Steps Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, surfers, Rusty here. Let's have a look at what's cookin' at Steps.

Right off the bat, we've got a bit of a mixed bag. The water's sitting at a warm 84°, which is pretty much spot on for this time of year, so no surprises there. The first few days are all about small, messy surf with a risk of thunderstorms, so don't go getting your hopes up just yet.

We start off on Wednesday the 19th with a tiny 1ft S swell, period a short 8 seconds and combined energy way down at 22. It's poor. Thursday the 20th morning isn't much better, with 3ft S swells, but those offshore ESE winds will keep things clean. It gets a bit more interesting Thursday afternoon when the swell bumps up to 4ft from the S, still a short 9-second period, but the combined energy climbs to a moderate 209. The wind stays offshore, and the report suggests these are "expect good surf conditions." That's your first real window, but it's small and short-period.

Friday the 21st is a write-off. The morning is ordinary, and by the afternoon, the wind screaming at 31 mph from the ESE turns that 4ft SSW swell into a choppy mess. Don't bother.

Now, here's where it gets wild. Saturday the 22nd and Sunday the 23rd see a massive pulse of swell, but it's way too much for this spot. The Saturday morning forecast shows a 13ft SSE swell with a 10-second period and a combined energy of a massive 3168! The wind is offshore, but the report is clear: this is too big for Steps. Unless you're a big-wave expert on a gun, stay on the beach. Sunday morning is similar with an 12ft SSE swell at 11 seconds (now we're talking some groundswell period), energy at 2868, but again, too big.

Things settle down from Monday the 24th but remain marginal. The swell drops to 6ft SSE on Monday morning, but the wind is still a fresh offshore breeze. The combined energy is a moderate 716, but the report calls it marginal. This pattern of mediocre, wind-affected surf continues right through until the end of August.

There is a glimmer of hope on Sunday the 30th of August. We've got a 4ft NW swell with a 10-second period and 469 combined energy. The wind is a light breeze from the NE, giving us cross-offshore conditions. The report says "expect good surf conditions." This is your standout for the entire two-week outlook. The swell direction is off the NW, and while Steps likes a SW optimum, a clean 4ft is better than anything else on offer.

After that, it's back to small, onshore slop for the first few days of September. The swell tries to kick up again on the 3rd with an 8ft NW swell, but the wind is on it and the report says it's poor.

For the whole run, the biggest issue is that the good swells are either too big for the break or the wind ruins the smaller ones. The standout is the morning session on Sunday, the 30th of August – get on it if you can, as it's clean and rideable. Most of the rest of the time, you're fighting the elements for scraps.

Rusty.

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