Surf Forecasts:
Steamer Lane-The Slot surf forecast from 15 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Saturday 15 Aug, 11PM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.0m), 16s period, SSW swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Thursday 20 Aug, 5PM (local time) - 5ft (1.6m), 12s period, WNW swell with 698 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Friday 14 Aug, 11PM (local time) - 2ft (0.6m), 18s period with SSW swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Steamer Lane-The Slot this week:
The surf forecast for Steamer Lane-The Slot over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Friday (Aug 14) at 11PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.6m and 18s period with a secondary swell of 0.7m and 7s. Another secondary swell of 0.7m and 14s is also forecast. Another secondary swell of 1.0m and 7s is also forecast. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Steamer Lane-The Slot in the next 16 days are 1.6m 12s and forecast to arrive on Thursday (Aug 20) at 5PM. Winds are predicted to be glassy at the time the swell arrives.
| Wave Type | Time (PDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 11PM (Fri 14th Aug) | 2ft (0.6m) 18s |
| Best Surf | 11PM (Sat 15th Aug) | 3.5ft (1.0m) 16s |
| Most Powerful | 5PM (Thu 20th Aug) | 5ft (1.6m) 12s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Steamer Lane-The Slot over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Right then, let’s have a look at what’s cooking for Steamer Lane. This spot is a reef, pretty exposed to the swell, and it’s usually handling waves from the west, west-northwest, and south-southwest. It’s a consistent wave, so we know it’ll be ticking over, but the next couple of days are looking rough. The water is running about 62°, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year.
The truth is, there’s hardly anything to get excited about until Tuesday the 18th. Friday the 14th through Monday the 17th is a write-off – poor conditions, messy cross-onshore wind, and the forecast quality isn’t there. It’s one of those stretches where you’re better off doing something else.
Tuesday the 18th is where things finally turn. Both the morning and afternoon look good with glassy conditions and a clean 3ft to 3ft swell out of the south-southwest. That’s a long period groundswell, 15 to 16 seconds, so those waves will have some real push and shape. It’s small, but clean. The wave energy is moderate, sitting at (381) in the morning and building to (579) in the afternoon.
Now, if you can wait, Thursday the 20th afternoon is the real standout. The swell jumps to 5ft out of the west-northwest with a 12-second period, and the wind is glassy. That’s got strong wave energy behind it (896) and it’s set to deliver some proper lines at the Lane. That’s the session to aim for.
The quality dips again into the following weekend, with a lot of marginal and poor tags hanging around. The long-range window does show a flicker of hope for Saturday the 29th afternoon, with 3ft south-southwest swell, a long 17-second period, and glassy conditions again. The energy is still strong at (742), so it’s worth keeping an eye on, but it’s a long way out and things often shuffle.
Overall, the best on offer is Thursday the 20th afternoon. The combination of the bigger 5ft west-northwest swell, that glassy wind, and a solid 12-second period should make for some excellent, lined-up waves. Tuesday the 18th is a good fallback if you want something clean and smaller.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 21°C on Sat afternoon, min 13°C on Fri night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 23°C on Mon afternoon, min 15°C on Mon night). Wind will be generally light. | |||||||||||||||||||
Fri 14 | Saturday 15 | Sunday 16 | Monday 17 | Tuesday 18 | Wednesday 19 | Thursday 20 | ||||||||||||||
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) | SSW 18 | SSW 18 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 15 | SSW 16 | SSW 14 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | NW 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 12 | NW 8 |
Wave Graph  | ||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 184 | 249 | 512 | 493 | 481 | 469 | 362 | 334 | 334 | 334 | 236 | 263 | 366 | 163 | 305 | 322 | 284 | 213 | 698 | 306 |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | cross-off | on | cross-on | glassy | on | cross-on | glassy | on | cross-on | cross | glassy | glassy | glassy | on | on | cross | cross-on | glassy | glassy |
High Tide | 00:22AM1.55m | 1:29PM1.52m | 1:14AM1.37m | 1:59PM1.54m | 2:12AM1.19m | 2:31PM1.55m | 3:25AM1.04m | 3:05PM1.55m | 5:30AM0.98m | 3:45PM1.54m | 8:24AM1.07m | 4:35PM1.53m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 6:21PM0.45m | 6:39AM0.01m | 7:13PM0.39m | 7:14AM0.23m | 8:08PM0.37m | 7:49AM0.46m | 9:09PM0.35m | 8:26AM0.69m | 10:17PM0.34m | 9:12AM0.89m | 11:30PM0.31m | 10:39AM1.04m | 00:41AM0.26m | |||||||
 |  | | | | | | | | |  | |  | | | | | | | | |
 | — | — | 6:24 | — | — | 6:24 | — | — | 6:26 | — | — | 6:26 | — | — | 6:28 | — | — | 6:28 | — | — |
 | 8:00 | — | — | 7:59 | — | — | 7:58 | — | — | 7:57 | — | — | 7:55 | — | — | 7:53 | — | — | 7:52 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 20 | 18 | 18 | 21 | 18 | 18 | 21 | 16 | 18 | 23 | 17 | 21 | 23 | 18 | 22 | 23 | 18 | 21 | 24 | 18 |
Feels °C | 18 | 16 | 18 | 20 | 18 | 17 | 20 | 16 | 18 | 23 | 17 | 21 | 22 | 19 | 22 | 23 | 19 | 21 | 24 | 18 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 14 | SW 14 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | WNW 7 | SSW 15 | SSW 16 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | SSW 15 | WNW 8 | WNW 10 | SSW 14 | WNW 8 |
| kJ | 140 | 214 | 512 | 493 | 481 | 469 | 362 | 334 | 334 | 334 | 127 | 263 | 366 | 107 | 145 | 322 | 154 | 155 | 183 | 202 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 18 | SSW 18 | WNW 6 | S 11 | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | WNW 6 | WNW 7 | SSW 10 | SSW 14 | WNW 8 | W 16 | SSW 14 | SSW 15 | WNW 12 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SW 19 | WNW 10 |
| kJ | 184 | 249 | 24 | 22 | 85 | 78 | 32 | 20 | 25 | 9 | 236 | 40 | 19 | 163 | 305 | 87 | 256 | 156 | 15 | 85 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 10 | WNW 7 | WNW 10 | SSW 13 | S 12 | S 10 | S 10 | WNW 9 | WNW 8 | S 10 | SSW 18 | SW 9 | S 10 | SSW 17 | WNW 13 | S 22 | WNW 11 | SSW 19 | — | SSW 14 |
| kJ | 17 | 43 | 20 | 17 | 24 | 8 | 8 | 17 | 24 | 2 | 31 | 3 | 2 | 95 | 59 | 9 | 102 | 36 | — | 163 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WNW 7 | NW 7 | NW 7 | WNW 10 | NW 6 | — | WNW 6 | — | WNW 6 | WNW 8 | NW 7 | WNW 7 | WNW 8 | — | NW 8 | WNW 8 | NW 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 12 | NW 8 |
| kJ | 61 | 84 | 47 | 116 | 46 | — | 20 | — | 54 | 128 | 210 | 75 | 192 | — | 248 | 209 | 284 | 213 | 698 | 306 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 5 | 0 | 104 | 5 | 0 | 104 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 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-The Slot Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Steamer Lane-The Slot 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-The Slot can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Steamer Lane-The Slot 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-The Slot) 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-The Slot 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-The Slot 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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