Steamer Lane-The Slot Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Grab your wettie, folks. It’s Rusty here, and I’ve been staring at the charts for the next couple weeks. Honestly, for a spot as classic as Steamer Lane-The Slot, it’s a bit of a mixed bag. The water’s sitting at 61°, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year, so you might get away with a thinner suit.

We’re looking at a lot of small, drawn-out south-southwest groundswells with some seriously long periods (15-19 seconds). That means the waves have plenty of energy (moderate energy in the 400-500 range), but that long period tends to make beach breaks wall up and close out. For a reef like The Slot, it could actually line up beautifully, but only if the wind plays nice. The main issue is that most of this period has a cross-onshore wind out of the west or west-northwest, which will put a bit of a ruffle on the surface. It won’t be glassy, but it won’t be blown out either.

The first real standout window opens up on Sunday morning, September 13th. The swell bumps up to 4 ft out of the west-northwest, and more importantly, we get a glassy period with a slight air. That’s the kind of clean, lump-free surface you want. The energy is a bit lower (268), so it won't be firing, but it'll be workable and fun. That clean spell carries into Monday morning, September 14th, with the swell building to 5 ft. The period is still short at 9 seconds, so expect a bit more push than the previous day. This is the best bet for a proper session.

Now, look out for Saturday, September 20th. We get a jump in swell height to 6 ft out of the northwest, and the energy jumps up to strong (1006). That’s the most powerful swell of the whole window. However, the period is only 8 seconds, which is a short-period wind swell, so it’ll be a bit of a messy, lumpy wave. The wind is light cross-onshore, so not ideal. If you’re an expert, it’s worth a look because there will be some grunt, but for most, it’ll be a bit of a battle. This is the only time the swell gets over 5 ft, but it won't be clean enough for beginners.

After that, things drop right back down. We’re looking at small, long-period south swells for the rest of the second week. There’s a glassy morning on Thursday, September 24th, but with only 2 ft on offer. There just isn't the size to get excited about. For the majority of this 16-day run, the surf is going to be marginal. There are no real epic days, just a couple of clean, small windows.

To be straight with you, if you can only surf once, make it Sunday morning, September 13th, or Monday morning, September 14th. Those are the best on offer.

Stay safe out there.
Rusty

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