Anse Bougainville Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let's have a look at what's on the cards for our local stretch.

To be straight with you, this outlook is a tough one. We're looking at a 16-day window, but honestly, for most of it, you’d be better off staying on dry land. The setup at Anse Bougainville is a reef break, consistent, and it likes swell from the SE, but the wind gods are not playing ball. For the first two weeks, we’ve got onshore wind almost solidly, which is just going to trash the surface. It’s a classic case of plenty of swell energy, but no quality.

For the first week, from Saturday the 5th right through, it’s a write-off. The swell is there, between 4 ft and 6 ft, with moderate combined energy (values like 645 and 870), but that onshore wind from the SSE and SE, blowing at 12 to 19 mph, is turning it into a messy, blown-out affair. You'll see "risk tstorm" in the mix too, which is no fun. The water is a warm 81°F, which is about normal for this time of year, but that’s the only nice thing I can say.

Into the second week, things don't change much. We get some bigger pulses, with swell heights pushing 7 ft to 8 ft from the SE, and a few of those swells have a long period (15 to 17 seconds) which usually means groundswell and good shape potential. But again, every single session is marked with "poor surf conditions." The wind stays stiff and onshore, mostly from the SE at 16 to 22 mph, so it's still a windy mess. The combined energy gets strong, hitting 2680 on Thursday the 10th and 1556 on Saturday the 19th, but that power is completely wasted by the wind.

The only glimmer of something different is on the afternoon of Saturday, September 19th. The wind drops a bit to a moderate breeze from the ESE at 12 mph, and we get a 7 ft SE swell with a combined energy of 1556. The comment for that afternoon is "marginal surf forecast." This is the one session in the whole 16 days that isn't a total loss, but it's still onshore. It's a 1 out of 10, and that's the best we've got. The swell direction (SE) matches the break's optimum, but that onshore wind is a killer.

So, there you have it. A long, bleak outlook. The swell is there, but the wind just won't give us a break. If you're an expert, maybe that Saturday the 19th afternoon is worth a look, but keep expectations low.

Rusty.

Read more