Saint Annes Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here, let’s get into it.

Straight up, this is a tough stretch for Saint Annes. We’re looking at a 16-day window, but don’t get your hopes up. The first real chance of anything rideable is Thursday morning, July 30th, but it’s a bit of a scratch.

Thursday morning, the 30th, there’s a bit of a long-period swell coming in from the SSW at 3ft, with a period of 16 seconds. That’s a proper groundswell, but it’s hitting this sheltered reef from the wrong direction – the optimum is WNW, so it’s not wrapping in well. The water's a bit colder than normal for this time of year, sitting at 58°, and the combined energy is moderate (675). The wind is light and cross-onshore, so it’s not clean, but it’s the best we’ve got. The score is marginal, so don’t expect perfection.

Honestly, that’s about as good as it gets for the first week. From Thursday afternoon all the way through to the end of the first week, the swell is consistently from the WNW, but the problem is the wind. It’s nearly always cross-onshore, with a light to gentle breeze, keeping the surface choppy. The swell heights bob around from 4ft to 7ft, but the quality is poor. That 7ft on Saturday afternoon (August 1st) might look tempting, but it’s short-period, messy, and blown out. It’s a good set-up for a kite, not a paddle.

There’s a big gap in quality surf. The only other days that even get a “marginal” tag are the mornings of August 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 7th, but the swell is dropping fast, and the wind is still cross-onshore. The energy drops to weak (222 on the 5th), and the waves get smaller.

The second week looks a bit more interesting for the long-period swell fanatics, but it’s a long way off. On August 7th (Friday morning), we see a 2ft swell from the SSW with a super long period of 19 seconds. The combined energy is moderate (459). The wind is light cross-onshore, so it’s not perfect, but a long-period SSW swell at a reef that likes WNW is a tease. This pattern of small, long-period SSW swells continues through to the 14th, with periods of 14 to 19 seconds, but the winds rarely cooperate. Keep an eye on the morning of August 9th, where the wind is actually offshore (WSW) with a 3ft SSW swell at 16 seconds. That’s a promising sign, but it’s near the end of the forecast and a long way out.

So, the standout, if you can call it that, is the first morning on July 30th. It’s the only time we get a bit of height and a long period, even if the wind is a bit messy. The second week has potential for a clean, glassy morning, but don’t book your trip around it. It’s a waiting game here.

Rusty.

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