La Torche Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, folks, Rusty here with the lowdown on La Torche for the next couple of weeks. I’ll level with you – the first half is mostly flat and blown out, but there’s a couple of days out near the end that could be heaters.

The water is sitting at a noticeable 68°F, which is a touch warmer than usual for this time of year, so that’s a nice bonus when you finally get in.

We kick off on Sunday, July 26th, with a 7ft cross-on swell from the west-northwest, but it’s barely 8 seconds of period and a stiff 22 mph cross-onshore wind. That’s total junk – lumpy, messy, and not worth the paddle. The combined energy is still moderate at 544, but the conditions are rough.

Monday the 27th is more of the same. 6ft from the northwest with a bit more period at 10 seconds, but the wind is still cross-on or strong. By the afternoon, it’s 19 mph again. Really poor.

We get a tiny window on Tuesday the 28th morning and afternoon. The swell drops to 3ft, but the wind goes light and cross-off from the east-southeast and then south-southeast – which cleans the surface right up. The ocean is clean, but the energy is weak (192 in the morning, 176 in the afternoon) and the swell is short-period. You could get a grovelly one, but it’s not exactly firing.

From Wednesday the 29th all the way through to about Tuesday, August 4th, it’s a long stretch of small, weak, onshore slop. A couple of mornings might look cleaner on the surface, but the swell is tiny – from 1ft to 4ft – and the energy is mostly below 100. There’s nothing to get excited about. For paddle surfing, it’s a total write-off. If you’re into kite surfing, the Wednesday morning of August 5th has a moderate 6ft onshore swell and gentle winds – that might be more your thing than mine.

Now, here’s where it gets interesting. On Thursday, August 6th, the morning shows a 8ft groundswell from the west-northwest with a 10-second period and the combined energy jumps to a meaty 1003. That’s strong. The wind is onshore from the west-northwest at 9 mph, so it’s clean on the face but lumpy. This is solid, powerful surf but it’s big – over 8ft – so it’s expert territory. This could be the standout of the whole outlook if the wind co-operates, but right now it’s marginal with the onshore flow.

Saturday, August 8th morning is a beast. The swell is 10ft from the west with a 9-second period and the combined energy is an enormous 1502. That’s serious power. The wind is light from the north-northwest at 9 mph, but it’s cross-onshore so it’s a bit lumpy. Still, for the experienced crew at La Torche, this is big, powerful, and raw. The afternoon jumps even higher in energy to 3285 with the same 10ft, but the wind cranks to 19 mph cross-on, making it a total mess. The morning is the pick – if you’re a charger.

After that, it drops back down to average-sized, average-conditions stuff into the second week. Sunday the 9th and Monday the 10th are all onshore and sloppy again.

So, if I’m calling it: the real standout is the morning of Thursday, August 6th for the strong, big groundswell, even with the onshore tickle. And for the absolute heaviest, Saturday, August 8th morning – that 10ft with massive energy is one for the big-wave boys only. But it’s a long way out, so don’t lock it in yet.

Rusty.

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