Ikei Island Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s break down what’s happening over at Ikei Island.

For the most part, the next couple of weeks are looking a bit flat. We’re looking at a long stretch of tiny, weak waves. The swell energy is barely registering, with readings like 18, 17, 26... real weak stuff. The water’s sitting at 81°, which is a bit colder than usual for this time of year – about 3° off the average – but it’s nothing outrageous.

From Thursday the 16th of July right through to Sunday the 26th of July, it’s pretty much a flat spell. The swell barely gets above 2ft, the period is short, under 10 seconds, and the winds are blowing onshore and cross-off. It’s all poor surf conditions, nothing worth paddling out for. There’s a little glassy window on Tuesday the 21st of July morning and afternoon, with 1ft swell from the ENE, but the energy is still only 28, so it’s a real knee-slapper. Not calling that a session.

Now, things *could* get interesting around Monday the 27th of July. A proper pulse of energy shows up – we’re talking 5ft from the ESE on the morning, pumping up to 7ft from the E by the afternoon, with a 12-second period. The combined energy jumps to 536, then 1500 – that’s moderate to strong energy. But the wind is a moderate cross-onshore, making it choppy. The wave comment still says “poor surf conditions,” so it’s not a green light. This is for experienced surfers only if the wind lays down.

The real standout, and I mean the *only* standout in this whole outlook, is Tuesday the 28th of July. It’s a huge groundswell. Morning sees 23ft from the E at a very long 14-second period, with energy at 19,067. By the afternoon it’s firing at 28ft from the E, same 14-second period, and the energy is a massive 52,764. That is an absolute monster. But – and this is a big but – the comment says it’s too big for this break. That deep-water long-period groundswell will be breaking too straight and just closing out the reef with raw, unruly power. Only absolute experts, if anyone, might find a wave, and the cross-onshore wind (16 mph) won’t help. After that, Wednesday the 29th drops back to 0.7ft, and the rest of the period is tiny and blown out again.

So, to sum it up: the next week and a half are flat, then there’s a big, messy pulse on the 27th that’s not great, and a truly enormous, dangerous swell on the 28th that’s beyond what this spot can handle. There’s nothing here for a good, clean surf session.

– Rusty

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