Saint Annes Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s talk about what’s in store for Saint Annes.

Right off the bat, I gotta be honest with you: the next week or so is gonna be a real struggle. We’re looking at a long, dry spell with nothing worth paddling out for. The first decent window doesn't show up until Monday afternoon, the 13th of July, and even that is just a glimmer of hope.

The problem for most of this period is the wind. It’s coming from the WNW, which is cross-shore or cross-on for this reef, and it’s messing up what little swell there is. The water temp is sitting at 60°, which is about average for the time of year, so no surprises there.

Let’s break it down day by day. From Tuesday the 7th through to Sunday morning the 12th, it’s all poor surf conditions. The combined swell energy is high – we’re seeing numbers like 1106 and 1383 – but it’s a messy, short-period windswell with a cross-chop that’s just ugly. The waves are either too small or too junky. The swell heights are mostly around 3 feet, but it’s all chop.

Tuesday the 7th and Wednesday the 8th are write-offs. Thursday the 9th afternoon is “marginal” at best, with a 8ft swell from the WNW, but the period is only 8 seconds – that’s pure windswell, messy and weak in the water. Friday the 10th, Saturday the 11th, and Sunday the 12th keep the trend of light winds but small, weak swell from the SSW. The energy drops right down to around 465-742, and the waves are just too small and weak to get excited about. There’s a bit of a south groundswell trying to push in, but it’s not got the size to do anything at this break.

Here’s the one standout.

Mark your calendar for Monday the 13th of July. Monday afternoon is the real deal. The wind goes glassy – dead calm – and we’ve got a clean 3ft swell coming from the SSW with a 13-second period. That’s a long-period groundswell, which means the wave shape will be way better than anything we’ve seen. The combined energy is only 457, so it’s not a power session, but when it’s glassy and the swell direction lines up with the optimum WNW for the reef, it’s gonna be clean and fun for the more advanced crew. This is the best on offer in the whole run, and it’s the only time I’d say it’s worth suiting up.

After that, it gets dodgey again. Tuesday the 14th, Wednesday the 15th, and Thursday the 16th are all cross-on winds and poor surf. Friday the 17th and Saturday the 18th are similar – small, weak, and messy.

Then, another little highlight shows up. On Sunday morning the 19th of July, we get another glassy window. It’s a smaller 3ft swell from the SW with a 17-second period – very long-period groundswell. The energy is a solid 704, so there’s push behind it. The swell direction isn’t perfect for the reef, but glassy conditions on a long swell always clean things up. The reef itself will focus that energy into some nice shaped lines, though the crowds are likely here, as it’s “often” crowded.

The final few days, from Monday the 20th to Wednesday the 22nd, are back to poor or marginal conditions with cross-onshore winds and building but messy WNW windswell again. Not worth the drive.

So, heads up: the only two times to really consider are Monday afternoon the 13th and Sunday morning the 19th. That's a long wait between drinks, but the glassy windows make them the clear standouts.

Rusty.

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