Surf Forecasts:
Steamer Lane-The Slot surf forecast from 18 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Thursday 20 Aug, 2AM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.8m), 15s period, SSW swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Tuesday 18 Aug, 5PM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 16s period, SSW swell with 366 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Monday 17 Aug, 11PM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.8m), 14s 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 Monday (Aug 17) at 11PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.8m and 14s period with a secondary swell of 0.4m and 9s. Another secondary swell of 0.4m and 4s is also forecast. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Steamer Lane-The Slot in the next 16 days are 0.9m 16s and forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Aug 18) at 5PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives.
| Wave Type | Time (PDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 11PM (Mon 17th Aug) | 2.5ft (0.8m) 14s |
| Best Surf | 2AM (Thu 20th Aug) | 2.5ft (0.8m) 15s |
| Most Powerful | 5PM (Tue 18th Aug) | 3ft (0.9m) 16s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Steamer Lane-The Slot over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, Rusty here again. Time to talk surf for the next couple of weeks.
Right off the bat, it's looking pretty darn slow. The beginning of this stretch is full of small, lumpy, cross-onshore junk. You'll be scratching your head wondering if it's even worth paddling out for a dribbly waist-high wave. The water is a warm 62°F, which is about 4°F warmer than normal for this time of year, so at least it'll be comfortable waiting around for a set.
Your first real window of opportunity is the afternoon of Thursday, August 20th. The wind dies and goes glassy, leaving a clean but tiny 0.7m swell from the SSW with a 14-second period. The energy is moderate (374), but for a summer session, a completely glassy Slot is a rare treat. It's not going to be big, but it'll be the best the first week has to offer.
After that, we're back to the grovel-fest for a few days with more light cross-onshore winds and weak, short-period NW windswell. The period drops to 7-9 seconds, which is just no good. You'll be seeing plenty of peaks that don't stand up and a whole lot of nothing.
Now, if you can hold out, the real promise is at the end of the window. The stand-out time looks to be the weekend of August 29th and 30th. The swell builds to a solid 1-1.2m from the SSW with a much longer period of 16-18 seconds. The combined energy takes a massive jump, peaking at 971 on the morning of the 29th. This is the real deal, a proper groundswell that will have the Lane working with some real push.
The wind is still a slight issue, looking cross-onshore out of the west, but the power and long-period nature of this swell should make it worth dealing with. This point-reef setup loves that kind of long-period energy. The 30th also looks very solid with energy at 846. These are the days to circle on the calendar, though of course, it's a ways out and can change.
So, my advice: give the early part a miss, maybe sneak out for the glassy scraps on the 20th, and save your energy for the final weekend of August. It looks like it's going to be worth the wait.
Rusty, out.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 23°C on Wed afternoon, min 13°C on Mon night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 25°C on Thu afternoon, min 16°C on Thu night). Wind will be generally light. | |||||||||||||||||||
Mon 17 | Tuesday 18 | Wednesday 19 | Thursday 20 | Friday 21 | Saturday 22 | Sunday 23 | ||||||||||||||
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 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 15 | SSW 16 | SSW 14 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SW 18 | NW 7 | SSW 13 | NW 7 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | S 16 | WNW 9 | SW 18 |
Wave Graph  | ||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 334 | 236 | 322 | 366 | 163 | 305 | 322 | 256 | 156 | 183 | 184 | 105 | 131 | 99 | 106 | 128 | 125 | 129 | 144 | 157 |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | glassy | cross-on | cross-on | glassy | cross-on | cross-on | glassy | cross-on | glassy | cross | cross-on | cross-on | glassy | cross-on | cross-on | glassy | cross-on | on | glassy |
High Tide | 2:31PM1.55m | 3:25AM1.04m | 3:05PM1.55m | 5:30AM0.98m | 3:45PM1.54m | 8:24AM1.07m | 4:35PM1.53m | 9:22AM1.18m | 5:34PM1.53m | 9:57AM1.25m | 6:37PM1.55m | 10:24AM1.28m | 7:34PM1.58m | |||||||
Low Tide | 9:09PM0.35m | 8:26AM0.69m | 10:17PM0.34m | 9:12AM0.89m | 11:30PM0.31m | 10:39AM1.04m | 00:41AM0.26m | 12:15PM1.10m | 1:40AM0.19m | 1:24PM1.09m | 2:29AM0.11m | 2:15PM1.02m | 3:08AM0.03m | |||||||
 |  |  | |  | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
 | — | — | 6:26 | — | — | 6:28 | — | — | 6:28 | — | — | 6:28 | — | — | 6:30 | — | — | 6:31 | — | — |
 | 7:57 | — | — | 7:55 | — | — | 7:53 | — | — | 7:52 | — | — | 7:52 | — | — | 7:51 | — | — | 7:49 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 20 | 16 | 19 | 22 | 17 | 20 | 23 | 18 | 22 | 25 | 19 | 22 | 25 | 20 | 22 | 24 | 19 | 22 | 24 | 18 |
Feels °C | 19 | 16 | 18 | 21 | 17 | 19 | 23 | 19 | 21 | 24 | 19 | 21 | 24 | 20 | 21 | 23 | 20 | 21 | 23 | 19 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 15 | SSW 16 | WNW 7 | WNW 8 | SSW 15 | WNW 8 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | WNW 7 | WNW 11 | WNW 11 | SSW 13 | WNW 7 | SSW 13 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | SSW 12 | WNW 9 |
| kJ | 334 | 236 | 322 | 366 | 104 | 107 | 322 | 117 | 156 | 183 | 108 | 91 | 64 | 99 | 51 | 65 | 125 | 111 | 51 | 84 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WNW 9 | WNW 6 | WNW 7 | W 16 | SSW 14 | SSW 15 | W 12 | SSW 15 | WNW 12 | WNW 12 | WNW 11 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | SW 17 | SSW 16 | S 16 | SW 18 | S 14 |
| kJ | 26 | 22 | 35 | 19 | 163 | 305 | 78 | 256 | 107 | 109 | 91 | 105 | 99 | 58 | 56 | 73 | 97 | 129 | 83 | 106 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 10 | WNW 9 | WNW 8 | S 10 | SSW 17 | WNW 13 | S 22 | WNW 11 | SSW 19 | SW 19 | SSW 14 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SSW 17 | SSW 13 | S 10 | SSW 12 | SW 19 | SSW 16 | SW 18 |
| kJ | 9 | 26 | 24 | 2 | 95 | 59 | 9 | 102 | 36 | 15 | 183 | 81 | 79 | 30 | 68 | 2 | 29 | 94 | 84 | 157 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WNW 7 | NW 7 | NW 7 | WNW 8 | — | — | WNW 8 | NW 8 | WNW 7 | NW 5 | NW 7 | WNW 7 | NW 7 | WNW 7 | NW 7 | WNW 8 | — | — | WNW 9 | — |
| kJ | 25 | 75 | 65 | 122 | — | — | 138 | 244 | 88 | 67 | 184 | 99 | 131 | 83 | 106 | 128 | — | — | 144 | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 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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