Eerste Steen Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here.

Look, right off the bat, Thursday morning at Eerste Steen has a moment of pure magic. It’s glassy, with a clean 6ft groundswell pushing in from the southwest, and the water is running at 55°, which is a solid 5° colder than usual for this time of year – so you’ll be needing that extra-thick wetsuit. The combined swell energy is pumping at 1111, so there’s proper power behind those sets. For a spot that’s fairly exposed to the southwest, this is about as good as it gets. Get in the water early Thursday before it all goes pear-shaped.

Because Thursday afternoon turns into a mess. The wind swings to the south-southeast and howls at 31 mph, making a cross-shore mess of the 12ft swell. That’s too much size for anyone but the most experienced chargers, and even then, the conditions are poor. Friday and Saturday are write-offs too – moderate to fresh breezes from the southeast with lumpy cross-off winds and messy swell periods around 8-9 seconds. You’ll be fighting a choppy ocean for nothing.

Then Sunday 6 September rolls around and the ocean remembers what it’s doing. Solid 7ft swell from the southwest, period at a very long 18 seconds, and the combined energy reading is 2754 – that’s serious wave power. The wind is a gentle 9 mph cross-off from the east-southeast, keeping the surface clean. This is a spot that favours a proper southwest groundswell, and it’s lining up perfectly. Sunday afternoon is even cleaner, with the wind dropping to 3 mph and 7ft waves still arriving on a 16-second pulse. The water temperature anomaly is still chilly, but you won’t care when you’re dropping into those lines. This is the standout of the whole outlook – Thursday morning is close, but Sunday has the size, the period, and the conditions.

Monday 7 September and Tuesday 8 September fade back into mediocrity. The swell drops, the wind goes onshore from the west, and you’re left with small, messy 4ft to 2ft surf. Not worth paddling out for anything more than a gentle cruise. Wednesday the 9th is small and cross-shore choppy.

Thursday 10 September has a glimmer of hope in the morning – 5ft southwest swell with a 11-second period and light cross-off wind. Clean. But the afternoon gets cross-onshore and it’s game over. The following days through to Saturday 12 September are all moderate to fresh cross-shore winds from the south-southeast, eating up any decent wave shape.

Now, hold on. Sunday 13 September is an absolute bomb. The morning brings a 8ft swell from the south-southwest, 12-second period, and a combined energy of 3097. Wind is cross-off from the southeast at 16 mph, keeping it clean. That’s big, powerful surf. By the afternoon, the swell bumps up to 12ft with a 13-second period and 4687 combined energy – but the file says it’s predicted to be too big for this break. That’s a warning. If you’re a top-level charger, Sunday the 13th might be the session of the season, but for anyone else, it’s a watch-and-wonder day.

Monday 14 September sees the swell holding at 8ft but with onshore westerly wind, so the quality drops. Tuesday the 15th is small and crossed-up again. Wednesday the 16th has a pulse of 7ft with a long 15-second period from the southwest, but the wind is cross-onshore and messy. By Thursday and Friday of that second week, it’s all fresh to strong breezes and lumpy, choppy conditions with swell around 6ft to 7ft. The wind just won’t play ball.

The last window that might be worth a look is Friday 18 September morning – 7ft southwest swell with a 14-second period and a clean cross-off wind from the southeast. Combined energy is 1744 – solid power. But the afternoon blows up again with a fresh cross-shore. If you can get out early, it’s a gamble that might pay off.

Overall, if you’ve got one shot, make it Sunday 6 September. Thursday morning 3 September is a very close second for clean, glassy waves. The rest of the 16-day window is a lot of blown-out or too-big conditions. The surf is there, but you’ve got to pick your moment.

Rusty.

Read more