Anse Gaulette Surf Forecast and Surf Report

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

Right off the bat, I gotta be straight with you – it’s a tough stretch ahead. For the entire 16-day window, there’s really nothing I’d call a good surf session. We’re talking a solid blank run here. The conditions are pretty much locked into a pattern of cross-onshore winds and lumpy, choppy seas. The water’s sitting at a warm 81°, which is about 2° warmer than normal for this time of year – so you’ll be sweating out there even if the waves aren’t doing much.

Kicking off on Thursday the 20th of August at Anse Gaulette (Seychelles), the wind is howling from the SSE at 16 mph, making for a messy cross-onshore situation. The swell is a modest 5 ft from the SE, with a short 8-second period and a combined energy of 442 – that’s weak energy, hardly enough to push you into anything decent. It’s poor, plain and simple.

We roll into Friday the 21st, and the wind picks up to 19 mph from the SE. The swell bumps up to 8 ft, and you’d think that’d be exciting, but with the period at 9 seconds and the energy jumping to 931 (moderate energy), the cross-onshore wind just ruins it. It’s fresh and lumpy – not your friend.

Saturday the 22nd and Sunday the 23rd don’t offer any relief. The swell drops back to 5-6 ft, but that wind stays stubborn from the SSE or SE at 16-19 mph. The energy fluctuates between 483 and 547 – still on the weak side – and the surf remains poor.

Monday the 24th through Wednesday the 26th sees the swell sitting around 5-6 ft, period dropping to 7-8 seconds, and energy up to 738 at one point. But the wind continues its cross-onshore assault from the SSE at 16-22 mph. The water temp anomaly is normal, but who cares when it’s all chop and no shape?

Now, here’s where it gets a bit interesting, but not in a good way for us paddle-surfers. On Tuesday the 25th, we get a "marginal" call with a 1/10 score – that’s the best we see all forecast. The wind goes cross-shore at 22 mph, and with the swell at 6 ft, it’s more of a kite-surfing setup than a proper wave for a board.

Towards the end of the first week, from Thursday the 27th to Saturday the 29th, the wind stays strong at 19-25 mph, and the swell builds to 7 ft on Friday the 28th with an energy of 1301 (strong wave energy). But the cross-onshore wind makes it a total mess. By Saturday the 29th, we get a long-period groundswell from the S at 18 seconds – that’s a proper groundswell. The energy is massive at 3665 (very strong energy). But again, the wind is blowing 22 mph cross-onshore, so the quality is terrible. This is the kind of swell that would be a dream at a reef or point, but with these winds, it’s just a foamy, blown-out nightmare.

Into the second week, from Sunday the 30th of August to Friday the 4th of September, the pattern holds. The swell bounces between 4 ft and 8 ft, with periods from 9 to 16 seconds, meaning a mix of local windswell and longer-period groundswells. The energy stays moderate to strong (601 to 1328). But the wind never lets up – it’s relentlessly cross-onshore from the SSE or SE at 19-22 mph. Every single session is rated as "poor surf conditions" except for that one marginal call on the 25th of August.

Bottom line: if you’re a kiter, you might find some fun in these strong winds and messy seas. But for the surf crew, this is a wipeout of a forecast. We’ve got a long wait ahead. Forecasts can change, but right now, I’d say hang up the board for a week or two and let the ocean sort itself out.

Rusty.

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