Surf Forecasts:
Bawa surf forecast from 18 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Wednesday 19 Aug, 7AM (local time) - 8ft (2.5m), 19s period, SSW swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Wednesday 19 Aug, 7PM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 18s period, SSW swell with 5,392 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Wednesday 19 Aug, 7AM (local time) - 8ft (2.5m), 19s period with SSW swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Bawa this week:
The surf forecast for Bawa over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Aug 19) at 7AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 2.5m and 19s period with a secondary swell of 0.6m and 8s. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Bawa in the next 16 days are 3.0m 18s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Aug 19) at 7PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives.
| Wave Type | Time (WIB) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 7AM (Wed 19th Aug) | 8ft (2.5m) 19s |
| Best Surf | 7AM (Wed 19th Aug) | 8ft (2.5m) 19s |
| Most Powerful | 7PM (Wed 19th Aug) | 10ft (3.0m) 18s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Bawa over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, let’s break this down for the lads who think in feet and miles. The whole show is at Bawa, a reef and point break that’s wide open to the SW. It’s a consistent spot, but the swell is solid – 6 to 10 ft for the first few days – so this is for the advanced crew only. Water temp is 86°, which is only about 1° above the usual for this time of year, so nothing to write home about.
We start on Tuesday the 18th, but it’s a bit of a wash with thunderstorm risk and a light SSW breeze. Swell is 7 ft from the SSW with a super long 19-second period – that’s real groundswell. The energy is pumping (3536). But the wind is onshore, so it’s not the best session. The standout is Wednesday morning the 19th – glassy, dead calm, and a clean 8 ft SSW swell at 18 seconds. Energy jumps to 4629, and the report says excellent surf for experienced surfers. That’s the one – clean, powerful, and that reef will love it.
Thursday morning the 20th is another heater for the advanced guys. We’ve got a 10 ft SSW swell, 16-second period, with a moderate offshore breeze from the NNE at 12 mph. That’s clean, big, and well-shaped. Energy is 4096. After that, from Thursday afternoon through the end of the month, it’s a long stretch of average to poor conditions – onshore winds, dropping swell, and marginal quality. Energy drops from the 2000s down to the 500s by the 29th. There’s a small window Wednesday morning the 26th with glassy conditions and 5 ft swell, but it’s weak (791) and not worth the paddle.
The next real opportunity is Tuesday morning the 1st of September. Glassy again, 7 ft SW swell, 16-second period, and energy up at 2441. That’s a solid, clean morning for the experts. Wednesday morning the 2nd also looks glassy with 6 ft SW swell, but the energy is a bit lower (1772). Still, two clean mornings in a row to start September – that’s promising, even if it’s a couple weeks out and the long-range forecast is a bit more cautious.
So, if you’re experienced and can move, Wednesday the 19th and Thursday the 20th are your top picks. The first week of September also has some potential for another clean, powerful stretch.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastHeavy rain (total 31mm), heaviest during Thu morning. Warm (max 28°C on Tue afternoon, min 25°C on Wed night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 6mm), mostly falling on Sat morning. Warm (max 28°C on Fri afternoon, min 27°C on Fri night). Wind will be generally light. | |||||||||||||||||||
Tue 18 | Wednesday 19 | Thursday 20 | Friday 21 | Saturday 22 | Sunday 23 | Monday 24 | ||||||||||||||
PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | |
Swell Height Map |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | |||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 19 | SSW 19 | SSW 18 | SSW 18 | SSW 17 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | SSW 17 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | SSW 17 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 |
Wave Graph  | ||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 3441 | 2812 | 4523 | 5037 | 5209 | 4006 | 3421 | 2447 | 2144 | 1787 | 3202 | 2503 | 2258 | 1690 | 1285 | 1139 | 880 | 2064 | 1652 | 1899 |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | on | on | glassy | cross-on | cross-on | off | on | cross | cross | on | cross-on | cross | on | on | cross-on | on | cross-on | cross-on | on | on |
