Ambinanibe Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Rusty here, checking in on Ambinanibe. Gotta be honest, the forecast is pretty average for the most part – a lot of small, wind-affected days, but there is one session that’s worth getting stoked about if you’ve got the experience.

Overall, the first week and a half is a struggle. Swell is generally small, and the wind is fresh and cross to cross-off, so the waves aren’t clean. The combined energy is mostly weak to moderate, hanging in the hundreds. A lot of these sessions are marginal or poor.

Tuesday afternoon on September 15th is the best of the early days. Swell comes up to 6ft from the south at 15 seconds – that’s a proper long-period groundswell – and the wind is cross-offshore from the northeast at 30 km/h, keeping things clean. Combined energy is 1752 (moderate-strong), so there’s some power. Still, the overall rating is low, so don’t expect perfect waves.

Then it goes quiet. From Wednesday the 16th through to Monday the 22nd of September, the surf stays tiny, mostly under 3ft, with fresh cross to cross-off wind. Combined energy drops below 500 for most sessions. Not worth paddling out.

Tuesday morning on the 22nd of September is a small but clean window. Swell is only 3ft from the SSW with a long 16-second period, and the wind is light from the northeast at 10 km/h, cross-offshore, making it glassy. Combined energy is 387 (weak), but conditions are clean and the report says “expect good surf conditions.” A longboard day for sure.

Now for the big one. Thursday morning, the 24th of September. Swell jumps to 8ft from the SSW at 12 seconds – solid size with a moderate period – and the wind is glassy, from the southeast at just 5 km/h. Combined energy is a massive 1961 (strong), and the report says “excellent surf conditions for experienced surfers.” This is for experts only, as 8ft is big. Water temperature is 71°, which is a bit colder than normal for this time of year. Ambinanibe is exposed to the southwest swell, and with that direction, it’s your best bet. Crowds are sometimes possible here.

After that, it drops off. Friday the 25th of September has 6ft in the morning with onshore wind making it choppy, then it fades. Saturday the 26th of September has a clean 6ft from the south in the morning, but the wind is cross-offshore and fresh, so it’s not as clean as that Thursday morning. Energy is 1519 (strong), but the rating is still low.

The last few days of the month are small and messy. Tuesday the 29th of September has swell down to 2ft with fresh cross-shore wind – not worth it.

So, the call is simple: Thursday morning the 24th of September is the standout. The rest is mostly flat or wind-affected, with a couple of clean but tiny windows for the longboard. The second week is pretty quiet, with only that one big session to get excited about.

Rusty.

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