Steamer Lane-Middle Peak Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s break down what Santa Cruz is serving up for the next couple of weeks. It’s a bit of a slow cooker, so let’s dig in.

We’re starting off with a flat spell, but things start to wake up around Friday the 11th. The water temp is right around average for the season, nothing to write home about. For the first couple of days, the energy is weak and the waves are tiny.

Thursday the 10th is a total washout with basically no rideable surf.

Friday the 11th shows a small pulse, with a 2ft WNW swell in the morning, but the combined energy is only 99 – that’s weak. The wind is light cross-off, so it’s clean, but the waves are just ordinary. The afternoon gets a 3ft swell, but the period drops to a short 7 seconds, making for crumbly, weak lines. Energy ticks up to 166, so it’s not dead.

The first real standout is Saturday the 12th. Steamer Lane-Middle Peak is the call. We’ve got a clean 3ft swell from the SW with a long 14-second period, pumping the combined energy to 438. That’s moderate to strong energy, and that long period will wrap right into the reef. The morning is glassy with light cross-off winds – that’s perfect. The waves will have real power and shape. It’s a very consistent break, but it’s “often” crowded, so expect company. This is the best morning of the whole run.

Sunday the 13th is a weird one. The morning is glassy with a 4ft WNW swell, but the period is a terrible 7 seconds. It’s surfable but very ordinary, with moderate energy (157). The afternoon turns on a clean offshore wind from the NW, but the swell drops to just 1ft. Not worth suiting up.

Monday the 14th is another highlight. We’ve got a building WNW swell hitting 5ft in the morning with a 9-second period and 326 energy – solid. The afternoon is even better: 6ft of the same WNW swell, now with 632 units of energy – that’s strong. The wind turns gentle offshore from the NW, making for clean, lined-up waves. This is the best of the whole forecast. It’s over the 5ft mark, so beginners take note, but for everyone else, this is a proper session. The consistent nature of the Lane will be firing.

Tuesday the 15th is a drop-off. The swell is still 5ft in the morning, but a light cross-onshore wind from the S messes it up and the energy drops. Not great.

From Wednesday the 16th through to Monday the 21st, it’s a long, flat spell. Many days with tiny waves under 2ft and almost no energy. It’s a real lull. The wind is often light, but there’s just nothing to ride.

Then, on Monday afternoon the 21st, we get a late spark. A long-period 3ft SW groundswell arrives with a 17-second period and 410 units of energy. That’s a very long period swell, which will be perfect for a reef like Middle Peak, but can make beach breaks close out. The winds are light cross-off and clean. It’s a long-range signal, so don’t bet the farm, but it’s a hint the ocean is waking up. After that, the rest of the window quickly fades back into tiny, choppy junk.

So to sum it up: Your best windows are Saturday morning the 12th for the clean, long-period SW swell, and Monday afternoon the 14th for the biggest, strongest WNW swell with offshore winds. The rest of the time, keep the board in the bag.

Rusty.

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