Thousand Steps Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s get straight into what’s shaping up for the next couple of weeks.

Looking at the whole 16-day picture, it’s a pretty quiet stretch. There’s swell on the way, but the wind is going to be a problem for most of it. The only spot we’ve got to talk about is Thousand Steps – a reef break that’s very consistent and exposed to the SW. The water is sitting at 75°F which is a massive 7°F warmer than usual, so that’s a real treat.

The first real chance of anything surfable won’t be until Sunday morning, the 9th of August. We’ve got a small SSW swell at 3ft with a solid 15-second period, and the wind finally swings onshore from the WSW. It’s still light, so it’s going to be a bit cleaner than the days before. The energy is moderate (260), but it’s only a marginal call – the tide could be a factor. This pattern of light onshore winds and small, long-period SSW swell continues through Monday and into Tuesday morning. The swell drops a bit on Tuesday down to 2ft, and the period is still long at 18 seconds, but the direction is a little more SW. The energy dips (278), but the wind is onshore. It’s not great, but it’s the best the first week has to offer.

After that, from the 12th of August onward, it’s a real grind. The swell stays tiny, mostly 2ft to 2ft, and the wind is almost always cross-onshore or onshore. The energy is still moderate, but the quality is just poor. There’s a bit of a bump in energy around the 14th and 15th of August – we see readings of 422 and 579 – but the swell is still only 2ft to 3ft, and the wind is cross-onshore from the W or WNW. That’s not going to be clean. The period stays around 16 seconds, which is good for the shape, but the wind is going to chop it up. For a reef break, that’s a shame.

The whole second week, from the 16th of August right through to the 22nd, is a write-off. The swell is consistently 2ft to 3ft, the wind is cross-onshore or onshore, and the energy drops back into the low 200s. We’re looking at a solid 7-8 day gap with nothing worth paddling out for. The period does drop a bit, too, down to 13-14 seconds, which doesn’t help.

Honestly, the standout here is a big ol’ shrug. The best window is that Sunday to Tuesday stretch early on (9th-11th August), but even then, it’s just marginal. If you’re desperate, the Sunday morning (9th) with the 3ft SSW swell and light onshore wind is your best bet. The long period will give it some shape, but it’s a reef, so it might be a bit fat. For a beginner, these tiny waves are fine, but nothing’s clean enough to get excited about.

This is a classic case of no good options. The swell is there, but the wind is cursed. It’s a real shame because the water is beautiful. Keep an eye on the charts, because this kind of pattern can shift, but for now, I’d say save the wax.

Rusty.

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