St Agnes Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what the next couple of weeks are serving up.

We’re looking at a pretty frustrating stretch ahead, if I’m being honest. The pattern kicks off with a solid pulse of swell, but the wind just won’t play ball. We’ve got a lot of size but very little quality for the first week or more. It’s one of those periods where you’ll be watching waves from the car park, shaking your head. There is a glimmer of hope further out, but we’ve got to earn it.

The only break on the menu here is St Agnes. It’s fairly exposed to the swell and likes a WSW direction.

We start on Wednesday the 16th of September. There’s a chunky 7ft groundswell from the W with a period of 11 seconds, and the wave energy is strong at 1047. But it’s blowing a 16 mph onshore wind from the NNW, and it’s just poor out there. Thursday the 17th is more of the same – 7ft from the WNW but with a fresh 19 mph cross-on shore. Lumpy, choppy, not worth the wetsuit peel.

Friday the 18th sees the swell ease a touch to between 6ft and 7ft, but that period jumps to 13 seconds – proper groundswell. The wave energy is very strong (1291). The morning is cross-shore and messy, but the afternoon cleans up with a cross-offshore breeze from the SW at 19 mph. It’s still only rated as marginal, but it’s the cleanest we’ve seen. For a die-hard local, you might get a few.

Saturday the 19th and Sunday the 20th are a write-off – similar swell but hammered by onshore and cross-onshore winds. By Monday the 21st, the swell drops to under 3ft and it’s too small to get excited about, even with offshore winds from the NE.

Now, hold onto your board. Things start looking a bit more interesting from Tuesday the 22nd of September. The wind goes cross-offshore from the ESE, and while the swell is small on the Tuesday morning at 3ft, the period is a very long 18 seconds! The afternoon jumps to 5ft from the W with that huge 16-second period, and the combined energy is very strong at 1561. This is clean, and it’s the best wave quality we’ll see for some time.

Wednesday the 23rd keeps that cross-offshore wind from the E at 16 mph, with 5ft from the WNW (13-second period, 943 moderate energy). Still clean, but the swell is a fraction smaller. After that, the wind stays good, but the swell drops away hard. From Thursday the 24th all the way through to Monday the 29th of September, we’re looking at tiny, weak surf – most days under 3ft and very low energy. The wind is clean (cross-offshore) but there’s just nothing with any punch. That’s nearly a week of flatness.

Then, right at the end of the window, on Tuesday the 29th of September, we get a proper pulse. The swell jumps to 8ft in the morning and a hefty 10ft in the afternoon from the WSW, but with a short 9 to 10-second period. The combined energy is very strong at 1746. This is big, and with 22 mph cross-offshore winds, it’s going to be powerful and clean. Now, 10ft is definitely for experts only. Beginners should stay well clear.

Wednesday the 30th sees it drop back to 6ft, still clean in the morning before the wind turns a bit cross in the afternoon. The last day, Thursday the 1st of October, is back to onshore chop and smaller swell.

The standout of the whole period? It’s a toss-up. For clean, long-period groundswell, Tuesday the 22nd of September morning and afternoon is your best bet for quality. For pure size and power, Tuesday the 29th of September afternoon is the one, but only if you’ve got the skills.

Water temps are at 64°, which is a touch warmer than normal for the time of year, so the rubber won't need to be too thick.

Rusty.

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