Conditions at Cote des Basques in September
September: Autumn's First Breath
September is the first hint that the North Atlantic is waking back up. The average swell rises to around 3-4ft (1.1m) and the period lengthens to 10.6 seconds, a noticeable upgrade from the summer months. The wave rose still favours NW at 54 percent and WNW at 33 percent, but the distribution has more quality in the 1-1.5m (3-5ft) range, and the 1.5-2m (5-7ft) category starts to appear more regularly.
Wind conditions also improve. The ideal wind window jumps to 30 percent, and while NNW, W, WNW and NW still dominate the wind rose, the first proper autumn low pressure systems bring more varied synoptic patterns. With water temps still very pleasant at 21.0°C and air temperatures averaging 19.0°C, September is one of the best months for comfortable, functional small-to-moderate surf, especially if you can catch the early season groundswell with a morning offshore flow.
Average Spot conditions at Cote des Basques in September
Swell history for September
Wind history for September
Swell quality
Analyze the groundswell consistency at Cote des Basques during September. Based on historical data, there is a % probability of groundswell occurring this month. The chart below provides a detailed breakdown of the average wave height distribution, offering deep insights into the swell quality and surf potential you can expect at Cote des Basques for your next trip in September.
Ground swell
Ground swell by size
Wind conditions
Evaluate the wind and swell alignment at Cote des Basques for September. Our analysis shows that favorable offshore or side-shore winds coincide with surfable swell approximately % of the time. The accompanying graph illustrates the average size distribution of waves during these optimal wind windows at Cote des Basques.