Surf Forecasts:
Steamer Lane-Middle Peak surf forecast from 12 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Tuesday 11 Aug, 11PM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 9s period, WNW swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Wednesday 12 Aug, 11AM (local time) - 4ft (1.2m), 9s period, WNW swell with 222 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Tuesday 11 Aug, 11PM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 9s period with WNW swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Steamer Lane-Middle Peak this week:
The surf forecast for Steamer Lane-Middle Peak over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Aug 11) at 11PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.9m and 9s period. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Steamer Lane-Middle Peak in the next 16 days are 1.2m 9s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Aug 12) at 11AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.1m 16s period and expected on Saturday (Aug 15) at 11PM.
| Wave Type | Time (PDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 11PM (Tue 11th Aug) | 3ft (0.9m) 9s |
| Best Surf | 11PM (Tue 11th Aug) | 3ft (0.9m) 9s |
| Most Powerful | 11AM (Wed 12th Aug) | 4ft (1.2m) 9s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Steamer Lane-Middle Peak over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s cookin’ for the next couple of weeks.
Right off the bat, I gotta be straight with ya: it’s a slow start. The water is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year at 61°. For the first week and a half, the surf is pretty much a non-event. We’re lookin’ at about a week of tiny, weak waves with combined swell energy barely tickling the 100 mark (like 165 down to 36), mostly cross or light winds, and poor surf quality. You’d be paddling for nothing.
Things get a bit more interesting around Monday, August 24th, and Tuesday, August 25th. That’s our standout window. Monday has a nice burst of moderate energy (360 on the combined scale) with clean 3 ft to 3 ft swell from the WNW. The wind is tiny, almost glassy in the afternoons, and that’s gonna make for some clean, peelable lines at Steamer Lane-Middle Peak (Santa Cruz). This is a consistent, advanced reef break, so it gets good. Tuesday keeps the quality going with 4 ft WNW swell, still clean and glassy. The wind is offshore or glassy, so the surface will be nice. It’s not big, but it’s the best we’ve got and it’ll be fun.
After that, it drops back off into the ordinary range for the rest of the window, though there’s a pulse of long-period energy (18-19 seconds) on Sunday, August 23rd. That energy (231) is promising for a point or reef, but at that size it’s going to be a bit fickle. It’s something to watch, but I wouldn’t bank on it.
So, the real call is to pencil in Monday, August 24th. It’s not a bomb, but it’s clean, waist-to-chest high, and the crowd will be there, but that’s life at a classic spot. Get in the water.
- Rusty
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Very mild (max 19°C on Tue afternoon, min 13°C on Tue morning). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 22°C on Sun afternoon, min 13°C on Fri night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Tuesday 11 | Wednesday 12 | Thursday 13 | Friday 14 | Saturday 15 | Sunday 16 | Monday 17 | |||||||||||||||
AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | |
Swell Height Map |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | ||||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WNW 9 | WNW 9 | WNW 9 | WNW 9 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 7 | WNW 7 | WNW 7 | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | W 10 | WNW 9 | SW 11 | SW 10 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 165 | 154 | 151 | 222 | 177 | 153 | 176 | 185 | 113 | 81 | 62 | 40 | 26 | 78 | 83 | 57 | 55 | 46 | 28 | 57 | 35 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross | cross-off | glassy | cross-on | cross | cross | cross-on | cross | off | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross-off | glassy | cross-off | glassy | cross-off | cross-off | cross |
