Ann Street Peaks Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Look, we’ve got a bit of a mixed bag coming up for Ann Street Peaks over the next couple of weeks. The first week is pretty ordinary – small, weak, and messy. The real action doesn’t kick off until the second week, and when it does, it’s a proper pulse of energy. Hold tight.

The opening weekend (Saturday 11th and Sunday 12th) is nothing to write home about. We’re looking at tiny, knee-high swell – around 2ft to 3ft from the SE and ESE, with periods around 10-13 seconds. The combined energy is weak, sitting at 231 on Saturday morning but dropping to 199 and 140 by Sunday. Winds are light, cross-off or cross, so it’s clean enough but there’s just no push. The water temp is running 69°, which is a bit colder than normal for this time of year – a touch over a degree below average. Not a standout session by any stretch.

Monday 13th and Tuesday 14th are even worse. Swell drops to 2ft or less, energy plummets into the double digits (62 down to 14), and conditions are poor. Honestly, it’s a write-off. Wednesday 15th gets a bit of a bump in the afternoon with a short, choppy 2ft onshore slop – not worth paddling out for.

Then we hit the rough stuff. From Thursday 16th right through to Monday 20th, a big, messy swell arrives. Wave heights jump to 8ft to 12ft from the SE, with combined energy readings shooting up into the thousands (1387, 2720, 2578, 3915). That’s a lot of water moving, but it’s blown out by strong to fresh cross-shore winds (SSE, 18-28 mph), with rain squalls and lumpy, choppy conditions. This is expert-only territory – over 8ft, the power is serious, and the beach-and-reef setup here is going to be a chaotic, churning mess. Honestly, this looks more like a kite-surfing window than a paddle-surfing one. Not for the faint-hearted.

The turnaround comes on Tuesday 21st July. The swell drops to a more manageable 7ft to 7ft from the ESE, with a solid 12-second period – proper groundswell. The combined energy is still strong at 1122 to 1235, but the magic is the wind. A clean, cross-off breeze from the SW (12-15 mph) is forecast, making for clean, lined-up waves. This is the standout of the entire outlook. The afternoon session on Tuesday 21st is the best on offer: excellent conditions for experienced surfers, with clean faces and good energy. The long period (12 seconds) means the waves will have some punch and shape, but it’s a beach-and-reef setup, so the sets might be a little straight – still, this is the one to circle.

Wednesday 22nd sees the swell ease to 5ft-5ft, still with a long period, but the wind swings cross-shore, taking the gloss off. Thursday 23rd and Friday 24th drop back into the 3ft-4ft range with onshore winds – not worth chasing.

But look further out. Saturday 25th July morning brings a glassy, 5ft swell from the SE with a shorter period (8 seconds) – clean and fun, but not the big draw. The true second standout is Sunday 26th July morning. That’s the one. A 7ft SE swell with a 11-second period, and the wind is dead calm – glassy conditions. The combined energy is a meaty 1704, and the forecast is for excellent surf for experienced surfers. This is a big, clean groundswell with no wind to mess it up. If you can handle the size, it’s a dream session. The crowd might be a bit of a factor though – Ann Street Peaks can get a few people out when it’s good, so keep that in mind.

So, bottom line: the first week is a total dud. The second week brings a big, messy pulse that’s only for experts, then clears up into a couple of absolute beauties on Tuesday 21st and Sunday 26th July. Those are your windows. Don’t waste your time before then.

Rusty.

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