Ilbaritz - Bora Bora Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, surf is gonna be quiet for a while. The next couple of weeks are looking pretty flat and ordinary, so don’t be in a rush. There’s a real dry spell settling in, with a big gap of nothing worth paddling out for. We’re looking at a good stretch of days with barely a ripple, so save your energy. A blank run like this is pretty normal for this break, but it won’t stay this way forever. Forecasts can shift, and we might see a pulse of energy late in the window that could just about wake things up.

The first real chance of anything comes on the morning of Wednesday, August 12th. It’s not much, just a touch of swell at 2ft from the NW with a weak 8 second period, and the glassy conditions are the only thing going for it. The energy is light at 56, so it’s not going to be a world-beater, but at least the surface will be clean. It’s a “surfable but very ordinary” kind of deal, so if you’re desperate, you might get a few grovelly ones.

There’s another similar window on the morning of Thursday, August 20th. Another small pulse, 2ft from WNW, 8 seconds, and again, it’s glassy. The energy is still weak at 71, so expect lumpy, slow waves that'll be a struggle. It’s the kind of day where you're better off just floating around rather than trying to actually surf.

But the one to keep an eye on is Sunday, August 23rd. That’s when the ocean finally wakes up. By the afternoon, we're looking at a solid 8ft of WNW swell, with a much longer 11-second period. This is a proper push of energy coming through, with a strong 1410 on the energy scale. However, the wind will be up, cross-onshore from the NW at 12 mph, which will chop things up and make it tricky. This is for experienced surfers only, and it’ll be testing your limits. It’s promising, but that wind could easily turn it into a bit of a mess. Still, it’s the only real standout in the whole period.

Ilbaritz - Bora Bora (Bora Bora) is a reef break, and when that groundswell hits, it’ll be looking for that west in the swell direction, which is spot on. The water is running much warmer than normal for this time of year, sitting at 76°, that's a couple of degrees above what you'd expect, so you'll be fine in boardshorts.

So, to sum it up, don't hold your breath for the next week and a half. Just a couple of mornings where it's barely surfable. But that Sunday the 23rd has some serious potential, even if the wind might spoil the party. Keep an eye on it.

Rusty.

Read more