Anse Gaulette Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let me tell you about the next couple of weeks at Anse Gaulette, a reef break on the south-east coast. Straight up, I’m not gonna sugarcoat it – this is a tough run of forecasts. There’s no escaping the fact that the wind is going to be our enemy for most of the stretch.

The water is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year, sitting at 82°F, so a bit of a tropical bath, but that’s where the good news ends.

The pattern starts off with a solid pulse of swell. On Thursday the 6th of August, we’re looking at a 8ft swell from the SE, packing some serious energy (1321). That’s a lot of water moving. But the wind is a fresh cross-shore from the SE, which is just going to put a lumpy, horrible chop all over the face. It’s a no-go. The situation barely changes into Friday and Saturday, with the swell holding around 8ft to 8ft but the wind staying fresh and cross. The surf is just too messy to even think about paddling out.

We do see a bit of a drop in size heading into Monday the 10th and Tuesday the 11th, with the swell backing down to 5ft, but the wind only eases slightly to a moderate cross-onshore breeze. It’s still choppy and average. The period hovers around 9 seconds, so it’s windswell, not a clean groundswell. There’s no stand-out session in this first week.

The second week brings a little hope, but it’s still capped. On Thursday the 13th, we get a clean offshore wind from the S and SSW, with the swell sitting at 5ft from the SSE and a period of 11 seconds. That’s the best wind direction we see all period, but the energy is still moderate (1147). The surf might be a bit cleaner, but the quality is still being called poor. After that, the wind swings back to a cross-onshore direction for the rest of the week. The swell drops right off into the 16th, down to 3ft. There’s a very long period groundswell on the 17th of August, coming in at 17 seconds, but it’s only 4ft and the wind is a fresh cross-onshore again. A long period swell like that needs a clean offshore wind to really shine, and it’s just not getting it here.

The final few days of the outlook, from the 18th to the 21st, see the swell pick back up to 7ft to 8ft, and the energy is strong (2419 on the 20th). But the wind is still fresh and cross-onshore, making it lumpy and messy. This setup is actually more interesting for the kite surfers than for paddle surfing. The size is there, but the conditions are a write-off for a clean wave.

Honestly, there’s no single session I can point to and say “that’s the one.” The whole 16-day window is a bust for quality surf. The consistency is there, but without a solid offshore wind, the reef at Anse Gaulette is just going to be a churning mess. It’s a tough run, but that’s how it goes sometimes. Forecasts can change, but right now, I’d leave the boards in the car.

Rusty.

Read more