Ilbaritz - Bora Bora Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let’s get into it. The surf has been pretty gutless for the last few days, but there’s a bit of a pulse coming through later in the week. Don’t get too excited though, it’s not exactly a clean run of waves.

Right now, it’s not doing much. The start of this run is dead, with tiny, weak surf and onshore winds. You’re looking at a couple of days of flat, blown-out conditions before anything worth paddling out for shows up.

The first real sign of life is Thursday morning, September 10th. Ilbaritz - Bora Bora (French Polynesia) cleans right up with a glassy, light easterly wind and a little 4ft WNW swell rolling in at 10 seconds. The energy is weak (311), but it’ll be the cleanest surf you’ll see so far. Don’t expect much, but if you’re desperate, there might be a fun little bank working. The water is 74°, which is much warmer than normal for this time of year, so you can get away with a thinner suit.

After that, Thursday afternoon and all of Friday are poor. The wind swings onshore and the swell drops right off. It’s a real bummer.

Now, here’s where it gets interesting. Get your eye on Sunday morning, September 13th. The swell kicks up to a solid 5ft+ from the NW, and the period jumps to 13 seconds. This is proper groundswell energy (732), not that short-period chop we’ve been dealing with. The wind is light and glassy from the WNW, and the forecast is saying it’s going to be very good. This is the standout session of the whole period. The reef at Ilbaritz should start to link up nicely with that long-period energy, but remember, a long period swell like this can sometimes be a bit too straight at beach breaks, but on a reef like this, it’s usually better. Crowds are likely to be a factor here, so get in early.

Monday morning, September 14th, is a solid follow-up. Still clean, glassy conditions with a 4ft NW swell at 12 seconds. It’s a bit less energy (478), but still a good option. The mornings are absolutely your friend here; the afternoons keep getting chopped up by cross-onshore breezes.

The middle of next week looks pretty marginal. Tuesday the 15th and Wednesday the 16th are weak and messy, with the wind all over the place. It’s a bit of a lull.

Then we see a little recovery for the following weekend. Saturday the 19th has a small uptick in energy (330) in the afternoon, but it’s a cross-shore wind. Sunday the 20th is the better call. Morning has a clean 4ft NW swell at 10 seconds, with a light offshore easterly. It’s not huge, but it’ll be clean and fun. The energy is moderate (382), so there should be a few to be had.

For the last few days of the window, things are pretty quiet again. The swell fades out to around 2ft, and the winds are flukey. There is a bit of a pulse right at the end, September 23rd, with a long-period (14 sec) WNW swell. But the wind is howling onshore, making it a blown-out mess. It’s a kite-surfing day, not a paddling day.

So, in short: if you’re looking for the best surf, the Sunday the 13th morning is your call. The Monday the 14th morning is also good. The rest is mostly waiting for windows.

Rusty.

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