Surf Forecasts:
Saint Annes surf forecast from 27 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Thursday 27 Aug, 11PM (local time) - 8ft (2.5m), 8s period, NW swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Saturday 29 Aug, 5AM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.3m), 18s period, SSW swell with 1,015 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Wednesday 26 Aug, 11PM (local time) - 6ft (1.9m), 7s period with NW swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Saint Annes this week:
The surf forecast for Saint Annes over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Aug 26) at 11PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.9m and 7s period with a secondary swell of 1.5m and 7s. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Saint Annes in the next 16 days are 1.3m 18s and forecast to arrive on Saturday (Aug 29) at 5AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.9m 12s period and expected on Wednesday (Aug 26) at 11PM.
| Wave Type | Time (PDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 11PM (Wed 26th Aug) | 6ft (1.9m) 7s |
| Best Surf | 11PM (Thu 27th Aug) | 8ft (2.5m) 8s |
| Most Powerful | 5AM (Sat 29th Aug) | 4.5ft (1.3m) 18s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Saint Annes over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Well, folks, let's be straight with you. The next couple of weeks at Saint Annes are looking pretty grim. We’ve got a window here that’s mostly full of onshore junk and weak, messy swell. It’s one of those stretches where you’re better off tuning up your gear or finding a book to read, because there’s no real green light for a proper paddle-out. The whole period is dominated by small, short-period waves and cross-shore winds that will leave the surface chopped up. Honestly, the most exciting thing in the forecast is the water temp, which is running about two and a half degrees Fahrenheit colder than usual for this time of year, so you’ll want the thicker suit regardless.
The one break we’re looking at is Saint Annes, a sheltered reef that needs a good WNW groundswell to get going. It’s fairly consistent, but it’s an advanced wave and it often gets crowded, so when it does break, you’ll have company. But we don’t even get that luxury this time. For the next few days, from the 26th through the 29th, we’ve got wind out of the northwest at 15 to 25 mph, blowing right across the face, and swell is small—around 3 to 4 ft—with weak energy readings in the 400 to 1100 range. There’s a hint of longer-period SSW swell on the 28th and 29th, but it’s not enough to make the reef light up, and the surface is going to be bumpy.
Thursday the 27th morning has a slight cross-on breeze at just 3 mph, but the swell is only 6 ft and from the WNW, which is the right direction for the break, but the period is a short 8 seconds. That’s not going to put any push into the line-up, and the energy is only around 700, which is moderate at best. Friday the 28th swings back to a bigger 19-second period SSW groundswell, but it’s small—3 ft—and the wind is cross-shore, so you’re getting long-period groundswell that’s just not wrapping in with any size. It’s frustrating because that long-period energy is the kind that works on a reef, but there’s just no height to it.
The weekend isn’t any kinder. Saturday the 29th has a bit more energy—readings up to 1143—but the swell is still only 4 ft and the period has dropped back to 16 seconds. The wind is cross-shore at 12 to 15 mph, so it’s going to be a lumpy, bumpy mess. By Sunday the 30th, there’s a brief bump in swell height to 7 ft on the afternoon, but it’s a short 7-second period and the wind is blowing 12 mph cross-shore. That’s not surf; that’s just a washing machine with a poor surface. At that size and with that wind, you’d be better off looking at a kite setup than trying to paddle out—that looks more like a kite-surfing afternoon than a surf session.
From Monday the 31st through the 10th of September, the story is the same: small, weak SSW swell between 1 and 4 ft, with periods ranging from 13 to 20 seconds, but no real push. Winds stay light to moderate, mostly cross or cross-on from the west and northwest. There’s a brief glassy moment on Thursday the 3rd of September—the wind drops to 3 mph out of the NNW and the surface goes clean—but the swell is a puny 2 ft with a long 18-second period. It’s surfable, but you’d be counting waves on one hand. The energy is only 275, which is weak, and the long period will make it break a bit too straight at the reef unless the tide lines up perfectly.
So here’s the bottom line: there are no real standout days in this 16-day window. The best you can hope for is a grovel session on the 3rd of September when it’s glassy, but even then you’re fighting for scraps. Everything else is either too small, too windy, or too short-period to make Saint Annes work. This reef is fickle, and this stretch is a classic case of “if it’s not breaking, it’s not breaking.” But don’t lose hope—the fact that it’s fairly consistent here means this kind of dry spell usually doesn’t last forever. Forecasts can change, so keep an eye on the charts, but for now, I’d say give the board a wax and wait for better days.
