Ilbaritz - Bora Bora Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let's talk about the surf.

First thing – the water is weirdly warm. It's about 77°F, which is a solid 7°F warmer than usual for this time of year. That's very unusual.

Now, the waves. It's a tough stretch. The first week is almost a write-off. Monday the 20th has a tiny 3ft swell from the NNW, but the morning is glassy, which is nice. The combined energy is weak (70). The afternoon gets messy. Tuesday the 21st picks up to 3ft, but it's onshore and choppy. Wednesday the 22nd has a clean morning with a cross-off wind, but it's still only 3ft and weak (51 energy). It's surfable, but very ordinary.

Thursday the 23rd and Friday the 24th are the same story – tiny, weak, and mostly blown out. Saturday the 25th and Sunday the 26th see a jump in size, with 6ft to 8ft from the WNW, but the wind is howling onshore at 19-22 mph and the energy climbs to moderate (337-661). The conditions are poor, and with that much wind, this setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing. Monday the 27th still has 6ft, but it's cross-on and messy.

There's a little window on Tuesday the 28th morning with a clean 4ft from the NW and 9-second period, which is a better quality swell. The energy is moderate (208), but it's only a marginal call. Wednesday the 29th and Thursday the 30th mornings have glassy conditions with 3ft-3ft NW swell (9-second period), giving you clean, small waves. The energy is weak-to-moderate (126-166). These are the best of a bad bunch. Friday the 31st has onshore wind again.

The second week stays small. Saturday the 1st of August and Sunday the 2nd have 2ft-3ft on offer. Sunday morning actually has a light offshore wind from the ENE and clean conditions, with 3ft NW swell at 8 seconds. The energy is weak (104), but it's the cleanest you'll see. After that, Monday the 3rd and Tuesday the 4th are back to tiny, onshore junk.

So, if you're desperate, the standout in this whole 16-day window is the Thursday morning, the 30th of July at Ilbaritz - Bora Bora. It's 3ft from the NW with a 9-second period, glassy conditions, and the combined energy is 166. It's not big, but it'll be the cleanest and most fun you'll have. The crowd factor is listed as "often", so expect plenty of company. For a second option, the Sunday morning, the 2nd of August is also clean with a light offshore, but it's smaller (3ft) and the swell period is a bit shorter (8 seconds). It's a long way out, so don't get your hopes up too high.

Rusty.

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