Thousand Steps Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, grab your board. We’re looking at a bit of a flat spell on the horizon, but there are a few windows where the ocean might just wake up. Let’s break it down day by day.

The first week is looking pretty grim. From Monday the 17th through to Sunday the 23rd, it’s mostly small and messy. We've got swell in the 2ft to 3ft range, but it’s all coming in with a cross-onshore breeze for most of it, making it choppy and pretty much unrideable. There are some attempts at clean conditions—Wednesday the 19th and the following Saturday and Sunday have light onshore wind—but the swell is just too weak to push over the reef. The combined energy is weak for most of this, generally in the low hundreds. You’d be paddling around for nothing.

Tuesday the 18th is a write-off. The swell drops to a mere 2ft and it’s cross-onshore. Not worth the wetsuit.

Then, the first real glimmer of hope comes on Thursday the 27th. It’s still small, only 2ft, but that wind goes glassy in the afternoon. The swell is a long-period SW, around 14 seconds. This could be clean, but it’s marginal. You're looking at knee-to-waist-high waves that are clean. It's a long-shot, but it's the best Thursday's got.

The standout of the whole 16 days is the final weekend. Saturday the 29th and Sunday the 30th see the swell start to pick up. We’re talking 3ft to 3ft, still not huge, but the period is solid, 16-17 seconds, which is proper groundswell. The energy is still reading as "moderate" but it's starting to pump harder, with combined energy readings of 561 on Saturday morning and 554 on Sunday morning. The catch is the wind is still not ideal—which is cross-on for Saturday, and onshore for Sunday. It's going to be a bit lumpy, but there's enough push to make it fun for the intermediate crew. This is promising, but remember this is a week out, so don't book your flights just yet.

The following Monday and Tuesday, September 1st, look similar, with 3ft–3ft SW swell but with cross-onshore winds keeping it from being perfect.

One thing to know about Thousand Steps (Big Island), it's exposed and a very consistent reef break. The swell direction is right for the spot, so when there is energy, it can handle it. With the bigger days, the longer period, 16-17 seconds, will make for more powerful waves. It might be a bit much for a beginner, but for an intermediate, this could be a morning session to circle on the calendar.

Honestly, for this stretch, if you're just looking for waves, the setup at this break looks more interesting for a kite surfer than a paddle surfer, given the swell and wind patterns. But if you're patient, the late August window is the one.

Stay stoked.

Rusty

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