Surf Forecasts:
Thousand Steps surf forecast from 15 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Sunday 19 Jul, 11PM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 15s period, SSW swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Tuesday 21 Jul, 11AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.1m), 16s period, SSW swell with 575 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Sunday 19 Jul, 8AM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 12s period with S swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Thousand Steps this week:
The surf forecast for Thousand Steps over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Sunday (Jul 19) at 8AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.9m and 12s period with a secondary swell of 0.6m and 16s. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Thousand Steps in the next 16 days are 1.1m 16s and forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Jul 21) at 11AM. Winds are predicted to be onshore at the time the swell arrives.
| Wave Type | Time (PDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 8AM (Sun 19th Jul) | 3ft (0.9m) 12s |
| Best Surf | 11PM (Sun 19th Jul) | 3ft (0.9m) 15s |
| Most Powerful | 11AM (Tue 21st Jul) | 3.5ft (1.1m) 16s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Thousand Steps over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, Rusty here. Let’s break down what’s coming at Thousand Steps.
First off, the honest truth: it’s a slow, flat start. The first few days are not worth getting wet for. Swell is only 1ft, and the wind is either cross-on or straight onshore, making for messy, poor conditions. The combined wave energy is weak, sitting between 139 and 220, so there’s just no juice. You’re looking at a gap of several days with no real surf on offer.
It’s not until the morning of Saturday, July 18th that things start to wake up. The swell nudges up to 2ft from the SW, still small, but the wind goes light and onshore, and the energy climbs to 381. Still, it’s only marginal. The morning of Sunday, July 19th is a slight step up, with 3ft from the S and light onshore wind for clean conditions, though the period is a short 12 seconds, so don’t expect much power. The combined energy hits 525, which is at least moderate.
The real standout, and the one to circle on the calendar, is the morning of Saturday, July 25th. We’ve got 3ft of swell from the SSW, but the period is a very long 21 seconds—that’s proper groundswell. The combined energy is a strong 1245, so there’s some serious power in the water. The wind is light cross-on from the west, which isn’t glassy, but it’s light enough that the reef at Thousand Steps should handle it well. With that long period, expect clean, lined-up waves with good shape, though it might be a bit too straight for the beach sections. It’s an intermediate-friendly size, so no worries there.
The following day, Sunday, July 26th morning, is also worth a mention. Swell bumps up to 5ft from the SSW, with a period of 14 seconds and a combined energy of 1612—that’s strong, pushing into the big range. The wind is light cross-on, so it’ll be a bit bumpy but still rideable. That’s a day for the experienced crew, maybe too much for beginners.
Overall, the standout is definitely the Saturday, July 25th session. The long-period groundswell and moderate energy mean it’s the best shaped and most powerful window in the whole outlook. After that, the following week looks more marginal again, with smaller swells and more cross-on wind, so don’t sleep on that Saturday.
Crowds can be a problem here sometimes, so get in early.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 23°C on Wed morning, min 20°C on Tue night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 21°C on Fri night, min 19°C on Sat night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wednesday 15 | Thursday 16 | Friday 17 | Saturday 18 | Sunday 19 | Monday 20 | Tue 21 | |||||||||||||||
Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | |
Swell Height Map |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | |||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 18 | SW 18 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 19 | SW 19 | SW 14 | SW 15 | SW 18 | SW 18 | S 11 | S 12 | SW 17 | SSW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 152 | 78 | 96 | 90 | 64 | 88 | 126 | 130 | 74 | 77 | 246 | 255 | 116 | 268 | 350 | 318 | 255 | 258 | 334 | 575 | 525 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | cross-on | on | cross | cross-on | cross | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross-on | on | cross | on | on | cross | on | on | cross | on | on |
