Anse Bougainville Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s take a good look at what’s on the table for Anse Bougainville over the next couple of weeks.

To be straight with you, this stretch is looking pretty rough. We’ve got a solid 16-day outlook, but there’s nothing here that’s going to get the blood pumping for a paddle session. The whole period is dominated by poor surf conditions, and the wind is a major culprit. It’s blowing onshore, from the SSE and SE, pretty much all the time, with speeds mostly between 12 mph and 22 mph. That’s a fresh breeze that’s going to chop things up and keep the surface messy. There’s no window of clean, glassy conditions, and no offshore wind in sight.

Looking at the first few days, starting from Saturday the 5th of September, we’ve got swell heights around 5 ft to 6 ft from the SSE, with periods of 9 to 10 seconds. The combined swell energy sits between 777 and 895, which is moderate, but with that onshore wind, it’s just a jumbled mess. It’s all marked as poor surf, and the scores reflect that – it’s a no-go for surfing.

Through the week and into the second week, the pattern doesn’t let up. The swell direction slowly shifts from SSE to SE and then to S, with a few interesting pulses. On Wednesday the 9th of September, the period jumps to 16 seconds, and the combined energy hits 901 and then 1115 – that’s a moderate groundswell with lots of energy. But, the wind is still SE at 19 mph, onshore, so it’s a waste. That sort of long-period swell, over 15 seconds, might find a better line on a reef, but with this wind, it’s not going to shape up.

By the middle of the second week, on the 15th, we see swell climbing to 7 ft from the SE, but the period drops to 8 seconds. That’s short-period, wind-driven stuff. The combined energy is around 619 to 755 – still moderate. But again, the wind is onshore, and the surf conditions are poor.

The biggest swell hits right at the end of the outlook. On Friday the 18th and Saturday the 19th of September, we get 10 ft from the SSE with a period of 11 seconds, and combined energy around 1765 to 1838. That’s a strong wave energy event. But 10 ft is big – that’s expert territory. And the wind is still SE at 16 mph to 19 mph, onshore or cross-onshore. The wave state on the Saturday afternoon even calls it “fresh cross-onshore and lumpy.” That’s not a surf session; that’s a washing machine.

To be honest, with all this onshore wind and poor quality, and Anse Bougainville being a reef break, this setup looks like it’s more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing. There’s just no moment in the forecast where the stars align for a clean wave. It’s a long, frustrating gap of poor conditions that runs the entire 16 days. Nothing to get excited about.

Rusty out.

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