Anse Bougainville Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Gotta be straight with you – looking at the forecast for Anse Bougainville over the next 16 days, and it’s a tough sit. The outlook is pretty grim for any decent paddle surfing. The onshore wind is relentless, and the surf quality is consistently rated as poor. There’s a real gap here, with no worthwhile waves on offer for the first 11 days.

It all kicks off on Friday the 17th. We’ve got a 4 ft swell from the SE, but it’s a short period (9 seconds) and a moderate SSE breeze is blowing straight onshore, making it a messy, bumpy lineup. The combined energy is weak (335), so there’s just no power or shape to work with. That same story repeats day after day – Saturday the 18th sees a bigger 5 ft swell, but the period drops to a weak 6 seconds and the wind gets stronger (19 mph), making it a total washout. The water is a touch warmer than normal at 80°, but that’s about the only positive.

The whole first week is a write-off. The wind is constantly onshore from the SSE or SE, keeping the wave face choppy and ugly. It’s the kind of setup that would be more interesting for kite surfing than trying to paddle out on a wave that’s closing out.

The only glimmer of hope, and it’s a long way off, comes on Tuesday the 28th. The swell direction swings to the S, and the period jumps to a very long 20-21 seconds. That’s deep ocean groundswell energy, and the combined energy is huge (over 1500). But here’s the catch – the wind is still howling onshore at 19 mph, with a risk of thunderstorms. Anse Bougainville is a reef break, so this long-period, high-energy swell could wrap in and offer some clean lines if the wind ever drops, but with the current forecast, it’s going to be a dangerous, blown-out mess.

Wednesday the 29th is similar, but the swell height drops to 3 ft and the period is still a very long 18-19 seconds. The combined energy is still high (over 1000), and the wind backs off a notch to 12-16 mph. It’s still onshore, so it’s only a marginal call at best. This is the only window that gets a score of 1 out of 10, which is still a poor rating. The truth is, there’s nothing here that’s a standout. The whole 16-day window looks like a bust for quality surf. Stay patient, and maybe the next forecast will turn the corner.

- Rusty

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