Saint Annes Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s on the cards for the local zone.

To be straight up with you, this stretch is looking pretty grim for the next two and a half weeks. The reef at Saint Annes is the only spot in the frame, and honestly, it’s not giving us much to work with. We’ve got a long, dry spell ahead with no real windows of quality surf to speak of right through to the end of August and into the first days of September.

The swell is small and the wind is a constant problem. Throughout the whole period, we’re dealing with mostly cross-shore or cross-onshore breezes, and even when the wind is light, it’s not clean enough to make the most of what little energy there is. The water temp is sitting at 63°, which is pretty normal for this time of year, so at least that’s not a worry.

Starting from Tuesday the 18th of August, we have a 3ft swell from the SSW with a 16-second period – that’s a long-period groundswell, but the wind is cross and the conditions are already described as poor. The combined energy is moderate at 487, but it’s not doing us any favours. Wednesday the 19th and Thursday the 20th are similar, with small swells of 3ft to 3ft and marginal to poor conditions. The best you could say is the wind is light on Thursday morning, but it’s cross-onshore, so it’s choppy.

Friday the 21st sees a bump in size to 5ft, but it’s a short-period windswell from the NW at only 7 seconds, and the wind is still cross-onshore. The energy drops to 461. This is not a surfable day, it’s a mess. Saturday the 22nd is a bit smaller again at 4ft, still short period, with the same wind issues. The whole week from the 18th to the 24th is a write-off – every session is rated poor or marginal.

There’s a slight uptick in energy on Friday the 28th of August, with the combined energy jumping to 1023 (strong energy) and a 3ft swell from the SSW with a 17-second period, but the wind is cross-on and the report says marginal. That’s not a standout, it’s a tease. The following days into early September show a bit more size, with Saturday the 29th seeing 3ft to 4ft SSW swells and energy in the 794 to 848 range, but the wind is a moderate cross-shore, creating chop. The same story continues through to the 2nd of September, when a 7ft WNW swell shows up, but it’s a short-period 6-second windswell and the wind is cross. That’s a big, bumpy, ugly wave for experts only.

Bottom line: there is nothing here that qualifies as a good surf option. The entire 16-day window is a blank run. The winds are persistent, the swell directions are off, and the quality is consistently poor. For an area like this, a run like this isn’t unusual, but it’s still frustrating. Keep your eyes on the forecasts, because it tends not to stay this poor for long.

Rusty.

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