Saint Annes Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let’s get this straight. For Saint Annes, the 16-day window is a mixed bag. The first week is pretty average, with small swell and mostly cross or cross-onshore winds keeping things messy. But if you’re patient, there’s a real gem waiting at the very end.

The overall pattern is a long stretch of marginal to poor conditions. From Friday 14 August right through to Thursday 27 August, expect mostly small swell, with heights bouncing between 1ft and 8ft, but the wind is never truly clean. It’s nearly always a cross-shore or cross-onshore, blowing from the WNW mainly. The period is short too, rarely over 8 seconds, so the waves will be weak and disorganised. The combined swell energy is moderate, hitting three-digit numbers like 560 to 851, but never strong enough to overcome the lumpy conditions.

The first standout comes on the morning of Saturday 29 August. The swell is 4ft from the SSW with a very long period of 18 seconds. That is a groundswell with serious energy—1187 (strong to very strong). The wind is light offshore from the SW, basically glassy. On a reef break like Saint Annes, that long period swell will wrap in nicely, offering clean, well-shaped lines. The water temperature is 64°, which is about 2° warmer than usual for the time of year, so nothing extreme. The difficulty is advanced, so this isn’t for beginners, but for the experienced surfer, this is the best on offer. Keep in mind, though, this is a fairly consistent break but it can get crowded often, especially when the quality pops.

The Saturday afternoon holds up pretty well too: 3ft from the SSW with a 17-second period, still big energy (1182), and a light cross-onshore. It’s marginal, but still far better than the previous days. Friday 28 August afternoon is also worth a mention: 4ft from the SSW, 12 seconds, with moderate energy (1104) but still cross-shore winds.

Before that, it’s a long wait. From 14 August to 27 August, nearly two weeks of poor surf. There’s a few mornings that scratch the marginal mark, like Tuesday 18 and Wednesday 26 August mornings, but none of them have the wind to back it up. The swell direction is mostly WNW for that middle period, and the reef is sheltered and prefers WNW, but the period is too short and the wind is all wrong.

Bottom line: if you can wait, the last weekend of August is where it’s at. The rest of the window is a write-off unless something changes.

Rusty

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