Ikei Island Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s take a look at what’s coming up for Ikei Island. The first week has a real flash in the pan, but after that, it’s a long stretch of ugly weather and blown-out conditions. We’ve got a solid window of clean, glassy surf early on, but you’ll want to be on it straight away because it gets grim fast.

Things kick off on Monday the 6th of July with small, clean waves. The morning sees a small 1ft swell from the ESE with a 17-second period, giving it that long, slow groundswell push. The water is a warm 83°, which is about average for this time of year. The wind is a light cross-off, so it’s surfable but a bit ordinary. By Monday afternoon, the swell picks up to 2ft from the same direction, wind goes offshore, and the energy jumps to a moderate 225. It’s an improvement. Tuesday the 7th is where it’s at. The morning is absolutely glassy with a 4ft ESE swell, a period of 13 seconds, and the energy is already building to 663. That’s a solid, clean setup. Tuesday afternoon is the real standout. The swell bumps to 5ft from the ESE, still a very long 16-second period, and the energy surges to 1104. The wind is glassy, and conditions are excellent for experienced surfers. The water temp is still that warm 83°. This is the best window of the whole 16-day outlook.

Now, Wednesday the 8th of July is where it goes sideways. The swell is a massive 10ft in the morning and 12ft in the afternoon from the ESE, with a very long 18-second period. The energy is astronomical – 5163 in the morning, 6786 in the afternoon. That’s a lot of power. But the wind swings onshore, and it’s a cross-on mess. The wave comment says marginal at best, and by the afternoon, it’s just poor surf. This is only for experts, and even then, the wind is going to ruin it.

From Thursday the 9th of July all the way through to Tuesday the 22nd of July, it’s a long, bleak run. We’re talking about a gap of nearly two weeks with no decent surf. The swell gets too big, then drops off, but the wind is relentless from the east and southeast, often at gale force. There are periods of risk of thunderstorms and near gale winds, creating a complete mess. The energy levels are either huge or zero, and the wind is always cross-onshore or onshore. There’s a brief flicker on Thursday the 16th of July with a 5ft E swell, but the wind is still cross-onshore, making it marginal at best. Don’t get your hopes up for that.

For the best session, you’ve got to be in the water on Tuesday afternoon the 7th of July at Ikei Island. That 5ft, 16-second groundswell from the ESE, with glassy conditions, is a proper treat. The water is a warm 83°, average for the season. Just be aware that with such a long period, the sets will have long gaps between them, and the paddle out might be easier, but the waves could be a bit straight at the beach. Still, that’s your best bet.

The rest of the run is a write-off, honestly. This setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing. Keep an eye on the forecasts, but for now, I’d say get your fill on Tuesday, because it’s a long dry spell after that.

Rusty.

Read more