High Tide | 9:48PM0.67m | 9:29AM0.50m | 10:30PM0.62m | 9:51AM0.41m | 11:26PM0.56m | 10:03AM0.34m | 00:55AM0.53m | 12:10PM0.28m | 2:41AM0.54m | 3:34PM0.30m | 3:50AM0.59m | 4:31PM0.35m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 3:49AM0.22m | 3:27PM0.11m | 4:39AM0.27m | 3:54PM0.14m | 6:06AM0.31m | 4:29PM0.18m | 11:24AM0.28m | 5:37PM0.22m | 11:02AM0.23m | 8:03PM0.23m | 11:16AM0.18m | 9:32PM0.20m | ||||||||
 |  | | | | |  |  |  | |  | | | | | |  | | | | |
 | — | — | 6:30 | — | — | 6:30 | — | — | 6:28 | — | — | 6:28 | — | — | 6:28 | — | — | 6:28 | — | — |
 | 6:37 | — | — | 6:37 | — | — | 6:37 | — | — | 6:37 | — | — | 6:37 | — | — | 6:37 | — | — | 6:37 | — |
mm | 2 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 10 | 5 | — | 2 | — | — | — | 1 | — | 3 | 2 | — | — | — | 2 | 2 |
Temp °C | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 27 | 26 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 28 | 28 | 27 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 27 |
Feels °C | 32 | 32 | 32 | 31 | 30 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 32 | 31 | 31 | 32 | 30 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 30 | 29 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 19 | SSW 19 | SSW 18 | SSW 18 | SSW 17 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | SSW 17 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | SSW 17 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 |
| kJ | 3441 | 2812 | 4523 | 5037 | 5209 | 4006 | 3421 | 2447 | 2144 | 1787 | 3202 | 2503 | 2258 | 1690 | 1285 | 1139 | 880 | 2064 | 1652 | 1899 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WNW 8 | SSW 16 | W 8 | W 9 | W 8 | W 8 | W 7 | W 8 | S 20 | S 19 | WNW 8 | W 8 | WNW 9 | WNW 8 | S 21 | S 19 | SSW 18 | WNW 8 | SSW 20 | WNW 8 |
| kJ | 48 | 1361 | 29 | 55 | 49 | 29 | 40 | 68 | 284 | 904 | 41 | 37 | 45 | 38 | 332 | 767 | 670 | 35 | 216 | 24 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WSW 22 | WNW 8 | WSW 20 | WSW 20 | — | WSW 18 | WNW 10 | WSW 17 | WNW 8 | WNW 9 | WSW 16 | W 15 | S 26 | SSW 24 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | W 14 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 |
| kJ | 47 | 49 | 77 | 75 | — | 61 | 18 | 58 | 47 | 46 | 25 | 5 | 13 | 108 | 36 | 40 | 37 | 4 | 35 | 24 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 15 | 15 | 0 | 138 | 50 | 0 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 138 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Nias | ||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in Indonesia | ||||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | ||||||||||||||||||||
- Map Icons:
Break
Live Wave Height (m)
Live Wind Speed (km/h)
Surf Rating (10 Max)
Ocean Swells (m)- Wind Speed (km/h)
FREE! Surf-Forecast.com widget for your website
The surf report / weather widget below is available to embed on third party websites free of charge and provides a summary of our Bawa surf forecast. Simply grab the html code snippet that we provide and paste it into your own site. You can choose your preferred language and metric/imperial units for the surf forecast feed to suit users of your site. Click here to get the code.
Information about the Bawa Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Bawa provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Bawa can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Bawa surf forecast is unique since it includes wave energy (power) that defines the real feel of the surf rather than just the height or the period. If you surf the same spot (Bawa) regularly then make a mental note of the wave energy from the surf forecast table each time you go. Very soon you may start to choose your surf days based on the wave energy alone combined with our forecast of favourable offshore wind conditions. Our star ratings will help here and of course you will also find the usual wave height and period predictions on our surf forecasts as well as a full break down of the swell components under our advanced users option (to reveal that, click the little Einstein character under the tide times).
Further information to help with frequently asked questions about our surf forecast for Bawa may be found under the help tab on the top menu and also by moving your mouse over the question marks on the surf forecast table itself. Please always bear in mind that the forecast is for near-shore open water and local factors at each surf break influence the actual breaking wave height, such as the beach / reef profile, water depths offshore and shelter.
Are you planning a holiday in Nias? If you are looking for accommodation near Bawa, camping, hotels and holiday cottages in Nias, consider staying in Afia which is 67 km (42 miles) away.
Nearest