Anglet - VVF Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right, let’s have a look at what’s happening in Anglet, focusing on the VVF stretch. This is a long-range look, and the opening days are tough. The water temp is sitting at a very unusual 25°C (about 76°F) right now, which is much warmer than we’d normally see for the start of the season.

We’re kicking off on Monday the 24th with almost nothing. Tiny 0.3m (1ft) swell coming out of the north, weak energy (13), and onshore or cross-shore wind. It’s flat and messy, not worth paddling out for.

Tuesday the 25th is even more pathetic – a 0.1m (0.3ft) north-west groundswell with a long 13-second period just doesn’t have any power (13). The afternoon sees a slight lift to 0.3m (1ft), but still with only 29 combined energy. It’s hopeless for a proper paddle session.

Wednesday the 26th is the first glimmer. Early morning shows a light offshore from the ESE, with a 0.6m (2ft) swell from the west-northwest at 8 seconds. The energy is still low (72), and the wave state is clean, but it’s barely surfable. It feels more like a knee-high ankle-slapper. The afternoon gets chopped up by a cross-onshore wind.

Thursday the 27th morning is similar with a 0.5m (2ft) west-northwest swell and a light cross-offshore ESE breeze. Still very weak energy (58). Not terrible for a longboard if you’re desperate, but nothing to write home about.

Friday the 28th sees a jump in height, but a poor wind. The morning offers a 1.0m (3ft) west-northwest swell with a cross-onshore 20 km/h (12 mph) WSW wind, making it choppy (232 energy). The afternoon jumps to a messy 2.3m (8ft) onshore wind situation – that’s too big for the junk wind. It’s going to be blown-out closeouts.

The whole of the last week of August is a write-off. We’ve got a gap of several days with no real quality. Saturday the 29th has a clean onshore 1.4m (5ft) in the morning, but it’s a messy unknown wave state. The afternoon is a cross-shore 1.2m (4ft), but the score is still marginal.

Then, finally, on Sunday the 30th, we get a standout. Sunday morning sees glassy conditions with an offshore ENE breeze at 5 km/h (3 mph). The swell is a small but clean 1.1m (4ft) from the north-west, with 142 combined energy. For the VVF area, you’ll find clean little walls. It won’t be pumping, but it’s easily the best looking session of this first week. The north-west swell is from the optimum direction for this stretch, and the glassy wind will make those little waves feel much better than the size suggests.

After that, Monday the 31st and Tuesday the 1st are again poor due to onshore and cross-onshore winds flattening things out or making them messy.

Hold on, because the real standout is far out. On Monday the 7th of September, we get a long-range pulse that looks very promising. The morning delivers a 1.2m (4ft) west-northwest groundswell with a very long 16-second period (combined energy 996). That’s a proper groundswell. The wind is a clean offshore from the east at 10 km/h (6 mph), giving you clean conditions. This is the prime candidate for the entire 16-day window – a clean, powerful, long-period groundswell with offshore wind for the VVF stretch. That afternoon it goes a little cross-shore, but the morning is the call.

The 8th of September then has a 1.5m (5ft) west-northwest swell at 13 seconds (865 energy), but the wind is onshore, so the quality will be compromised.

So, for the hardcore locals: don’t get excited until the 30th of August for a tiny glassy morning, but circle Monday the 7th of September morning. That’s the one where you want to be late for work. Right now, it looks like the only truly good, clean, and powerful window in the whole outlook.

Rusty.

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