Anse Bougainville Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, it’s Rusty. Let’s be straight – this 16-day stretch for Anse Bougainville is a rough one. The whole run is plagued by onshore and cross-onshore winds, mostly from the SE and SSE, blowing at 18 to 22 mph, which is a fresh breeze. That’s gonna mess up the surface on this reef setup. The water temp is sitting at 81°F, which is pretty normal for this time of year, so no surprises there with the anomaly at 1°F.

We kick off Saturday, August 29, with a 5 ft swell from the SSW, but a southeasterly wind of 22 mph is blowing straight onshore. The combined energy is high at 2082, but it’s all for nothing – the surf conditions are poor. That theme sticks through the weekend and into the week. By Sunday morning, August 30, the wind shifts to cross-on, still 22 mph, and the swell drops a bit to 4 ft from the S, but it’s still lumpy. The energy is still strong at 1808, but it’s not surfable.

Monday, August 31, sees the swell bump up to 10 ft from the SSE, but with a short period of 10 seconds and that same onshore wind, it’s just a messy, powerful closeout. That’s expert-only territory if you’re mad enough to try, but the wind kills it. The energy is massive at 1792 in the morning and 2066 in the afternoon, but it’s all for the kite surfers – this is a beach-and-reef setup that’s gonna be an absolute washing machine. The wind stays onshore the whole way through, with the swell hanging around 7 ft to 8 ft and the energy staying strong (1047 to 1959) right into the first week of September.

We get a slight break in the wind strength on Tuesday, September 8, with a gentle breeze of 9 mph from the ESE, but it’s cross-on and the swell drops to 3 ft from the SSW. The period is a long 19 seconds, but it’s marginal at best, and the energy is only 783. The forecast says “marginal surf forecast or questionable tide conditions” – not worth paddling out for.

Now, late in the run, look at Sunday, September 13. The swell is only 5 ft, but it’s coming from the south with a very long period of 21 seconds. That’s a proper groundswell, and the combined energy is huge at 2831. But the wind is still onshore from the SE at 19 mph. For a reef break like Anse Bougainville, a long-period S swell is what you want, but only if the wind cooperates. It doesn’t here. It’s a tease – a beautiful swell that’s gonna be blown out. The afternoon has similar energy at 2506, but the same problem.

Bottom line: there’s no standout session in this 16-day window. The wind is relentless, coming from the onshore directions, and the swell is either too short-period or too blown out. The only glimmer is that September 13 south swell, but the wind is a dealbreaker. Keep an eye on the forecasts – things can change, but right now, it’s a blank run.

Rusty

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