Anse Bougainville Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right, let’s have a look at what’s cooking for Anse Bougainville over the next couple of weeks.

To be straight with you, the whole 16-day window is a bit of a write-off for quality surfing here. There’s a consistent flow of swell, but it’s getting hammered by strong onshore winds, so the ocean is just messy. It’s a real shame because the water is a warm 81°F, which is a touch above the norm for this time of year, but you won’t be enjoying it in clean conditions.

Starting from Saturday the 22nd of August right through the following week, we’ve got a persistent SE wind blowing at 16 to 19 mph, sometimes gusting stronger. The swell sits around 5ft to 7ft, mostly from the SE with a short period of 8 to 9 seconds. This combo just means chunky, blown-out waves. The combined energy is moderate in the 500s and 700s range, but it doesn’t matter because the wind is wrecking any chance of a clean face. It’s nearly all onshore, with a few sessions labelled as "cross-on", which is equally unappealing.

By Wednesday the 26th, the swell drops to 3ft, but it’s a long-period 14-second groundswell from the S. On paper, that sounds better, but the wind is still onshore at 16 to 19 mph, so it’s just a messy, weak bump. The energy is still moderate (530).

The real kicker comes towards the end of the month. On Saturday the 29th of August, the swell jumps to 5ft but with a very long period of 19 seconds from the S, and the combined energy hits a massive 2601. That’s a lot of power, but the wind is still a strong onshore breeze at 25 mph. This is heavy, dangerous, and completely unsurfable. The same pattern holds through the first week of September, with swell heights pushing 8ft to 10ft, period dropping to 10 seconds, and the wind still onshore at 19 to 25 mph. The energy is strong (over 1000), but it’s all just a big, windy, lumpy mess. For a reef break like Anse Bougainville, this setup is going to be a washing machine, and honestly, it looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing.

There is no standout session here. The persistent onshore wind, even when the swell is plentiful, kills any chance of a good wave. Don’t bother checking the forecast for a miracle; it’s a blank run for the whole 16 days, which is pretty normal for this area in these conditions.

Rusty

Read more