Ilbaritz - Bora Bora Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Let’s be straight with you—this 16-day stretch for the Bora Bora region is a bit of a mixed bag, and honestly, it’s mostly a waiting game. The early days are pretty slim pickings, with only small, weak pulses of swell. You’ll see a lot of mornings with clean, glassy conditions but not much juice behind them. The real story is the swell that rolls in around the 17th and 18th, but even that comes with its own set of problems.

The first real surfable window is Thursday morning, the 6th. Ilbaritz - Bora Bora will see a small 3ft NW swell with an 8-second period. There’s a light cross-offshore breeze, so it’ll be clean, but the energy is weak (126). It’s surfable, but you won’t be getting your hopes up—just a few crumbly little walls. The water temp is about average for this time of year, so no surprises there.

The rest of that first week is pretty quiet. Friday morning, the 7th, has a tiny 2ft NW swell, but with a glassy morning, it might be worth a paddle for a few fun ones, but it’s very weak (56). The winds go cross-onshore in the afternoon, killing it. From Saturday the 8th through to Wednesday the 12th, we’re looking at knee-to-waist-high dribble at best, with periods under 8 seconds. The mornings are glassy but the surf is just too small and weak to get excited about. There will be a few days where the wind is onshore or cross-on, so it’s not worth your time unless you’re desperate for a splash.

Now, here’s where it gets interesting. Sunday the 16th is still small, but Monday the 17th morning finally sees a bit of a pulse. The swell jumps to 5ft from the WNW with a 7-second period. The wind is dead calm and glassy. The energy is moderate (178). This is the first decent-looking session of the whole window. It’s not huge, but it’s head-high and clean. This is your best bet for the first week and a half.

The real standout, though, is Tuesday the 18th. The swell builds to a solid 8ft to 8ft from the WNW, with an 8-9 second period. The energy is strong (893). This is the biggest swell of the period by a long shot. However, it’s going to be a bit of a beast. At over 8ft, this is definitely expert territory, and with the wind coming from the WNW cross-onshore, the conditions are going to be rippled. It’s going to be heavy and a bit messy. For the reef at Ilbaritz, this size with that wind will be challenging. It’s still the most powerful surf we’ll see, but it’s not going to be pretty.

After that, the swell backs down again. Wednesday the 19th has 5ft to 6ft NW swell, but the wind is still troublesome. By Thursday the 20th and Friday the 21st, we’re back to small, weak surf with cross-onshore winds. Don’t get too excited about those final days—it’s back to the dribble.

So, simply put: your best windows are the clean, glassy morning of the 17th with a fun head-high swell, and then the big, powerful, but rough swell on the 18th for experts only. Everything else is pretty average. Keep an eye on the 18th, but be ready for the crowds and the gnarly conditions. For the average punter, the 17th is the one.

Rusty out.

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