Saint Annes Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Look, I gotta be straight with you – the next couple of weeks at Saint Annes are shaping up to be a real mixed bag, and honestly, most of it is a write-off. We’ve got a 16-day window but the first week is pretty grim, with only a few mornings that look barely worth a look. The real standout doesn’t show up until well into the second week.

The water’s sitting at 62°F right now, which is only 0.7° cooler than average for this time of year, so bang on normal for a late August dip.

For the first week, from Monday the 24th right through to Sunday the 30th, it’s a struggle. The swell is there – you’ll see some moderate wave energy, bouncing around from 487 up to 1357 in the combined energy of all swells directed here – but the wind is a killer. It’s mostly a cross or cross-onshore breeze from the WNW, and that’s creating chop and cross-chop. We’re talking small waves, mostly 2ft to 2ft, and even when it bumps up to 6ft on Wednesday the 26th afternoon and Thursday the 27th, the period is short (6 to 8 seconds) and the wind is just ruining it. Those are not surfable conditions. Every session is rated as “poor surf conditions” with a score of 0. The only glimmers are Thursday morning the 27th and Friday morning the 28th, which get a “marginal” nod – Friday morning actually has clean conditions with a light cross-offshore breeze from the NNW and a solid 3ft swell from the SSW with a long period of 19 seconds. The combined energy is 727, so there’s some punch there. If you’re desperate, that Friday morning might just give you a few lined-up walls, but it’s tiny.

Saturday the 29th morning has a similar story: 4ft from the SSW at 17 seconds with moderate cross-shore wind. Marginal. But the afternoon jumps to 8ft from the WNW with a short 8-second period and strong cross-breeze – that’s big and messy, only for experts if you can find a peak, but it’s not going to be pretty.

Sunday the 30th is back to poor conditions with 3ft to 4ft and cross-wind. A real flat, frustrating run.

Then we hit another gap of poor surf from Monday the 31st through to Thursday the 3rd of September. Most mornings and afterdays are poor with tiny waves (1ft to 3ft) and cross-onshore or onshore wind.

Now, the standout finally arrives on Friday the 4th of September morning. It’s marginal, but the clean-up is coming. On Saturday the 5th of September morning, that’s the one to circle. We get a clean, cross-offshore breeze from the NNW, light winds, and a 4ft swell from the SSW at 16 seconds. The combined energy is 711, moderate but with that long period it’ll have some shape. This is a reef break (Saint Annes) that’s sheltered and fairly consistent, but it’s an advanced spot. With that long period (over 15 seconds), it’s a proper groundswell – it’ll have good shape but be prone to breaking a bit straight, so it’s best for the lineup and reef. Crowds are often here, so expect company. It’s not huge, not a bomb, but it’s your best bet: clean, lined-up, and actually good surf conditions. Sunday the 6th of September morning is similar – clean again with 3ft from the SSW – and Monday the 7th morning gives you 2ft from the SW with a very long 21-second period. That’s a long-period groundswell, super clean with light cross-offshore wind. It’s small but if you want silky, long walls, that’ll be special.

So in summary: the first week is largely a no-go. Don’t bother until Friday the 4th morning at the earliest. The real highlight is Saturday the 5th and Sunday the 6th of September mornings – clean, offshore winds, and a decent swell. After that, Monday the 7th morning offers a tiny but pristine wave. The rest is forgettable.

Stay patient. The surf will come.

Rusty.

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