High Tide | 9:42PM2.56m | 11:28AM1.71m | 10:30PM2.45m | 12:10PM1.76m | 11:19PM2.26m | 12:51PM1.80m | 00:08AM2.01m | 1:34PM1.84m | 1:01AM1.74m | 2:18PM1.86m | 2:06AM1.48m | 3:05PM1.88m | 3:41AM1.29m | 3:55PM1.89m | |||||||
Low Tide | 4:57AM-0.12m | 4:20PM0.95m | 5:38AM-0.01m | 5:15PM0.94m | 6:17AM0.16m | 6:15PM0.94m | 6:55AM0.36m | 7:21PM0.95m | 7:31AM0.58m | 8:39PM0.94m | 8:06AM0.79m | 10:09PM0.88m | 8:44AM0.98m | ||||||||
 | |  |  | | | | | |  | | | | | | | | | | | | |
 | — | 5:50 | — | — | 5:52 | — | — | 5:52 | — | — | 5:52 | — | — | 5:54 | — | — | 5:54 | — | — | 5:54 | — |
 | 8:01 | — | 8:00 | — | — | 8:00 | — | — | 8:00 | — | — | 8:00 | — | — | 7:59 | — | — | 7:59 | — | — | 7:58 |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 21 | 23 | 23 | 22 | 23 | 22 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 20 | 21 | 21 | 20 | 21 | 21 | 20 | 21 | 22 |
Feels °C | 21 | 24 | 24 | 23 | 23 | 21 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 21 | 21 | 22 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 22 | 22 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 13 | W 6 | SSW 12 | W 6 | W 7 | W 10 | W 8 | W 7 | SW 14 | SW 15 | SW 18 | S 12 | S 11 | S 12 | S 11 | S 12 | S 11 | SW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 |
| kJ | 96 | 15 | 50 | 20 | 47 | 65 | 32 | 25 | 74 | 77 | 246 | 99 | 116 | 268 | 246 | 214 | 188 | 258 | 334 | 575 | 525 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 18 | SSW 13 | W 6 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 19 | W 6 | W 6 | S 12 | SW 18 | SW 16 | SW 17 | SW 17 | SSW 16 | SW 16 | S 10 | S 9 | W 6 | SSE 13 |
| kJ | 152 | 65 | 9 | 90 | 64 | 88 | 77 | 130 | 13 | 6 | 67 | 255 | 65 | 235 | 350 | 318 | 255 | 100 | 61 | 27 | 16 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 4 | SW 18 | SW 16 | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | SW 19 | SW 14 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SW 13 | SW 13 | S 14 | WNW 15 | W 15 | W 4 | W 5 | W 5 | W 5 | SSE 14 | W 13 |
| kJ | 9 | 78 | 96 | 48 | 28 | 27 | 126 | 54 | 51 | 49 | 27 | 27 | 35 | 22 | 17 | 3 | 9 | 8 | 21 | 20 | 3 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | SSE 2 | SSE 3 | SSE 4 | SSE 4 | SSE 3 | SSE 3 | — | — | — | W 5 | — | — | — | — | — | W 6 |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 4 | 11 | 5 | 2 | 1 | — | — | — | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | 25 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 7 | 70 | 133 | 70 | 70 | 70 | 70 | 70 | 70 | 70 | 70 | 70 | 22 | 70 | 104 | 2 | 70 | 104 | 13 | 59 | 153 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Orange County | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United States | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the Thousand Steps Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Thousand Steps provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Thousand Steps can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Thousand Steps surf forecast is unique since it includes wave energy (power) that defines the real feel of the surf rather than just the height or the period. If you surf the same spot (Thousand Steps) regularly then make a mental note of the wave energy from the surf forecast table each time you go. Very soon you may start to choose your surf days based on the wave energy alone combined with our forecast of favourable offshore wind conditions. Our star ratings will help here and of course you will also find the usual wave height and period predictions on our surf forecasts as well as a full break down of the swell components under our advanced users option (to reveal that, click the little Einstein character under the tide times).
Further information to help with frequently asked questions about our surf forecast for Thousand Steps may be found under the help tab on the top menu and also by moving your mouse over the question marks on the surf forecast table itself. Please always bear in mind that the forecast is for near-shore open water and local factors at each surf break influence the actual breaking wave height, such as the beach / reef profile, water depths offshore and shelter.
Thousand Steps is 4 km (2 miles) from Laguna Niguel. If you plan a vacation in Orange County, look for hotels and other accommodation in Laguna Niguel. Laguna Niguel has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.
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