Anzacs Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here with a look at what's coming our way over the next couple of weeks. We've only got one spot in the frame, so let's get into it.

We're starting off with a bit of a mixed bag. The first decent window hits us on Sunday the 23rd of August, but right off the bat, the water temp is sitting at 56°F – that's about a degree and a half warmer than usual for this time of year, so it's a touch on the mild side for a late-winter swim.

Sunday afternoon at Anzacs is where the week kicks off. We’ve got a solid 6ft of groundswell rolling in from the southwest with a period of 15 seconds – that’s proper long-period energy. The combined energy is strong at 1509, and with glassy conditions and a light 3 mph offshore wind from the southwest, this is going to be clean. This is the standout for the whole period. The wave quality is excellent, but at 6ft, it's pushing into intermediate-to-expert territory – not one for the groms. Keep in mind the long period will make it wall up nicely, but it could be a bit straight at the beach. Since it's very consistent here, you won't be waiting long between sets.

Monday the 24th drops right off. Winds pick up from the NNW, and the surf gets messy with a cross-off breeze. The swell drops to 4ft, and the conditions are just marginal – not worth paddling out for.

We get another little pulse on Tuesday the 25th. Morning looks good again with glassy conditions and a 4ft SW swell (13 seconds). The combined energy is moderate at 539, and with winds barely blowing, it'll be clean. Not a standout, but a solid morning session for the intermediate crew.

Wednesday the 26th is a write-off. The swell comes up to 6ft in the afternoon, but the onshore winds from the WSW and moderate breeze make for poor conditions – big, lumpy, and not fun.

Thursday the 27th offers a small reprieve. The swell drops to 3ft (12 seconds) in the morning, and winds are light and cross-off from the NNW. Afternoon goes glassy with a 3ft SW swell. Clean but small – good for a longboard or a foiler, but not much push.

Friday the 28th looks more interesting with a new groundswell. The morning brings a 4ft SW swell with a very long 18-second period from a cross-shore wind. That's a lot of energy (1402) but the cross-shore will create a bit of chop. The afternoon swell builds to 5ft, but it's onshore. The long period makes this a reef or point break kind of day – at the beach, it might just break too straight.

The weekend (29th-30th) fades into marginal conditions. Swells hang around 4ft to 5ft, but the winds get tricky, swinging cross-on and onshore. The consistency will keep waves coming, but the quality is compromised.

The first week of September is, frankly, pretty bleak. A lot of strong to gale-force winds, and the surf quality is poor for days on end. There's a spike of big swell on Friday the 4th of September with a 10ft SW swell in the morning, but the wind is a strong 25 mph cross-off, and the period is a short 9 seconds. The combined energy is high (2074), but with that wind, it's a mess. Not a paddle session – that setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than anything with a paddle.

From the 5th through the 7th, it's a total write-off with gale-force winds and massive, stormy surf.

So, in short: your best bet is Sunday afternoon the 23rd of August at Anzacs. If you're an experienced surfer looking for clean, powerful, long-period swell, that's the window. Tuesday morning the 25th is a smaller, cleaner alternative. Everything else is either too small, too windy, or too big and blown out.

Stay wet.

Rusty.

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