Cimaja surf forecast
Cimaja Point is a south-facing reef break, and in our modelled year it had fair-or-better surf on most days in every month. The wave is a right-hander that runs over rocks and boulders on the edge of Pelabuhanratu Bay in West Java.
Cimaja surf report: hour by hour
The table shows our hourly forecast for Cimaja Point, with swell size, wind and tide for each hour of the day. The break faces south and takes swell from the south to the west.
Updated 14:58next run 19:40Open-Meteo wave and wind models
05:00–06:00 · glassy
Today 3 Nov
Go 10-12, clean head-high, glassy.
Best window: 10:00–12:00
Tide and daylight
- High
- 00:04
- Low
- 07:30
- High
- 14:06
- Low
- 19:30
- Sunrise
- 05:26
- Sunset
- 17:48
Every hour, 05–21
Tomorrow 4 Nov
Go 05-06, clean head-high, glassy.
Kiwi's best shot: 05:00–06:00
Tide and daylight
- High
- 01:30
- Low
- 08:29
- High
- 15:30
- Low
- 21:42
- Sunrise
- 05:26
- Sunset
- 17:48
Every hour, 05–21
Thursday 5 Nov
Go 05-07, clean head-high, offshore NNE.
Best window: 05:00–07:00
Tide and daylight
- High
- 03:18
- Low
- 09:38
- High
- 16:16
- Low
- 22:55
- Sunrise
- 05:26
- Sunset
- 17:48
Every 3 hours
Friday 6 Nov
Go 05-09, clean head-high, glassy.
Best window: 05:00–09:00
Tide and daylight
- High
- 04:38
- Low
- 10:23
- High
- 17:03
- Low
- 23:54
- Sunrise
- 05:26
- Sunset
- 17:49
Every 3 hours
Forecast point: Cimaja (-6.990, 106.470). Waves = estimated breaking height at the beach. Data: Open-Meteo wave and weather models (CC BY 4.0). Generated using E.U. Copernicus Marine Service Information. Surf at your own risk.
Watch the wind column first. Our offshore direction here is from the north. Onshore wind usually arrives around 11am and eases again by late afternoon, so the early and late hours are often the clean ones.
The breaks at and around Cimaja
Cimaja sits inside Pelabuhanratu Bay, where several reef and sand spots lie within a few kilometres of each other. The main wave is the right-hand point, and the beach in front of it is so rocky that people call it the beach without sand. If the point is crowded or not working, there are other options a short ride away.
Cimaja Point
Reef breakIntermediate+This is a right-hander that breaks over a shelf of rocks and boulders. Rides run about 50 to 150 metres. One guide talks about bowls, walls and the odd barrel. Another says the wave is powerful but rarely barrels.
It works from about waist high up to triple overhead. A shortboard suits the smaller days, and a step-up helps as it grows. Sources: yeeew.com · mondo.surf
Indicators
Reef breakMid–high tideIndicators is a coral reef break about 1 km from Cimaja. It works best on medium to high tide. Sources: surf-forecast.com · mondo.surf
Karang Haji
Right-handerExperienced surfersKarang Haji is a right-hander roughly 4.7 km away, with rides of around 200 metres. The bottom is coral reef and sand, and it likes a medium tide. Sources: yeeew.com · mondo.surf
Cikembang
Right-handerExperienced surfersCikembang is a right-hand wave about 7.8 km from Cimaja, with rides of around 200 metres. Sources: yeeew.com
Sunset
Sand bottomMid–high tideSunset is a nearby spot with a sand bottom that works on medium to high tide. Sunset Beach is also listed as one of the popular surf beaches around Palabuhanratu. Sources: mondo.surf · en.wikipedia.org
Loji
Left-handerExperienced surfersLoji is a left-hander about 10 km away, with rides of up to around 300 metres. Sources: yeeew.com
What Cimaja needs to fire
These are the exact rules behind Kiwi's rating for this spot. Every hour of the forecast is scored on all four, then turned into a rating of 1 to 5 stars.
Swell
South to west swell
Cimaja Point faces south and picks up swell from the south through to the west. A south-southwest swell falls well inside that window.
Wind
Northerly wind cleans it
Our offshore wind for this break comes from the north.
Tide
Mid tide is best
We rate mid tide as the best stage here. The reef is shallow cobblestone.
Size
1.2 to 2.5 metres
The wave is at its best between 1.2 and 2.5 m. Under 0.8 m it is usually too small, and above 4 m it is too big.
Shortcut: look for a 1.2–2.5 m swell from the south to west, a northerly wind and mid tide.
