the 29th of July, where the swell hits 6ft and the combined energy is a very respectable 660, but again, onshore wind. The forecaster gives it a "marginal surf forecast" rating of 1 out of 10. For a reef and point break, a 6ft swell with a longer period could pump if the wind was right, but it’s simply not.

So, what’s the verdict? If you’re desperate for a paddle, the 28th and 29th of July offer the most swell on the charts, but the quality will be sloppy. Honestly, with this persistent onshore wind at a beach-and-reef set-up, this window might actually be more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing. Don’t hold your breath for clean waves anytime soon.

Rusty.

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