La Torche Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let’s break it down in feet and miles per hour. We’re looking at a long stretch ahead where the wind is just not playing ball. The first real chance to score something clean doesn’t show up until Sunday the 13th, so you’ve got about a week of ugly conditions to get through first.

The first surf we see is on Sunday, September 7th, but it’s a rough start. Monday morning and afternoon bring onshore winds with swell around 6ft from the west, period at 13 seconds – that’s a proper groundswell with a ton of energy (combined energy over 1100). The problem is the wind is blowing straight onshore, so it’s going to be a choppy, blown-out mess. Not worth paddling out unless you’re bored. Tuesday through Saturday are all cross-onshore or onshore winds, with swell sizes bouncing between 3ft and 8ft, but the quality is poor across the board. The 8ft on Tuesday afternoon is too big for beginners, and with a short 8-second period and strong cross-onshore wind, it’s more of a washing machine than a wave.

Now, the one to circle. Sunday, September 13th morning at La Torche (Pointdela-Torche) is where you want to be. We’ve got clean conditions with a light cross-offshore breeze from the east, swell at 5ft from the WNW, and a solid 11-second period. That’s a nice groundswell with moderate energy (619). The wind will have the waves looking clean and lined up. This is the best on offer in the whole outlook – a true highlight. The swell direction (WNW) is a good match for the optimum swell direction (WSW) for this exposed beach and point setup. It’s a fairly consistent spot, but crowds are often here, so expect company. The water temp is about 66°, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year – nothing crazy.

That Sunday afternoon the wind swings cross-onshore and the period bumps up to 13 seconds, but the quality drops off. After that, Monday the 14th through to the end of the outlook on the 21st is a long stretch of onshore and cross-onshore winds, mostly poor conditions, and surf that’s not worth chasing. There is a big spike on Monday the 21st with 12ft swell from the WNW, 11-second period, and a massive combined energy of 2776 – but it’s onshore wind again, and that size is expert-only territory. The setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing on that day.

So, if you want a clean wave, get your schedule set for the morning of Sunday, September 13th. The rest of this 16-day window is mostly a write-off.

Rusty.

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