Steps Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G'day, Rusty here. Let's be straight with ya – the surf outlook for Steps is a real mixed bag of waiting game and absolute monsters. The first week is pretty flat, but hold onto your board for the second week. There's one true standout that will get the heart racing, but only if you're a seasoned charger.

We kick off Friday the 3rd to Monday the 7th with a long, slow grind. The swell is tiny, mostly 1.0 ft to 2 ft, coming from the south with a pretty average period of 4 to 9 seconds. The wave energy is weak, measuring in the low teens to fifties (8 to 56). Combine that with light cross-shore winds, and it's just not worth paddling out. It's a real dry spell.

Then things get serious. Tuesday the 7th afternoon, the ocean starts to wake up. Out of nowhere, a 6 ft SE groundswell rolls in with a long, powerful 18-second period. The energy jumps to 1859, and with glassy conditions, it's clean and lined up. This is excellent surf, but at this size, it's really for experienced crew. The wave direction is hitting the optimum SW exposure, so it should wrap in nicely. This is the first real chance you'll get.

But that's just the appetiser. Wednesday the 8th and Thursday the 9th see the swell absolutely detonate. We're talking 10 ft, then 16 ft, then 18 ft of pure SE groundswell, with periods holding at 18 to 19 seconds. The energy readings are through the roof – 4952, then 15224, then 21975. Winds are offshore and clean, so the shape will be there. But at this size, it's simply too big for Steps. This is expert territory only, and even then, the power will be extreme. A solid offshore breeze on the 10th pushes 25 ft to 26 ft waves, with energy readings over 35,000 – that's a major, major swell event. It'll be clean but incredibly heavy.

The swell backs down a notch on Saturday the 11th, but 12 ft to 13 ft SSE groundswell is still very serious. By Sunday the 12th and Monday the 13th, it drops to 7 ft to 6 ft, but the period shortens to 8-10 seconds and the wind picks up. The conditions are downgraded to marginal.

The real highlight, the one to pencil in, lands on Tuesday the 14th. We’ve got a 8 ft SSE groundswell with a 10-second period, giving a solid 1070 in energy. The wind is a light cross-offshore from the SE, keeping the faces clean. This is labelled "excellent surf for experienced surfers," and at just over 7 ft, it's a proper, powerful wave without being a total washing machine. The swell direction matches the optimum SW exposure, so expect some proper, grinding walls.

Wednesday the 15th morning is still big at 10 ft from the south, but the afternoon drops to a much more manageable 8 ft with a solid 11-second period and light offshore winds. That’s a great session for anyone who can handle it. Thursday the 16th offers 7 ft and 6 ft waves with clean offshore breeze, a good way to finish the run.

After that, the swell fades again into flatness from the 17th onwards. So, if you're chasing the big stuff, the window from the 7th to the 15th is where it's at. But for the best balance of size, power, and clean conditions, Tuesday the 14th afternoon is the standout call. Mark it down.

Rusty.

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