Steps Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s talk about what’s cooking at Steps.

First off, the water temp is sitting pretty much where you’d expect for this time of year, nothing weird going on. Now, the bad news: the next week is a write-off. There’s a long dry spell from now until the end of the first week of September. Thursday the 4th and Friday the 5th are a total mess with thunderstorms and a fresh cross-shore wind blowing at 19 mph, kicking up a lumpy cross-chop. The swell is there, around 6 ft, but it’s ugly and unsurfable. Don’t even bother.

Saturday the 6th and Sunday the 7th? The swell drops right off into the dirt, under 3 ft, and the wind stays on it or cross-shore. It’s a graveyard out there. The whole stretch from Thursday the 4th right through to Thursday the 11th is basically a dead zone for any decent wave. That’s over a week of nothing.

The real action starts Friday the 11th. And I mean it. This is the standout, the one you’ve been waiting for. Friday morning the 11th we see a new 6 ft swell from the SE, but it’s the Friday afternoon that’s the gem. The wind drops to glassy, absolutely dead calm, and the swell bumps up to 8 ft out of the SE with a solid 9-second period. The wave energy is pumping, with a combined energy reading of 747 (moderate wave energy). This is going to be clean, glassy, and offering some proper shape. The offshore wind is light from the ENE, but by afternoon it’s just glass. This is for the intermediate crew; 8 ft is pushing it for beginners.

Saturday the 12th is also a solid shout. A moderate offshore wind from the E at 12 mph on the morning session keeps things clean with a 6 ft SSE swell and a combined energy of 617 (moderate wave energy). The morning is the pick, as the afternoon gets a bit cross-off and the score drops.

After that, it fades fast. Sunday the 13th and Monday the 14th see the swell drop to under 3 ft, and it’s all over by Tuesday the 15th. A tiny pulse of 4 ft on Thursday the 17th might be surfable, but it’s ordinary with a short 6-second period, so don’t get your hopes up.

So, the call is simple: if you’ve got a board, you’re waiting for Friday the 11th afternoon. That’s the one. The glassy conditions and that 8 ft SE groundswell will be the best the region sees for the whole 16 days. It’s a long way off, but it looks promising. Surf it while it’s good, because it’s gone by Sunday.

Rusty.

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