Sanur Reef Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, I’m Rusty. Let’s have a look at what’s shaping up for Sanur Reef (Bali) over the next couple of weeks.

Right off the bat, the water’s sitting at 80°F with a tiny anomaly, so it’s bang on average for this time of year – no surprises there.

The outlook is a bit of a mixed bag. We’ve got a solid pulse of long-period SSW groundswell arriving this Saturday, August 15th, with wave heights around 7ft and a period of 17 seconds. That’s a very long period, which means serious energy – the combined energy reading is 2752, so that’s a strong push. But here’s the catch: the wind is coming from the ESE at 9 mph, putting it cross-on, so the surf will be fairly choppy. The break is a sheltered reef, so it can handle a bit of a breeze, but it won’t be glassy. The quality is marginal, and the tide might play tricks on you. This is definitely advanced territory – 7ft with that power is no joke for beginners.

Through Sunday, August 16th, the swell eases slightly to 7ft, still with a very long 16-second period, but the wind stays cross-on from the same direction. The energy drops a bit to 1936, but it’s still moderate to strong. The quality remains marginal, and the session is likely to be choppy and a bit of a battle.

From Monday, August 17th, things start to fade. The swell drops to 5ft on Monday morning, the period shortens to 14 seconds, and the energy falls to 820 – weak. The wind is still cross-on, and the conditions turn poor. By Tuesday, August 18th, the morning is a write-off with 4ft and 1859 in energy, but wait – Tuesday afternoon sees a spike back to 6ft with a 16-second period and energy at 1878, but it’s still poor and choppy. This pattern continues through the rest of the week: the swell bounces between 4ft and 8ft, driven by a strong 16- to 18-second period from the SSW, but the wind never lets up. It’s always cross-on, mostly from the ESE or SE at 9-12 mph, sometimes hitting 16 mph. The energy values are high – up to 3266 on Wednesday, August 19th – but the conditions are consistently poor or marginal. The break is inconsistent, so you’ll be waiting for sets that never quite come clean.

There’s a notable spike on Thursday, August 20th, with 8ft swell and energy at 3158, but with the wind blowing at 12 mph cross-on, it’s a messy, choppy mess. This is only for experts, and even then, it’s not going to be a classic. The reef can handle the size, but the wind ruins it.

From Saturday, August 22nd, through to the end of the month, the swell gradually backs off. Heights drop to 3ft to 6ft, periods shorten, and energy falls to as low as 459 on Thursday, August 27th. The conditions remain poor, with persistent cross-on winds. The only bright spot comes on Friday, August 28th, when the wind swings to ESE at 9 mph and turns directly offshore for the morning. The swell is 5ft with a 14-second period and energy at 1450 – marginal, but the offshore wind could make it clean. It’s a small window, and the tide might still be an issue.

The standout period in this whole run is actually the very end of the forecast. On Saturday, August 29th, we get a 6ft swell from the SSW with a very long 19-second period, and the wind is from the SE at 9 mph, still cross-on but lighter. The energy is 3015 – strong. Then on Sunday, August 30th, the swell is 6ft from the SW at 17 seconds, with the wind easing to 6 mph from the SSE, almost glassy. The energy is 1932. These are the best bets – long-period groundswell, solid size, and the lightest winds of the entire period. The cross-on wind is still there, but at 6 mph it’s barely a ripple. The reef is sheltered, so it could handle this nicely. The break is inconsistent, so patience is key, but these sessions have the potential to be good.

Overall, there’s a long gap of poor to marginal conditions from August 17th through to the 27th, with only a few fleeting moments. The best on offer is clearly the last weekend of August – the 29th and 30th – with clean-ish conditions, strong energy, and that long-period swell. It’s far out, so don’t book your flights yet, but it’s worth keeping an eye on.

Rusty.

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