Steps Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here with a look at what's cooking for the region. We've got a bit of a slow start, but things are shaping up to have a couple of moments worth getting excited about.

The first real surfable push arrives on Tuesday the 11th. It's not huge, but there's a solid S swell rolling in at 4.9ft with a period of 10 seconds and moderate wave energy (548). The wind is light and offshore from the SE, which will keep the face of the wave clean. That's good, clean surf on the cards for Tuesday morning. The water temp is about average for the time of year.

Wednesday morning the 12th gets a bit murky with a cross-shore wind and a drop in energy to 298, so that's more of a wait-and-see session. But Wednesday afternoon, the wind swings cross-offshore from the S, and the waves are still a clean 3.6ft from the SW. The energy is moderate (335). It's surfable, but nothing to write home about.

Thursday the 13th through Sunday the 18th is a bit of a flat spell for quality. The swell drops off below 3.3ft, and the wind turns onshore or cross-onshore, leaving choppy, poor conditions. There are small windows with offshore flow and waves around 2.9ft, but the energy is low (under 200), and the comments say "ordinary" at best. It's a stretch of days where you might get a grovel board wave, but don't plan a trip around it.

Now, here's the standout for the big boys. On Thursday the 20th of August, the models are showing a massive spike. Late in the afternoon, an 11.5ft SE swell is forecast with a period of 10 seconds and very strong wave energy (1935). The wind is offshore from the SE at 30 mph, so the conditions will be clean. But let's be clear—that's expert territory. Anything over 8ft is for experienced surfers only, and this one is well into the "hold onto your lunch" category. For everyone else, it's a day for photos and maybe a kite if you're into that sort of thing.

Friday the 21st cleans up the leftovers of that big pulse. We'll see the swell drop to a more manageable 5.2ft from the SSE on Friday morning, with light offshore winds and moderate energy (394). That’s likely the best all-rounder day for intermediate surfers in the window. The S swell continues at 4.6ft in the afternoon with offshore wind too.

After that, the last week of the forecast turns pretty bleak. From the 22nd of August onward, the swell drops below 3.3ft consistently, and the winds get strong (25-28 mph) and offshore. The energy plummets into double digits (115, 68, 44). It becomes hard to paddle into, even if the faces are clean. There’s a very long gap with no good recommendations, finishing out the 16-day window with nothing to chase.

Right, that's the long and short of it.

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