Saint Annes Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s cut through the chatter and get into it. The forecast for Saint Annes is a bit of a tough slog for the next stretch. We’re looking at a reef setup that’s sheltered and prefers a WNW swell, but the wind and consistency just aren’t lining up to give us anything clean for a while.

The water temperature is sitting at 59°, which is about average for the time of year, so the wetsuit thickness is business as usual.

We’re starting off with a gap. The first few days are a write-off. Wednesday afternoon kicks off with a lumpy 8ft cross-shore mess from the WNW, and the combined energy is a chunky 1383 – that’s moderate-strong energy, but it’s wasted. The wind is a fresh 19 mph cross-shore, making it bumpy and ugly. That sets the tone for the 8th and 9th. Thursday morning drops to a tiny 3ft but with a long 16-second period from the SSW – that’s a groundswell, but it’s cross-shore wind and the energy is moderate at 843. It’s too small and messy to bother with.

Thursday afternoon sees the swell jump back to 8ft (WNW, 8-second period) with moderate energy (1067) and a moderate cross-shore breeze. Still poor.

Friday the 10th offers a bit of a tease. The morning has a 3ft SSW groundswell with a 16-second period, but the 6 mph wind is cross-onshore, making it choppy. Energy is moderate at 761, but the conditions are poor. The afternoon bumps up to 6ft WNW, but again, cross-onshore wind and an 8-second period. Not worth it.

We finally see a bit of a window over the weekend. Saturday morning the 11th has a 3ft SSW groundswell (15-second period) with a light 6 mph offshore wind from the WSW. That’s a major positive – clean faces. The energy is a weak 488, but for a small reef, clean conditions matter. The afternoon gets cloudy with a light 3 mph cross-onshore, dropping the quality. Sunday the 12th stays on the small side with 3ft SSW groundswell (14-second period) and light offshore winds from the SW and WSW. The energy is still weak (546-565), but the offshore wind is the standout. This is the best we’ve got so far, but it’s tiny.

Monday the 13th morning has another 3ft SSW groundswell (13 seconds) with a light offshore (6 mph SW). The afternoon switches to a 5ft WNW swell (8 seconds) with a gentle cross-shore. It’s marginal.

Tuesday the 14th morning has 6ft WNW (8 seconds) with a gentle cross-shore, but the afternoon gets messy again with 8ft and a moderate cross-shore.

Now, the standout – and I mean the only real standout in this whole 16-day window – is early on the 11th, 12th, and 13th when the winds go offshore on the small SSW groundswells. It’s not a big swell, but for a clean, glassy session on a reef, it’s the only time the stars align. The crowd here is often, so there might be a few others who sniff out the same window.

For the rest of the run, it’s a lot of poor surf with cross-shore winds and lumpy conditions. The big WNW swells that show up (like 10ft on the 15th with 1584 energy) are just blown out by fresh 19 mph winds. That’s more of a kite-surfing setup than a paddle-in session. The long-period groundswells that come in around the 17th-19th (2ft-3ft, 17-18 seconds) are too small to really do anything with, and the winds are cross-onshore.

In short, don’t hold your breath for the first week. The best bet is a dawn patrol on the 11th, 12th, or 13th for some clean, small waves. After that, it’s a long quiet spell of marginal conditions. Things don’t look promising for the second week either, with a lot of poor surf.

Rusty.

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