Derde Steen Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here, let’s break down what’s coming up at Derde Steen over the next couple of weeks.

Right off the bat, there’s a lot of raw power in the water, but the first few days are a bit too much of a good thing. Thursday 6th and Friday 7th August are pumping serious southwest swell, running 10ft to 12ft, with a period of 13-14 seconds. The combined wave energy is ripping into the thousands (over 3300 and even 4370). For a fairly exposed spot, that’s expert-level stuff unless you’ve got a death wish. Winds add to the hassle, especially on Thursday afternoon with a messy cross-shore.

The total standout is Saturday, August 8th. The morning session is the one you want. We’ve got a solid 8ft southwest swell with a 13-second period – plenty of grunt and shape. But the real story is the wind: dead glassy, zero knots from the southwest. That’s as perfect as it gets. Energy is still heavy at 2221, so it’s powerful but not out of control. This is excellent for experienced surfers, but it’s still over the 5ft mark, so beginners should sit on the beach. The afternoon swell jumps to 12ft and gets a little bumpy, so morning is the call.

Sunday 9th August is a mess – strong south-southeast winds up to 25 mph and lumpy cross-chop will make it unsurfable.

Heading into the second week, the swell drops a notch, but the quality picks up. From Monday 10th August onward, we’re seeing waves in the 5ft to 6ft range, with a cleaner feel. Wednesday morning, August 12th, is a real highlight – a 6ft groundswell with a super long period of 18 seconds from the west-southwest. That’s proper long-period energy, and with a light offshore breeze from the east-northeast, it’ll be lined up and clean. Combined energy is still over 2000, so it’s got push. That kind of long-period swell can be a bit tricky at some beach breaks, but Derde Steen can handle it.

The mornings of Thursday 13th and Friday 14th August also look clean, with glassy or light offshores and 5ft to 6ft swell. After the earlier chaos, this is a sweet run of manageable, clean surf.

Later on, around Tuesday 18th, the swell picks up again to 8ft, but the winds turn more cross-shore and onshore, and the quality fades. By Thursday 20th, it’s back to messy, strong conditions. Your window is really from the 8th to the 14th.

No info on water temperature anomaly here, so it’s probably about average for the season. Crowds are listed as *sometimes* at Derde Steen, so on that standout Saturday morning you might have a few buddies out, but it’s not a circus.

So, the call: Saturday morning, August 8th – glassy and powerful – is the absolute best on offer. Wednesday morning, August 12th, with that long-period groundswell and offshore wind, is a close second. Everything else is a game of picking the clean windows.

Rusty.

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