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

G’day, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s coming up for La Roche Percee (Bonhomme de Bourail). The water temp is sitting at 74°, which is pretty normal for this time of year.

First thing you need to know – the next week and a half is a real struggle. The wind is a constant cross or cross-onshore, mostly from the SSE to SE, blowing at 12 to 19 mph, and the surf is either poor or just marginal at best. It’s a lot of choppy, lumpy, bumpy mess. The combined swell energy is mostly in the low to mid three-digit range, which is moderate, but it’s just not lining up with the wind. From Saturday 15 August morning through to Monday 24 August afternoon, it’s a grind. You’ll see some pulses of 3 ft to 8 ft SSW swell, but the period is all over the place – sometimes short and weak, sometimes long period groundswell. That longer period swell (15-16 seconds) should be decent at this reef setup, but the cross-shore wind just ruins it. The Thursday 20 August morning and afternoon session has a slight improvement with a gentle breeze, but still only marginal. Tuesday 25 August morning is where it finally gets interesting.

The standout window is Tuesday 25 August morning and into Wednesday 26 August. On Tuesday morning, the wind goes glassy – dead calm – with a solid 3 ft SSW swell and a period of 11 seconds. The combined energy is 447, which is moderate, but that glassy condition makes it clean as a whistle. It’s a real treat after all that wind. The break is consistent, so you’ll get waves. Crowds are sometimes an issue, but with the conditions being so good, it’ll be worth sharing. Then Tuesday afternoon sees a cross-offshore breeze and a 3 ft SSW swell, but the period jumps to 18 seconds – very long-period groundswell. That’s going to wrap around the reef beautifully, but it might be a bit straight for some, so pick your peak. Wednesday morning is the absolute best: glassy again, 5 ft SSW swell, 15-second period, and combined energy of 1041 – that’s strong energy. This is expert-level size (over 5 ft), so it’s not for the groms. But for anyone who knows what they’re doing, it’s firing. The wind is light and offshore from the WSW, so it’s going to be groomed.

After that, things drop off again. Thursday 27 August through to Saturday 29 August is back to small, weak, and cross-onshore. Sunday 30 August sees a pulse of 6 ft to 6 ft SSW swell with a 15-17 second period, but the wind is back to a moderate cross-shore, so it’s only marginal. Still, the energy is strong (2268), so if you’re desperate and can handle the chop, it’s an option.

Honestly, the best call is to pencil in Tuesday 25 August morning and Wednesday 26 August morning. That’s the cleanest, most powerful window of the whole forecast. Don’t bother with the rest until then.

Rusty.

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