Trestraou Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Let’s be straight with you: the next couple of weeks at Trestraou are going to test your patience. We’ve got a long stretch of poor to ordinary conditions ahead, but there is a light at the end of the tunnel if you’re willing to wait it out.

The first week is a write-off, plain and simple. From Tuesday the 18th through to Monday the 31st, it’s a constant battle with messy winds, small surf, and not much energy. There’s a brief pulse of chest-high stuff on Thursday the 20th, with about 6ft to 7ft of WNW swell and a nine-second period. The energy picks up to a moderate 534 and then 645, but the cross-off wind at 19-31 mph keeps it lumpy. It’s not going to be clean, and honestly, it’s not worth the drive. We then drop right back down to ankle-biters for the weekend, with the swell shrinking to 1ft on Sunday the 23rd. There’s a glassy moment on Monday morning the 24th, but with only 1ft on tap, you’d be surfing whitewash.

Things start to look a little more interesting towards the end of the first week. On Tuesday the 25th, there’s a slight bump in period to 10-11 seconds, and the afternoon brings a clean offshore breeze, but the swell is still only around 3ft. It’s surfable, but very ordinary. The wind stays offshore through Wednesday and Thursday, but the swell stays small and the energy is weak to moderate. By Saturday the 29th, we’ve got a bit more push with 4ft to 4ft, and a clean offshore wind in the afternoon, but it’s still not what you’d call good. Sunday the 30th sees a small peak, with 5ft on the morning and light offshore winds, but again, it’s just ordinary. This whole stretch is a waiting game.

Now, for the standout. Mark your calendars for Tuesday the 1st of September. That’s the day things finally come together. The swell jumps to a solid 8ft from the west, with a period of 10 seconds. The combined energy hits a strong 1301, and with a moderate offshore wind in the morning, the conditions are expected to be very good. This is the one to circle. It’s a proper pulse of swell that’s worth getting excited about. The afternoon gets a bit dicey with the wind swinging more cross-off and picking up to 31 mph, and the wave size drops slightly, but the morning session is where it’s at.

Following that, Wednesday the 2nd still has plenty of size, with 7ft of west-northwest swell and an 11-second period. The energy is still strong at 974, and with a light cross-off breeze, it should be clean and powerful. However, the afternoon turns onshore from the northwest, chopping things up. So, the call is simple: if you can only surf one or two days in this whole window, make it the morning of Tuesday the 1st, and if you’re keen for more, Wednesday morning is a solid backup.

One thing to note about Trestraou: this break is sheltered, and the optimum swell direction is from the west-northwest, which is exactly what we’re getting on that first of September. That’s a good sign. The water temp is around 66°F on the 18th, which is about 2°F warmer than average for this time of year—nothing crazy, just a touch on the mild side.

So, hang tight. The first ten days are a grind, but that September swell is a proper reward for the patient. This is a spot that can fire, and when that west-northwest groundswell lines up with a clean offshore, it’s worth the wait.

Rusty, signing off.

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