High Tide | 11:21AM1.38m | 9:49PM1.93m | 11:54AM1.42m | 10:41PM1.85m | 12:27PM1.46m | 11:32PM1.72m | 12:58PM1.49m | 00:22AM1.55m | 1:29PM1.52m | 1:14AM1.37m | 1:59PM1.54m | 2:12AM1.19m | 2:31PM1.55m | 3:25AM1.04m | |||||||
Low Tide | 3:47PM0.78m | 4:45AM-0.38m | 4:38PM0.65m | 5:25AM-0.30m | 5:30PM0.54m | 6:03AM-0.17m | 6:21PM0.45m | 6:39AM0.01m | 7:13PM0.39m | 7:14AM0.23m | 8:08PM0.37m | 7:49AM0.46m | 9:09PM0.35m | ||||||||
 |  |  | | | | | |  | | | | | | |  | | | | | | |
 | 6:20 | — | — | 6:22 | — | — | 6:22 | — | — | 6:22 | — | — | 6:24 | — | — | 6:24 | — | — | 6:26 | — | — |
 | — | 8:04 | — | — | 8:02 | — | — | 8:01 | — | — | 8:00 | — | — | 7:59 | — | — | 7:58 | — | — | 7:57 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 18 | 19 | 15 | 17 | 19 | 15 | 16 | 18 | 16 | 18 | 19 | 17 | 18 | 21 | 17 | 18 | 22 | 18 | 20 | 22 | 19 |
Feels °C | 17 | 18 | 14 | 16 | 18 | 14 | 15 | 17 | 15 | 17 | 18 | 15 | 18 | 19 | 16 | 18 | 21 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 18 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WNW 9 | WNW 9 | WNW 9 | WNW 9 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 7 | SSW 14 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 |
| kJ | 165 | 154 | 151 | 222 | 177 | 153 | 176 | 185 | 113 | 81 | 62 | 186 | 512 | 376 | 620 | 512 | 461 | 437 | 330 | 330 | 236 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 13 | SSW 14 | SSW 18 | SSW 17 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 18 | WNW 7 | SSW 13 | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | S 10 | W 10 | WNW 9 | SW 11 | SW 10 |
| kJ | 86 | 116 | 273 | 119 | 175 | 226 | 164 | 212 | 209 | 142 | 140 | 356 | 26 | 120 | 83 | 57 | 8 | 46 | 28 | 57 | 35 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 19 | SSW 18 | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | SSW 13 | S 11 | S 11 | S 11 | S 10 | SSW 19 | SSW 18 | WNW 7 | WNW 10 | S 9 | S 12 | S 10 | S 10 | S 11 | SW 11 | WNW 9 | WNW 9 |
| kJ | 93 | 124 | 28 | 28 | 98 | 21 | 21 | 20 | 18 | 125 | 254 | 40 | 10 | 14 | 24 | 18 | 19 | 9 | 29 | 27 | 26 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | WNW 10 | — | — | WNW 10 | — | — | WNW 3 | NW 3 |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 78 | — | — | 55 | — | — | 3 | 2 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 79 | 0 | 0 | 103 | 144 | 1 | 41 | 37 | 0 | 103 | 5 | 0 | 103 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 103 | 0 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Santa Cruz | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United States | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the Steamer Lane-Middle Peak Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Steamer Lane-Middle Peak provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Steamer Lane-Middle Peak can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Steamer Lane-Middle Peak surf forecast is unique since it includes wave energy (power) that defines the real feel of the surf rather than just the height or the period. If you surf the same spot (Steamer Lane-Middle Peak) regularly then make a mental note of the wave energy from the surf forecast table each time you go. Very soon you may start to choose your surf days based on the wave energy alone combined with our forecast of favourable offshore wind conditions. Our star ratings will help here and of course you will also find the usual wave height and period predictions on our surf forecasts as well as a full break down of the swell components under our advanced users option (to reveal that, click the little Einstein character under the tide times).
Further information to help with frequently asked questions about our surf forecast for Steamer Lane-Middle Peak may be found under the help tab on the top menu and also by moving your mouse over the question marks on the surf forecast table itself. Please always bear in mind that the forecast is for near-shore open water and local factors at each surf break influence the actual breaking wave height, such as the beach / reef profile, water depths offshore and shelter.
Steamer Lane-Middle Peak is 3 km (2 miles) from Santa Cruz. If you plan a vacation in Santa Cruz, look for hotels and other accommodation in Santa Cruz. Santa Cruz has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.
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