The best months to surf Cimaja
We replayed Kiwi's rating on every day of the last year and counted how often Cimaja's best window reached 4 or 5 stars.
Apr–JunPeak months
April was our best month, with good surf on 90% of days and fair-or-better surf on every day. May and June stayed strong at about 80–84% good days. This is the start of the dry season, which local guides call the main surf season.
Jul–SepBigger, but wind can spoil it
August had the biggest typical size, about 2.4 m, but good days fell to 45%. In the dry season the southeast trade winds can blow the break out early, so mornings are the time to go.
Oct–DecStill very reliable
Good surf showed up on about 74–80% of days, with typical sizes around 1.8–2 m. Heavy rain is common from October in this area.
Jan–MarMixed start, then good again
January was our weakest month, with good surf on only 32% of days. February and March came back to about 71–79% good days.
Before you go
Hazards
The reef is shallow cobblestone, and there are sea urchins on it. At low tide the rocks get slippery and can have barnacles on them, so take care getting in and out.
One guide also warns about pollution here. Some parts of the Pelabuhanratu shore are too dangerous for swimming because of the big waves. Sources: mondo.surf · surf-forecast.com · en.wikipedia.org
Getting there
Cimaja is about 160 km from Jakarta by road. The drive can take 2.5 to 6 hours depending on traffic. Bad jams can stretch the trip to Pelabuhanratu to as long as 12 hours.
Expect a rough road with potholes on the way down. The closest passenger airport is Pondok Cabe (PCB), about 76 km away in a straight line. Sources: mondo.surf · en.wikipedia.org · surf-forecast.com
Local access and where to stay
The break is by the village of Cisolok, about 15 minutes from Pelabuhanratu town. A motorbike taxi (ojek) costs about a dollar. A couple of hotels sit right next to the wave. Sources: mondo.surf
Crowds and etiquette
When it is working, Cimaja can get crowded, and it draws regular-footers from all over. Our own notes flag a local crowd.
Locals tend to paddle out and take the sets from about 7:30am, so go earlier if you want a quieter session. Sources: surf-forecast.com · yeeew.com · mondo.surf
Water temperature and wetsuit
The water is warm all year, from about 26.5°C in September up to 30°C in May. Boardshorts or a bikini are enough all year. Sources: yeeew.com
Best time of day
Onshore wind usually starts around 11am and eases off again by late afternoon. Early mornings and late afternoons are the windows to aim for. Sources: mondo.surf
Local customs
Many people on Java's south coast believe the sea is the home of Nyai Loro Kidul, the Queen of the Southern Sea. On some of these beaches, people are warned not to wear green. Sources: en.wikipedia.org · en.wikipedia.org
Where the numbers come from
The method
Kiwi takes Open-Meteo's wave and wind models (ECMWF WAM, Météo-France, NOAA GFS and Open-Meteo's best-match blend) at a point about 5 km off Cimaja. There is no buoy correction here yet: these are the models as they come.
Each hour is scored on the four rules above (swell, wind, tide, size). The stars are calibrated on a full year of data for Indonesia, so 4 stars at Cimaja is a genuinely good day by that country's standard.
What we can say
The season chart and the stars use the same rules, replayed on the archive: a month marked good was good by these rules, not by a surf report.
Without a buoy nearby, the size at the beach is our model's estimate, not a measurement.
Cimaja surf questions
Is Cimaja good for beginners?
Not really, because we rate it intermediate and up, with a shallow rocky reef and urchins. One guide calls it fine for all levels, but another says it is not an easy wave and suits intermediate and advanced surfers.
When is the best time to surf Cimaja?
April to June were the strongest months in our data, with April giving good surf on 90% of days. Local guides also point to the dry season, roughly April or May to October.
How cold is the water in Cimaja in December?
It is not cold at all: December water is about 29.4°C. Boardshorts or a bikini are enough year-round.
What tide is best at Cimaja?
We rate mid tide as the best stage. One guide prefers mid to high, and another says all tides work. Take extra care on the rocks at low tide.
Is Cimaja crowded?
It can be busy when the waves are good. Locals take the sets from about 7:30am, so an early paddle-out helps.
How do I get to Cimaja from Jakarta?
It is about 160 km by road, which takes 2.5 to 6 hours depending on traffic. From Pelabuhanratu it is about 15 minutes, and an ojek costs around a dollar.
Check the Cimaja surf report before you go
Open the hourly table to find the next morning with a south-to-west swell, a northerly wind and mid tide at Cimaja Point.