Nusa Dua surf forecast
Nusa Dua is a reef break off the resort coast of southern Bali, facing south-east and reached by a long paddle or a boat. It is at its best from November to March, and a west wind blows offshore here.
Nusa Dua surf report, hour by hour
The table shows swell, wind and tide for the Nusa Dua reef through each day. It is set for a south-east facing reef that likes mid-high tide and a west wind.
Updated 15:58next run 20:40Open-Meteo wave and wind models
06:00–10:00 · glassy
Today 3 Nov
Marginal 06-10: wrong tide, head-high, glassy.
Best window: 06:00–10:00
Tide and daylight
- High
- 02:30
- Low
- 09:50
- High
- 16:50
- Low
- 22:30
- Sunrise
- 05:49
- Sunset
- 18:15
Every hour, 05–21
Tomorrow 4 Nov
Skip: the wind spoils it, head-high, cross-onshore SE.
Tide and daylight
- High
- 04:30
- Low
- 11:23
- High
- 18:13
- Sunrise
- 05:49
- Sunset
- 18:15
Every hour, 05–21
Thursday 5 Nov
Marginal 06-10: average, head-high, cross-onshore NE.
Best window: 06:00–10:00
Tide and daylight
- Low
- 00:36
- High
- 06:24
- Low
- 12:34
- High
- 19:03
- Sunrise
- 05:49
- Sunset
- 18:16
Every 3 hours
Friday 6 Nov
Worth it 06-10, clean head-high, glassy.
Kiwi's best shot: 06:00–10:00
Tide and daylight
- Low
- 01:34
- High
- 07:34
- Low
- 13:22
- High
- 19:43
- Sunrise
- 05:49
- Sunset
- 18:16
Every 3 hours
Forecast point: Nusa Dua (-8.807, 115.234). 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 arrow first. Nusa Dua is offshore when the wind comes from the west, so look for hours with west wind and a mid to high tide.
The break and what's around it
Nusa Dua sits in the south of Bali, a gated resort area about 22 km from Denpasar. The surf is out on a shallow reef, and there are strong currents and a long way to go to reach it. Close by are a cliff blowhole, a calm swimming beach and the Tanjung Benoa peninsula.
Nusa Dua reef
Reef breakIntermediate+The main break is a reef that faces south-east and picks up swell from the east round to the south-west. It handles a good range of size, with the best waves between about 1.5 and 3 m.
Plan for a long paddle or a boat ride out, and treat the shallow reef and strong currents with respect.
Water Blow
LookoutNot for surfingInside the ITDC area, Indian Ocean swell slams into sharp limestone cliffs and a narrow crag sends surges of water shooting skyward. It only happens at high tide.
There are guardrails, a wide lookout and a small fee to get in. Sources: en.wikipedia.org
Geger Beach
Calm waterSwimmingGeger Beach lies in Sawangan, around 3 km from the south of Nusa Dua. Its sea is calm enough for seaweed farming and for swimming. Sources: en.wikipedia.org
Tanjung Benoa
PeninsulaCheaper staysRight north of the Nusa Dua enclave is the Tanjung Benoa peninsula, home to the old Balinese village of Benoa. Hotels there tend to cost less than in Nusa Dua.
Much of its beach sand was lost after the nearby barrier reef was mined for building material. Sources: en.wikipedia.org
Nusa Lembongan
Island breaksBoat tripAcross the Badung Strait, Nusa Lembongan is known for world-class surf, including Shipwrecks, Lacerations and Playgrounds.
Speedboats run there from Sanur during the day, and the crossing takes about 30 minutes. Sources: en.wikipedia.org
What Nusa Dua 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
East to south-west swell
The reef faces south-east and takes swell from the east round to the south-west.
Wind
West wind is offshore
A wind from the west blows offshore here.
Tide
Mid to high tide
Surf it from mid to high tide.
Size
Best at 1.5–3 m
Below about 0.8 m it is too small, and above about 4.5 m it is too big. The sweet spot is 1.5 to 3 m.
Shortcut: look for 1.5–3 m swell from between east and south-west, a west wind and a mid to high tide.
The best months to surf Nusa Dua
We replayed Kiwi's rating on every day of the last year and counted how often Nusa Dua's best window reached 4 or 5 stars.
Nov–MarPrime time
This is the best stretch, with good-or-better days on 45% to 71% of days and December the strongest at 71%. Last December, 84% of days rated good or better and 42% rated very good.
Apr–MayTapering off
Good days drop to roughly one in six or seven, at 17% in April and 13% in May.
Jun–SepSwell, but rarely good
Average wave height is among the highest of the year, around 2.3 to 2.7 m, yet good days are rare at 0% to 7%. Conditions here usually don't line up for this reef.
OctTurning back on
Good days return on about 18% of days, ahead of a strong November at 63%.
Before you go
Hazards
The reef is shallow and the currents are strong, so this is not a place to learn.
Getting out means a long paddle or a boat, so save some energy for the trip back.
Getting there
Nusa Dua is in the south of Bali, about 22 km from Denpasar.
Benoa Port, just north on Tanjung Benoa, is a turnaround port for cruise ships. Sources: en.wikipedia.org
Access to the resort area
The core ITDC Nusa Dua area is gated, with security checkpoints and an entry fee for visitors. Sources: en.wikipedia.org
Water temperature and wetsuit
The sea is warm all year, from about 26.4°C in September to 29.9°C in December.
From July to September the water dips to around 26–27°C.
Tide timing
Aim for mid to high tide. The Water Blow nearby also only performs at high tide. Sources: en.wikipedia.org
Look after the reef
Nusa Dua is one of five Bali sites in a large coral restoration project, with work in the south of Nusa Dua finished in 2021. Sources: 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 Nusa Dua. 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 Nusa Dua 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.
Nusa Dua surf questions
Is Nusa Dua good for beginners?
Not really. It is a shallow reef with strong currents and a long paddle, best for intermediate surfers and up.
When is the best time to surf Nusa Dua?
November to March is the best stretch, and December is the peak with good surf on about 71% of days. June to September rarely lines up, even though the swell is often bigger.
How cold is the water in Nusa Dua in December?
It is very warm, around 29.9°C in December.
What wind and tide work best at Nusa Dua?
A west wind is offshore, and the reef is best from mid to high tide.
What size swell does Nusa Dua need?
It starts to work above about 0.8 m and is at its best between 1.5 and 3 m. Above about 4.5 m it gets too big.
Do I have to pay to enter Nusa Dua?
The core ITDC resort area is gated, with security checks and an entry fee for visitors.
Check the Nusa Dua surf forecast before you paddle out
Open the hour-by-hour table and look for west winds, mid to high tide and 1.5–3 m of swell. That is when the reef is at its best.