Padang Padang Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. We’ve only got one spot on the radar for this forecast: Padang Padang. It’s an inconsistent reef break that needs a specific swell direction to fire, so don’t expect a non-stop show. The good news is the water temp is sitting at 27°, which is bang on average for this time of year—no surprises there.

The first real push comes in on Wednesday, 15 July. Morning sees a solid 7ft SSW swell rolling in with a long 16-second period, packing a heap of energy (2084). The wind is cross-off from the east at 12 mph, so it’ll be clean but not glassy. This is a proper groundswell—long period like that loves a reef, so Padang Padang should be offering up some thick, hollow lefts. The crowd can be a problem here though, so expect a few bodies out. This is the standout window of the whole run, with the swell holding into the afternoon at 6ft.

Thursday, 16 July, sees the swell dip a touch to 5ft in the morning, but the wind swings offshore from the ESE at 16 mph, giving us clean, lined-up waves. The energy is still moderate (1135). This is a solid option if you missed Wednesday.

Friday, 17 July, through Sunday, 19 July, the swell drops into the 4ft to 5ft range. The wind stays offshore or cross-off, but the energy drops off a bit. It’s still surfable for the crew who know the reef, but not the highlight.

Then Monday, 20 July, brings a bump back up—7ft to 7ft SSW swell with a long 16 to 17-second period and a big jump in energy (2640). That’s a lot of water moving. The wind is offshore, so the waves will be clean, but at this size, it’s strictly for the experienced crew. Over 8ft and it’s expert-only, so this is pushing that limit.

Tuesday, 21 July, to Wednesday, 22 July, the swell settles back to 4ft to 6ft, wind stays offshore, and the conditions are solid. Wednesday morning even gets a “very good” wave comment, which is rare in this outlook.

From Thursday, 23 July, onwards, the swell gets smaller and more inconsistent. There’s a notable shift around 27 July when the swell direction turns to SE and the period drops to 8 seconds—short-period wind swell. That’s not ideal for a reef like Padang Padang, and the energy is weak (591). By 28 July, the swell bumps up to 7ft, but it’s still short-period and the wind is cross-off, so it’s a messy, lumpy setup. The outlook for the last week is pretty ordinary—there’s a gap of several days with no real recommendations, just marginal surf.

If you’re looking to paddle, aim for the 15th and 20th of July. The size and the long-period groundswell with offshore winds are your best bets. For the rest, it’s a waiting game.

Rusty.

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