Capbreton • Statistics for August

August: Summer Gives One Last Flicker

August sits at the bottom of the energy curve, but it also brings the warmest water of the year-and that alone brings out the crowds. The average swell height is 3ft (0.9m), and the average period is 9.4s, identical to June and barely above July. Directionally, nothing changes in the water: NW is the dominant swell direction at 66.8%, with WNW at 25.7%, keeping almost all waves in the exposed WNW-NW window. The problem remains the distribution: over 55% of waves are 0.5-1m, and waves over 2m are nearly absent. This means small, punchy, and often sectiony summer surf on the sandbars. Ideal wind improves slightly to 20%, as the morning easterly/offshore pattern becomes more frequent in the late summer. Yet the sea breeze still wreaks havoc in the afternoons: NNW and NW winds combine for about 38% of all wind, with W and WNW adding another 26%. Those are exactly the directions that turn the lineup into a bumpy, textured mess. Go early, go small, and consider the high-tide banks, which can offer playful walls in the waist-high range. Weather is warm and dry: air temperatures average 21.6°C, water temperature peaks at 22.6°C, and precipitation is minimal. Summer in Capbreton is more about lifestyle than heavy surf.