Lagundri Bay Alert Guide

Nias, Indonesia · part of the Lagundri Bay spot guide

Lagundri is forecast-only — no usable buoy within roughly 1,500 km — so this is a model-swell alert, and the height below is an open-ocean reading that the reef amplifies on the face.

The forecaster's checklist

1. 1.Find a deep Roaring Forties low aimed up the Indian Ocean and give it three to six days to reach South Nias.
2. 2.Prioritise period — 14 seconds and up is what makes the reef square up and barrel; short-period swell is weak and mushy.
3. 3.Want direction from the south to southwest (about 180–225°); east of roughly 150° or west of 245° loses the reef alignment.
4. 4.Look for a light northerly (north to northwest) offshore; the ringing hills and plantations shelter the lineup across many wind directions.
5. 5.Any tide works — favour mid-to-high for margin over the coral, and treat dead low as expert-only over the sharp inside reef.

Local winds & tide

Best wind: N–NW offshore (bay is well sheltered) — from 315° to 45° (NW–NE).

Micro-tidal, only a one-to-three-foot range but enough to expose sharp reef; all tides work, mid-to-high is safest and still barrels, dead low is expert-only.

Dial it in