Anse Bougainville Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s be honest, this outlook is a tough one. We’re looking at a solid 16-day window, but the surf gods aren’t exactly smiling on the region. The first proper swell we can talk about is for Anse Bougainville, and that’s a bit of a saga.

The whole period is dominated by persistent onshore winds, mostly from the SSE and SE, which keeps the ocean looking lumpy and messy. The water is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year, sitting at 80°.

We’ve got a run of days here from July 18th right through to the end of July where the message is pretty much the same: poor surf conditions. The wind is constantly on it, and the swell is coming from the wrong angle for this reef break. The swell energy is moderate, with an average wave height of 5 ft, but it’s all for nothing with that wind.

Now, things get a little interesting around July 28th. The morning still has that messy onshore wind and a 7 ft SE swell, but the energy is ramping up. Then, on July 28th afternoon, the swell direction swings to the SSW with a period of 21 seconds. That’s a very long period groundswell, and the energy jumps. This pattern continues through July 29th and 30th, with massive energy readings. The swell is coming from the S and SSE, with periods of 16 to 18 seconds. This is genuinely strong, powerful energy, but the problem is that the wind is still on it. The best setup for this region would be a SE swell with offshore NW winds, but we’re getting the opposite. The waves will be there, but they’ll be blown out, choppy, and hard to ride. This is a kite surfer’s dream, not a paddle surfer’s. For the experts, on July 30th afternoon, the swell jumps to 8 ft, which is definitely expert territory, but the wind is still straight onshore. It’s a frustrating tease.

The last couple of days, August 1st and 2nd, settle back into a 5 ft to 7 ft SE swell with the same old onshore wind. It’s the same story.

So, to be straight with you, there are no standout, clean days in this 16-day window. The only real ‘highlight’ is the massive energy that rolls in from July 28th to 30th, but it’s completely wasted by the wind. If you’re desperate, you might find a close-out or a blown-out wave, but don’t expect anything good. This is a blank run, plain and simple.

Rusty.

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