Sanur Reef Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s on the cards for the next couple of weeks.

Right off the bat, I gotta be straight with you – it’s a tough stretch ahead. The whole 16-day window is looking pretty grim for a proper paddle. We’ve got a solid foundation of swell, don’t get me wrong, but it’s being absolutely hammered by a relentless cross-onshore wind. That means choppy, lumpy, blown-out conditions that just aren’t worth the effort. The water temp is sitting right around 81°, which is bang on average for this time of year, so no surprises there.

The first solid week, from Wednesday the 22nd of July right through to the end of the month, is a total write-off. Every single session is marked as poor surf conditions. The wind is a constant 12 to 19 mph from the ESE or SE, keeping everything messy. There’s a bit of a pulse showing up on the 26th (Sunday) with some short-period ESE swell around 7 ft, but with a period of just 9 seconds and that fresh cross-onshore, it’s just a messy wall of whitewater. The combined energy is strong (1515), but it’s useless for us.

We then hit a bit of a lull in the first few days of August, with the swell dropping a touch, but the wind doesn’t let up. It’s still cross-on, still choppy. The energy is moderate to strong, but it’s all noise with no quality.

Now, the only glimmer of hope, and I mean the only one, shows up on Tuesday the 4th of August. We’ve got a proper groundswell from the SSW pushing through with a very long period of 18 seconds. The swell height is a solid 8 ft, which is expert territory, and the combined energy is massive at 4918. That’s a lot of power. But – and it’s a big but – the wind is still a cross-onshore from the ESE at 12 mph. The forecast says “marginal,” which is the best we’re going to get.

That long-period groundswell is best suited for a reef setup like Sanur Reef, which is a sheltered reef break that’s inconsistent and only for advanced surfers. The optimum swell direction is from the south, and this swell is SSW, so it’s in the right ballpark. The problem is that with that long-period energy and the cross-onshore wind, it’s going to be tricky and probably a bit bumpy. It’s the only thing even close to worth a look in the whole 16 days, but it’s a gamble. The morning of the 5th is still marginal with a slightly smaller 7 ft swell and a lighter wind, but the wind is still cross-on.

The crowd situation here is “sometimes,” so you might have a few others with the same idea, but given the conditions, it’s not going to be packed.

To be honest, if you’re a kite surfer, this whole forecast is a dream. For the rest of us, it’s a long wait. The setup is just too consistently blown out for a good paddle.

Stay tuned, the forecasts can change.

Rusty.

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