Saint Annes Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Look, I’ll be straight with you – this 16-day window for Saint Annes is a tough one. We’re looking at a long, dry spell with hardly anything worth paddling out for. The first real chance of a wave that’s even worth a mention doesn’t roll in until around Monday the 27th of July, and even then it’s marginal at best. The whole first week is plagued by messy cross-shore winds and a constant cross-chop, which just kills any hope of a clean face. The water temp is sitting at 60°F, which is a bit colder than normal for this time of year, so you’ll want a decent spring suit.

Let’s break it down. From Saturday the 25th through Sunday the 26th, the swell is tiny (3ft to 3ft) from the SW, with a long period of 19-21 seconds. That groundswell energy is moderate (890-1129), but those crosswinds at 12-16 mph just ruin it. The wave comment says it all: “poor surf conditions.” The 27th and 28th see a slight bump in size to 4ft-4ft from the SSW, with combined energy rising into the strong range (1076-1605), but it’s still cross-shore and lumpy. The wind kicks up to 19 mph on the Tuesday afternoon, making it outright ugly.

We get a bit of a reprieve from the wind speed on the 29th and 30th of July, with light breezes at 6 mph, but the wind shifts to cross-onshore and the swell drops back to 3ft. The period on the 30th afternoon drops to a short 8 seconds, which is just wonky. The best in the whole window, if you’re desperate, might be the Thursday afternoon the 30th of July. The swell ticks up to 5ft from the WNW, but with a period of only 8 seconds, it’s going to be weak and crumbly. The combined energy is only 424, which is moderate. The wind is light cross-onshore, so it’s not completely blown out, but it’s still not clean. This is a reef break, so that short-period swell isn’t going to wrap in nicely. It’s a marginal call at best.

The second week, from the 1st of August onward, is a bit of a write-off. The swell direction sticks to the WNW and NW, sizes hover between 3ft and 6ft, but the periods are short (7-9 seconds). The combined energy is moderate, peaking at 980 on the 2nd of August afternoon with 6ft from the NW, but it’s still “poor surf conditions” with a gentle cross-shore chop. There’s a late pulse on the 8th of August with 6ft from the NW and energy at 826, but again, short period and cross-onshore winds. The 9th of August fades to tiny 2ft-2ft SSW groundswell with a long 15-16 second period, but the wind is still cross-onshore. Honestly, for a reef break that’s sheltered and needs a clean WNW swell, this whole run is a dud. The break is rated for advanced surfers only, and it’s fairly consistent, but the conditions just aren’t lining up. There’s no standout session here. I’d say save your energy and wait for a better forecast.

Rusty.

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