Steps Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's have a look at what the next couple of weeks are serving up for Steps.

Straight up, the pattern is grim for a good chunk of this run. We've got some small windows of surfable, clean conditions early on, but nothing to get amped about. The real story here is a massive spike in swell that hits later in the week, but with winds that are completely wrong for getting a decent wave. It’s a tough outlook.

The opening Monday morning, the 17th of August, offers a brief glimpse. We’ve got a small 2ft SW groundswell mixing with a gentle offshore ESE breeze, leaving the surface looking clean. The overall energy is weak (90), so it’s just little dribblers. It’s surfable, but far from good. The water temp is 84°, bang on average for this time of year.

Then we hit a long, flat gap. From Monday afternoon right through until early Thursday, conditions are poor. Swell stays small, winds shift around, and we get a risk of thunderstorms. Nothing worth paddling out for.

Now, things get wild but not in a good way. On Thursday afternoon, the 20th of August, the swell jumps to a massive 12ft from the SE with a period of 9 seconds and a very high combined energy of 1728. Winds are light cross-off and clean, but that size is just way too big and unruly for this break. That’s expert territory only, and even then, probably not a good idea. Friday sees a drop back to a slightly more manageable but still messy 5ft from the SE. The wind is a moderate cross-off breeze, but the conditions are 'marginal' at best. Saturday the 22nd gets jacked again with a 10ft SSE swell and strong energy (1187). Again, the size is the problem.

From Sunday onwards, the swell drops back, but the wind turns cross-shore and stays fresh, making for choppy, bumpy conditions. A tiny window on Monday morning the 24th shows a small 4ft S swell with a light southerly breeze, keeping things clean, but it’s not enough to get excited about with only 201 combined energy.

The second week is a complete washout. We get another big swell pulse around the 27th of August (13ft NW, energy at 2884), but it's accompanied by a fresh cross-onshore wind, just blowing it to pieces. Absolutely unsurfable. The wind only gets stronger after that, with gale force gusts, making it a total right-off all the way to the start of September. The only thing that might work here is a kite.

So, to be brutally honest, there are no standout days in this outlook. The biggest swells are paired with the worst winds. If you had to, the cleanest wave of the whole run is probably Thursday morning the 20th, but the size makes it a no-go for most. Save your energy.

Rusty.

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