La Roche Percee (Bonhomme de Bourail) Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, I’m Rusty, and I’ve been staring at the charts for La Roche Percee (Bonhomme de Bourail) until my eyes went salty. Right now, water temp is sitting around 73°, which is pretty much bang on average for this time of year – nothing to write home about. The next couple of days are a bit of a mixed bag, but we’ve got a real standout coming up next week.

Let’s start with what’s happening this Friday the 21st. Morning’s offering 6 ft of SE swell, but it’s short-period at 8 seconds, and the energy is moderate (665). The wind is cross-off from the ESE at 9 mph, so it’s clean enough, but the waves are a bit marginal. Friday afternoon drops to 3 ft, period down to 7 seconds, and the wind goes cross-shore – not great. Saturday the 22nd is a step up in quality: morning has 2 ft from the SE with a 10-second period, light E wind at 6 mph, and clean conditions. Not big, but rideable. Saturday afternoon picks up to 5 ft from the SE, period still short at 7 seconds, but the wind is cross-off and the surf is clean – a solid session. Sunday the 23rd stays small: 2 ft in the morning, 4 ft in the afternoon, both from the SSE/SE, with light winds and clean faces. Nothing to get excited about. Monday the 24th is flat – 1 ft and 1.0 ft – with a weird 20-second period on a tiny SSW swell in the afternoon that won’t do much.

Now, here’s the good stuff. Tuesday the 25th is the standout. Morning kicks off with 5 ft from the SSW at a juicy 15-second period, energy is strong at 925, and the wind is light E at 6 mph, cross-off and clean. The waves are gonna be well-shaped, with that longer period putting some punch in them. This is the best of the run – experienced surfers should be all over it. Tuesday afternoon stays solid at 4 ft, 14-second period, still clean. The first week’s peak is right here. Wednesday the 26th keeps it going: 4 ft in the morning from the SSW, 15-second period, light E wind, clean. Wednesday afternoon goes offshore from the NE at 9 mph, with 4 ft and 14-second period – glassy conditions. The trend holds through Thursday the 27th, with 3 ft from the SSW, 14-second period, and light ENE wind in the morning. It’s consistent and clean.

After that, the second week gets a bit flatter and more ordinary. Friday the 28th and Saturday the 29th drop off – 2 ft to 3 ft, with cross-shore winds and poor surf. Sunday the 30th picks up a little: 3 ft to 4 ft from the SSW, period dropping to 11-12 seconds, but winds are light and cross-off, so it’s clean again. Monday the 31st has 4 ft to 5 ft from the S, short period at 7-8 seconds, with offshore winds from the NE to NNE – clean but messy. Then Tuesday the 1st of September goes onshore, and Wednesday the 2nd is a write-off with 16 mph winds and chop. Thursday the 3rd is no better.

But hold on – Friday the 4th of September is a late standout. Morning delivers 7 ft from the S, 16-second period, and the energy is massive at 2561. That’s a solid, powerful groundswell. Wind is cross-off from the SE at 9 mph, and it’s clean. This is big, so only for experienced surfers. The combo of size and period will make it heavy, and it’s a reef/point setup, so that long period should wrap in nicely. Saturday the 5th morning still has 5 ft from the S, 13-second period, with clean conditions – a solid follow-up.

So, the pick of the fortnight is Tuesday the 25th and Friday the 4th of September. If you want quality, go for the 25th; if you want size, the 4th is your day. Crowds are sometimes an issue here, so keep that in mind. The water’s average temp, the winds are mostly light, and the swell direction from the SSW is the optimum for this spot. Enjoy the waves.

Rusty

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