Saint Annes Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, I’m Rusty, and I’ve been staring at the charts for your area. Let’s get straight into it.

Right off the bat, I gotta be honest with you – this 16-day window is a real struggle. The first week is mostly a write-off with poor surf conditions. There’s a bit of energy around, but it’s messy and the wind is almost always cross-onshore, leaving the surface choppy and uninviting. We’re looking at a long gap of several days with no real recommendations, so don’t expect much until the very end of the first week.

The only spot on the menu is Saint Annes, a sheltered reef break that’s fairly consistent but usually only for advanced surfers. The swell direction is coming from the SSW, which is not really its optimum (WNW), so even when there’s swell, it’s not showing its best face.

Let’s walk through it. On Monday the 27th of July, there’s a bit of a long-period groundswell (18-19 seconds) pushing in, with a combined swell energy of 1058 to 1465 (moderate energy). The wave heights are around 4 ft, but the wind is cross-shore from the WNW, which is not ideal for this spot. The surface has a slight cross-chop, so it’s not clean. The score is poor, and the conditions are marginal at best. Not worth paddling out.

Tuesday the 28th is much the same – 4 ft SSW swell, periods around 17-18 seconds, but the wind picks up and stays cross-onshore or cross-shore with chop. The water temperature anomaly is neutral, so it’s about average for the time of year.

Wednesday the 29th and Thursday the 30th are even worse. The swell drops to 4 ft and then 3 ft, with periods shortening. The wind stays light but cross-onshore, making for small wind ripples and poor quality. The combined energy drops to 713-820 (weak). It’s a classic “stay home” scenario.

Then on Friday the 31st of July and Saturday the 1st of August, we get a change in direction as the swell shifts to the WNW, but it’s short-period (7-8 seconds) and weak. The waves are 4 ft to 6 ft, but the wind is still cross-onshore, and the combined energy is low (196-640). This is windswell, not groundswell – it’s bumpy and lacks power. For a beach or reef setup, this is more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing, if you ask me.

Now, here’s where it gets a little interesting. On Sunday the 2nd of August, we see a pulse of longer-period NW swell (9 seconds) with wave heights around 7 ft in the morning. The combined energy jumps to 1273 (moderate). The wind is still cross-onshore from the WNW, but it’s light. This is the one standout in the whole period. At 7 ft, it’s pushing into expert territory, and the long period from the NW means the reef at Saint Annes should shape up okay, but the direction is still not ideal. The surface will have cross-onshore chop, so it won’t be glassy. If you’re an advanced surfer and don’t mind a bit of wind, this is your best shot in the first week. But it’s not a classic.

After that, the surf drops off again. From Monday the 3rd of August through to Tuesday the 11th of August, we’re looking at small, weak swells – mostly 3 ft to 4 ft from the WNW, with very short periods (9-11 seconds) and low combined energy (294-680). The wind is either light onshore or cross-onshore, keeping the surface bumpy. There’s a few moments on the 6th and 7th of August where the swell is 4 ft with a period of 11 seconds, giving a bit more shape, but the scores are still marginal. The mornings are often the cleanest, but the wind direction is from the WSW, onshore, which is not great.

The second week (from the 8th of August onwards) is a real letdown. Swell heights drop to 2 ft-3 ft, with long periods from the SSW (14-18 seconds), but the energy is weak (301-486). The wind is mostly cross-onshore from the west. It’s flat or nearly flat. For a spot that’s already inconsistent, this is a normal blank run for the area.

Look, I’ll level with you – there’s no real standout option here. The best of a bad bunch is Sunday the 2nd of August at Saint Annes, with a 7 ft NW swell (long period) and light cross-onshore wind. But it’s for experts only, and the conditions are not glassy. The rest of the window is a write-off. It tends not to stay poor for long, but this run is a quiet one. Keep an eye on the charts, but don’t hold your breath.

Rusty.

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