Surf-Forecast | Thousand Steps Surf Guide

Lat Long: 33.50° N 117.74° W

Issued: 3 pm 01 Nov 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in hr min

Today's Thousand Steps sea temperature is

23.1°C

Thousand Steps surf forecast is for near shore open water. Breaking waves will often be smaller at less exposed spots.

Photo by: Nate O.

Thousand Steps Surf Guide

Thousand Steps in Orange County is an exposed reef break that is usually a safe bet and works all around the year. The best wind direction is from the northeast. Clean groundswells prevail and the ideal swell angle is from the southwest. Good surf at all stages of the tide. When the surf is up, it can get quite busy in the water. Hazards include - Rocks - Localism.

Thousand Steps Spot Info

Type:	Rating:	Reliability:	Todays Sea Temp*:
Reef	3	very consistent	23.1°C*ocean temperature recorded from satellite

Surfing Thousand Steps:

The best conditions reported for surf at Thousand Steps occur when a Southwest swell combines with an offshore wind direction from the Northeast.

Hourly Forecast

16 Day Forecast

What's the best time of year to surf Thousand Steps (for consistent clean waves)?

octoberBest Season: autumn

The best time of year for surfing Thousand Steps with consistent clean waves (rideable swell with light / offshore winds) is during Autumn and most often the month of October. Clean surfable waves are typically found 54% of the time in October while 42% of the time it tends to be blown out. For the remaining 4% of the time it is considered too small by most surfers but may still be OK for beginners and groms at times.

clean

54%

Surfable waves that hold up well for longer rides in prevailing cross-offshore, offshore or light wind conditions.

blown out

42%

Surfable sized waves that are of poorer quality due to prevailing onshore, cross-onshore or windy conditions (may be preferable for kitesurfing).

too small

Waves usually considered too small for good surf. Some wave-magnet breaks may still work though if conditions are right (on occasion).

Explore Thousand Steps Location Map

Interactive Thousand Steps surf break location map. View information about nearby surf breaks, their wave consistency and rating compared to other spots in the region. Current swell conditions from local buoys are shown along with live wind speed and direction from nearby weather stations. Click icons on the map for more detail. The closest passenger airport to Thousand Steps is John Wayne Arpt Orange Co (Santa Ana) Airport (SNA) in USA, 23 km (14 miles) away (directly). The second nearest airport to Thousand Steps is Tustin Mcaf Airport (NTK), also in USA, 24 km (15 miles) away.

Map Icons:
Break
Live Wave Height (m)
Live Wind Speed (km/h)
Surf Rating (10 Max)
Ocean Swells (m)
Wind Speed (km/h)

Please note that some surf spot locations are approximate to protect their exact location while others are not shown at close zoom level.

Thousand Steps Surf Forecasts:

Hourly Forecast

16 Day Forecast

Todays Surf Summary
Monday, 2 November 2026, 01:20 Local Time

m, °C	Sun		Mon
ft, °F	7PM	10PM	1AM	4AM
Wave (m)	SSW	SSW	SSW	SSW
Period (s)	15	15	16	16
Wind (km/h)
Wind State	cross- on	glass	cross	cross- off

What does Thousand Steps look like?

Latest photos from Thousand Steps. Upload your own or view all photos on the gallery page.

Credit: Nate O.

Tides at Thousand Steps

Current tide and informaton

For Laguna Niguel, 4 km from Thousand Steps.

Next High Water: 04:44am | 1.69m

Next Low Water: 09:56am | 1.2m

NEXT	IS AT (local time)	remaining
high tide
low tide

Thousand Steps Sea Temperature

Sunny with pleasantly warm air temperatures (feeling like 20.0 °C once we account for wind), and similar sea temperatures (23.1 °C). Wear boardshorts or a shorty, or better still a thin summer wetsuit to keep the UV off.

Today, many surfers would wear a shorty.

Current Temp*: 23.1°C*ocean temperature recorded from satellite