Stay salty,
Rusty
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 29°C on Wed afternoon, min 18°C on Fri night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 21°C on Sat afternoon, min 13°C on Sun night). Wind will be generally light. | |||||||||||||||||||
Wed 26 | Thursday 27 | Friday 28 | Saturday 29 | Sunday 30 | Monday 31 | Tuesday 1 | ||||||||||||||
PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | |
Swell Height Map | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WNW 6 | NW 7 | WNW 8 | WNW 7 | WNW 8 | SSW 19 | SSW 19 | SSW 18 | SSW 17 | SSW 16 | NW 8 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 12 |
Wave Graph | ||||||||||||||||||||
233 | 405 | 393 | 229 | 383 | 450 | 475 | 877 | 742 | 635 | 746 | 505 | 443 | 394 | 257 | 207 | 154 | 154 | 116 | 61 | |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross | cross-off | cross-on | cross-off | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross | glassy | cross | cross | cross | on | cross | glassy | cross-on | cross-on | glassy |
High Tide | 8:58PM0.81m | 10:36AM0.32m | 9:41PM0.78m | 10:56AM0.40m | 10:24PM0.71m | 11:21AM0.49m | 11:11PM0.61m | 11:51AM0.59m | 00:01AM0.48m | 12:26PM0.66m | 00:58AM0.34m | 1:07PM0.72m | 2:07AM0.20m | |||||||
Low Tide | 2:54PM-0.14m | 4:11AM-0.88m | 3:37PM-0.25m | 4:38AM-0.82m | 4:21PM-0.36m | 5:06AM-0.74m | 5:10PM-0.45m | 5:34AM-0.65m | 6:02PM-0.52m | 6:06AM-0.54m | 7:01PM-0.58m | 6:40AM-0.42m | 8:07PM-0.62m | |||||||
— | — | 6:31 | — | — | 6:31 | — | — | 6:31 | — | — | 6:33 | — | — | 6:33 | — | — | 6:35 | — | — | |
7:37 | — | — | 7:36 | — | — | 7:35 | — | — | 7:34 | — | — | 7:31 | — | — | 7:30 | — | — | 7:30 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 29 | 24 | 28 | 27 | 23 | 25 | 23 | 19 | 22 | 21 | 15 | 19 | 19 | 14 | 17 | 18 | 14 | 20 | 20 | 16 |
Feels °C | 26 | 22 | 26 | 25 | 22 | 24 | 20 | 17 | 20 | 18 | 13 | 16 | 16 | 12 | 16 | 16 | 13 | 18 | 18 | 15 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 12 | WNW 7 | WNW 8 | S 12 | S 11 | SSW 19 | SSW 19 | WNW 8 | SSW 17 | SSW 16 | WNW 8 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | WNW 7 | SSW 14 | WNW 6 | SSW 13 | S 12 | S 11 |
243 | 237 | 214 | 220 | 114 | 450 | 475 | 355 | 742 | 635 | 345 | 505 | 405 | 394 | 93 | 207 | 78 | 154 | 180 | 160 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 16 | S 12 | S 11 | SW 14 | SSW 17 | S 10 | S 9 | SSW 18 | S 8 | S 9 | SSW 16 | S 9 | SE 13 | S 15 | SSW 14 | S 13 | SSW 13 | WNW 7 | SSW 13 | WNW 8 |
155 | 224 | 198 | 103 | 195 | 68 | 42 | 877 | 13 | 6 | 724 | 6 | 7 | 18 | 257 | 86 | 154 | 48 | 116 | 24 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 13 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 18 | SW 14 | SW 13 | W 11 | S 9 | — | — | S 9 | W 12 | S 9 | SSE 13 | S 14 | WNW 10 | S 12 | S 12 | WNW 7 | SSW 12 |
55 | 136 | 103 | 84 | 91 | 44 | 35 | 25 | — | — | 6 | 3 | 2 | 16 | 103 | 18 | 72 | 99 | 21 | 61 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WNW 6 | NW 7 | WNW 8 | WNW 7 | WNW 8 | WNW 7 | WNW 7 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | NW 8 | WNW 7 | WNW 7 | WNW 7 | NW 7 | WNW 6 | — | — | — | — |
233 | 405 | 393 | 229 | 383 | 136 | 209 | 679 | 288 | 508 | 746 | 249 | 443 | 235 | 199 | 93 | — | — | — | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 144 | 0 | 32 | 8 | 27 | 2 | 116 | 2 | 117 | 144 | 0 | 117 | 144 | 26 | 85 | 228 | 0 | 261 | 85 | 2 |
Best forecast wave conditions in San Luis Obispo | ||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United States | ||||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the Saint Annes Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Saint Annes provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Saint Annes can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Saint Annes surf forecast is unique since it includes wave energy (power) that defines the real feel of the surf rather than just the height or the period. If you surf the same spot (Saint Annes) regularly then make a mental note of the wave energy from the surf forecast table each time you go. Very soon you may start to choose your surf days based on the wave energy alone combined with our forecast of favourable offshore wind conditions. Our star ratings will help here and of course you will also find the usual wave height and period predictions on our surf forecasts as well as a full break down of the swell components under our advanced users option (to reveal that, click the little Einstein character under the tide times).
Further information to help with frequently asked questions about our surf forecast for Saint Annes may be found under the help tab on the top menu and also by moving your mouse over the question marks on the surf forecast table itself. Please always bear in mind that the forecast is for near-shore open water and local factors at each surf break influence the actual breaking wave height, such as the beach / reef profile, water depths offshore and shelter.
Saint Annes is 4 km (2 miles) from Port San Luis. If you plan a vacation in San Luis Obispo, look for hotels and other accommodation in Port San Luis. Port San Luis has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.











