Keramas Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, this is Rusty, and I’m lookin’ straight at Bali for the next couple weeks.

Alright folks, we gotta talk about Keramas. The finder’s told me we’re in for a long stretch of waves, but the conditions are gonna keep us on our toes. The water’s sitting at 81.3°F which is about normal for this time of year.

Right out of the gate, from Friday the 31st of July through the first week of August, there’s swell on the cards, but it’s a frustrating one. You’ve got solid SSW groundswell coming in, with periods hanging around 15 to 18 seconds – that’s proper long-period energy that usually loves a reef like Keramas. But the wind is a real pain. It’s coming mostly from the SE and SSE, which puts it cross-onshore to onshore. The wave state notes are calling it "fairly choppy" and the combined energy for those first few days sits around 1200 to 1600 – that’s moderate energy – but the chop will be messin’ with the lines. Crowds are "sometimes" here, which isn't a shock, but with the wind being onshore, the place won't be at its best.

The spread from the 31st through the 5th of August is a slow burn. Swell height sits around 4ft to 6ft. It’s surfable, but the wind is killin’ the quality. It’s hard to get excited about it.

Now, hold onto your boardies, because around the 6th of August the swell starts to pump up. We’re seeing chest to head-high waves at 7ft, and the combined energy jumps right up into the strong territory. That trend keeps building. The 7th and 8th of August continue that with 7.5ft to 7ft swell. But here’s the rub: the wind is still stubborn from the SE at 15 km/h, so it’s still cross-onshore or onshore. It’s gonna be lumpy. The local knowledge will tell ya to look for the tide, but the wind is the story.

The real standout, the one you gotta circle on your calendar, is Thursday the 13th of August. That afternoon session, the swell jumps to 11.5ft from the SSW, with a period of 18 seconds. The combined energy hits 6475 – that is very strong, serious energy. It’s also 10ft all morning. The wind finally shifts around to a light SSW breeze at 10 km/h. That’s almost a light cross-onshore, but with a touch of offshore angle, giving us "light cross-onshore with small wind ripples." This is your window. For experienced surfers, that’s a session. For anyone else, that’s too solid. It’s a reef break, so that long period groundswell will be throwing out some heavy barrels.

Looking further out, the 14th and 15th of August are still pumping with 10ft and 8ft swell, but the wind goes back to being more direct cross-onshore from the SSW. The energy is still strong, but that wind will mean less perfection than on the 13th.

The short version: This whole 16-day window is a building swell followed by a big pulse. Most of it is compromised by onshore wind. The one true standout is the afternoon of Thursday the 13th of August when the biggest swell meets the best wind. If you’re an experienced surfer, that’s the score.

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