Steamer Lane-The Slot Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let's get into it.

Alright, listen up. We're looking at a long stretch here at Steamer Lane-The Slot, and honestly, it's a bit of a slow burn for the first while. The surf is on the small side for quite a few days, and a lot of that time the conditions are just marginal. The water's sitting at about 60°, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year – a little gift from the ocean.

We kick things off Sunday the 9th with a tiny 2ft swell from the SSW, but it's got some serious period at 16 seconds – that's proper groundswell energy. The wind is light and onshore though, so it'll be a bit bumpy. The combined wave energy is moderate at 541. Monday the 10th through to Thursday the 13th is much the same story: waist-high waves around 4ft from the WNW, periods dropping to 9 seconds, with light onshore or cross-onshore breezes. It's not great.

We get a shift around Friday the 14th, but not a good one. The swell drops right off to 2ft, even with a very long 19-second period, the energy is moderate (422) but there's just not enough push to make it worthwhile. Saturday the 15th sees a little bump back to 3ft from the SSW, with a long 16-second period and moderate energy (609), but the onshore wind is still there.

Now, here's where we start to see a little light. Sunday the 16th and Monday the 17th stay small and cleanish, but nothing special. The first real standout is Tuesday the 18th in the morning. We've got a clean 3ft SSW swell with a 15-second period, and the wind goes glassy. Flat calm. That's the first time in this whole run we get that. The energy is moderate at 477, but it'll be clean as a whistle. If you can wait, that's your window.

The next real highlight, and the best of the whole outlook, is Thursday the 20th. The morning brings a push of swell – 5ft from the WNW, 10-second period, and the energy jumps to a strong 1010. It's a bit cross-onshore then, but the afternoon is the one. The swell drops slightly to 5ft from the WNW, still a nice 10-second period, and the wind goes glassy again. Moderate energy at 601, but it'll be absolutely pristine. For a reef break like The Slot, that long-period groundswell from the WNW is exactly what you want – it'll wrap in and shape up nicely on the reef. This is a solid expert-level wave, but it's the pick of the whole 16 days.

After that, from the 21st through to the 24th, the swell sticks around in the 4ft to 6ft range from the WNW, but the period drops to 8-9 seconds and the wind is mostly onshore or cross-onshore. By Monday the 24th, we're looking at a 6ft swell with moderate energy (753), but it's not clean.

So, the takeaway: a lot of small, average days, but you've got two clear windows of good, clean surf. The absolute standout is the afternoon of Thursday the 20th. Mark it. Tuesday the 18th morning is the backup.

Stay stoked,
Rusty

Read more