Ekas-Outside Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, it’s Rusty. We’ve got a solid run of south-west groundswell on the way, but don’t get too excited just yet – the forecast is ticking all the boxes for clean conditions with a cross-off breeze that’ll keep things tidy, but the models are flagging some tide and quality concerns throughout the whole period. That said, there’s wave energy to play with, and if you pick your sessions right, you’ll find some fun ones.

The first real opportunity kicks off on Thursday the 3rd of September. Ekas-Outside (Lombok) is looking at a 5ft SW swell with a cracking 16-second period – proper groundswell. The combined energy is sitting at 1319 (moderate to strong) and with a steady SE cross-off breeze around 16 mph, the surface should stay clean. Water temp is 80° and the anomaly is just 0.2°, so it’s about average for this time of year. This is a fairly consistent reef break, not too exposed, and it’s a beginner-friendly wave. However, the south swell direction isn’t quite the optimum (which would be SSW), so it won’t be at its absolute best. Crowds are possible here – it’s a known spot and word gets around. Friday the 4th drops slightly to 5ft with a shorter 14-second period and less energy (829), still clean but a notch down in quality.

Now, the standout window starts to build into the weekend and really fires up from Saturday the 5th. That afternoon, Ekas-Outside jumps to 6ft from the SSW at 16 seconds – that’s bang on the optimum direction, and the energy cranks to 1766. It stays solid through Sunday the 6th with 7ft in the morning and 5ft in the afternoon, both with 14-16 second periods and consistent cross-off winds around 12 mph. The combined energy stays well into the four-digit range (2136 and 2055). This is the pick of the first week – clean, decent size, good period, and the right direction. If you can only get in the water one day, make it Saturday the 5th afternoon or Sunday morning.

The second week keeps the swell ticking along but the consistency wavers a bit. Monday the 7th holds at 7ft with 14-second SSW swell, still clean. Tuesday the 8th brings a longer-period pulse – 6ft but with an 18-second period in the afternoon and energy hitting 3391. That’s a lot of grunt. Long-period swells like that can be tricky at reef breaks – they sometimes run a bit too straight – but Ekas-Outside handles it well. Wednesday the 9th sees the biggest size of the whole run: 8ft in the morning, again with 16-second period and 2999 energy. That’s serious wave height – too big for beginners, and even intermediate surfers should be cautious. Thursday the 10th backs off to 7ft, still solid. Friday the 11th continues with 7ft.

By the second weekend, Saturday the 12th has dropped to 6ft and then 5ft with stronger SE wind at 19 mph in the afternoon – still cross-off but getting breezy. Sunday the 13th fades to 4ft, though with a nice 18-second period and energy still at 1532. That’s a long wait between sets but the waves will have shape. Monday the 14th picks up again with 7ft and 17-second period, energy at 3096 – another pulse of strong groundswell. Tuesday the 15th holds at 7ft. Wednesday the 16th backs to 7ft with gentler winds of 9 mph. The last few days drop off into the 5-6ft range with periods settling to 13-14 seconds.

Overall, this is a very clean, long-running SW swell window for Ekas-Outside. There are no other breaks recommended, so all attention is here. The reef handles the size well, the cross-off winds are consistent, and the energy is mostly strong. However, the models keep flagging “marginal surf forecast or questionable tide conditions” which means you’ll need to time the tide right. No absolute standouts that break the mould – it’s a solid 2-3 week run of good, not epic, waves. Best on offer: Saturday the 5th afternoon and Sunday the 6th morning.

Rusty.

Read more