Antigues Cape Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s take a look at what’s cooking for Antigues Cape over this 16-day stretch.

Right off the bat, I gotta be honest with you – it’s a tough start. The first week and a half is a bit of a grind for quality waves. The water temp is sitting at about 84°F, which is pretty much what you’d expect for this time of year, no real surprises there.

The story begins on Wednesday, July 29th, with some chest-high swell pushing in at around 6ft from the east, but the wind is howling from the ESE at 18-19 mph, putting it in a cross-off position. It’s messy, and the wave energy is moderate (419-447), but the conditions just aren't coming together for a good paddle. It stays like that through Thursday, with the swell holding around 7ft, and the wind easing slightly on Thursday afternoon to an offshore direction at 16 mph. That afternoon session on the 30th is the first glimmer – it's labeled as marginal, but that offshore flow makes it the pick of a pretty average bunch for the short term.

We hit a bit of a wall after that. From Friday the 31st through Monday, August 4th, the swell drops and the wind stays messy. There’s a small pulse on Saturday, August 1st, with 5-5ft swell and a brief period of lighter SE winds in the afternoon, but it’s inconsistent and the energy drops off (341-606). Honestly, most of this period is a kite-surfing setup more than a surf session – strong side winds and weak, choppy waves.

We're looking at a real lull from around Tuesday, August 5th, all the way through to Wednesday, August 6th, where the swell bottoms out to knee-waist high and the energy is weak (24-65). You might as well stay home.

Things start to look up again at the end of the run. The first real standout comes Friday, August 7th. We've got a solid 6ft easterly groundswell rolling in, with a period of 8 seconds, and crucially, the wind swings offshore from the east at 18-22 mph. The wave energy climbs back to a solid moderate (423), and conditions are clean. This is the session to circle. The offshore wind will groom the reefs nicely. The swell is pushing towards 7ft, so it’s going to be a step up in size – good for intermediates and above. The crowd profile says it’s "often" busy, so expect company. Even though the optimum swell direction for the break is NE, this E swell with offshore flow should still deliver.

The quality holds through the weekend (August 8th and 9th) with 5-6ft swell and continuing offshore breezes. It’s not a huge swell, but the consistency and clean conditions make it a solid, fun option.

After a slight dip early in the second week (August 10th-11th), there's a pulse of longer-period energy on Tuesday, August 11th. The swell is only 3ft, but it’s coming from the NNE with a 10-second period, and the wind goes offshore in the afternoon. This is a sneaky-good window for a longboard or a small-wave board – the longer period will give those little waves some push on the reef, but it breaks straight at beach breaks, so here at the Cape it might offer a few lined-up ones.

The very end of the outlook, August 12th and 13th, shows a late-season pulse building again. By Thursday, August 13th, we’re looking at solid 7-7ft east swell with strong energy (631-677), but the wind is stubbornly cross-off. The waves will be there, but it’s going to be a battle to find a clean face. That’s strictly for the experienced crew if they want a challenge.

Best Bet: For the cleanest waves and best overall quality, you want to be in the water on Friday, August 7th. That offshore wind and solid chest-to-head high swell is your window. After that, the weekend is a good backup.

Talk to you later.
Rusty.

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