Eerste Steen Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, I’m Rusty. Let’s talk about what’s on offer at Eerste Steen.

Honestly, the first week is a bit of a mixed bag—nothing’s really firing, and you’ll need to pick your moments. The water’s sitting at 56°, which is about 5° colder than normal for this time of year, so it’s much colder than you’d expect—don’t forget the thick rubber.

We start off on Tuesday, August 25th, with a solid 7ft SW swell running at 14 seconds. That’s a long-period groundswell with a lot of energy (2074), but the morning’s cross-off SE wind keeps it clean. The afternoon sees the swell drop a fraction to 7ft, and the wind goes cross-shore and a bit choppy, so the morning window is your best bet here. That said, the ratings are low and the conditions are marginal—it’s not a standout.

Wednesday the 26th looks cleaner. The swell drops to 5ft, still from the WSW, with a 13-second period. The morning is clean with ESE cross-off winds, and the afternoon is even lighter with SE 10 km/h. Combined energy is moderate (966–1149). It’s not big, but for an intermediate-level wave, you’ll get some fun ones.

By Thursday the 27th, the wind shifts onshore from the NW in the morning, then directly on from the WSW in the afternoon. Swell holds at 5ft, but the quality drops off. Not worth rushing for.

Friday the 28th sees a tiny 3ft–4ft WSW swell with a very long 16-second period in the morning. That long period will make it reform nicely at a reef or point, but at a beach break it might break too straight. Light winds keep it tidy, but there’s barely any push (628 energy). It’s marginal.

The weekend into early next week is pretty grim. Saturday the 29th brings 5ft–6ft swell but with onshore or cross-onshore winds and lumpy conditions. Sunday the 30th has 6ft–6ft SW swell but moderate cross-shore wind and cross-chop. Monday the 31st is similar—6ft SW swell but messy cross-shore winds. Not much to get excited about.

Now, here’s where it gets interesting. On Tuesday, September 1st, the afternoon shows a jump to 10ft SW swell at 13 seconds. The energy is strong (2639), but the wind is light and onshore from the WSW—so it’s not clean. Still, the size is there for experienced surfers if you can find a protected spot.

Wednesday September 2nd the swell builds to 10ft–12ft WSW, with strong energy (3365–3718). The morning has moderate cross-shore wind and cross-chop, but the afternoon brings rain showers and 30 km/h SSE wind—fresh cross-shore and lumpy. This is getting into the “too big for paddle” territory, 12ft is expert-only, and the wind’s messy. Honestly, this setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing.

Thursday September 3rd is similar—12ft–15ft SSW swell, massive energy (5296–5330). Morning is clean with ESE cross-off winds, afternoon is glassy with ESE light breeze. But 15ft is huge—only for the bravest experts, and even then, it might be too much for Eerste Steen.

Then we get a real standout. Friday September 4th, morning: 7ft SW swell at 11 seconds, combined energy 2444, and glassy conditions—5 km/h from the SE, dead calm. That’s excellent for experienced surfers. The swell direction (SW) matches the guidance optimum, the break is fairly exposed, and it’s a fairly consistent spot. Crowds are “sometimes” an issue, so you might have company. This is the best on offer in the whole forecast—clean, solid size, good energy. Don’t miss it.

Saturday September 5th is a weird one: morning has a tiny 2ft WSW swell but an absurdly long 22-second period (954 energy)—that’s a very long groundswell, but not enough height to do much. Afternoon picks up to 5ft SW with a 20-second period and moderate cross-shore wind. Long period again, so better for a point or reef, but it’s not clean.

Sunday September 6th morning sees 5ft SW swell at 15 seconds, light cross-off wind, and clean conditions (1161 energy). That’s a nice follow-up—not a standout, but a decent session.

After that, from Monday September 7th through to Wednesday September 9th, the swell fades to 2ft–6ft, with poor to marginal conditions and strong winds. The last few days are best left for the dogs.

So to sum it up: the first week is a slow grind with a few clean, small windows. The real highlight is Friday September 4th morning—glassy 7ft SW swell, expert-friendly, and the best wave of the outlook. If you’re keen, that’s your day.

– Rusty

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