Thousand Steps Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright mate, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s on the cards for the coming weeks down at Thousand Steps (reef).

First thing to note – the water is sitting at a temperature that’s pretty much what you’d expect for this time of year, nothing out of the ordinary there.

Right, let’s be straight with you – the next week and a half is looking pretty ordinary. From Tuesday the 11th through to about Sunday the 16th, we’ve got tiny swell hanging around the 0.5m to 0.7m mark. It’s mostly from the SSW, with periods around 13 to 16 seconds, so there’s a bit of groundswell in the mix, but honestly, the wind’s letting us down. Most of these days have a cross-onshore breeze, and the wave state is being described as choppy or with wind ripples. The combined energy is only hitting between 180 and 508, which is on the low to moderate side, but the quality just isn’t there for a good paddle. Expect poor to marginal conditions. Thursday the 13th has a little window with lighter winds and the swell bumps up to 0.7m, but it’s still not clean enough to get excited about.

From Saturday the 15th into Sunday the 16th, we start seeing the swell tick up just a fraction – around 0.8m to 1.0m from the SSW, with periods around 16 seconds. That’s more interesting on paper, and the winds do go light or even glassy on Sunday afternoon. The combined energy climbs over 500, so there’s some real push behind it, but the windows are narrow. Saturday afternoon shows a 1.0m SSW swell at 16 seconds with light onshore wind – that’s the best of the first week, but it’s still only rated as marginal due to tide issues.

Now, here’s where it gets interesting – keep your eye on Tuesday the 25th of August. We’ve got a 0.6m SW groundswell, period around 16 seconds, combined energy at 310, and the wind is glassy. That means clean, smooth conditions. That’s the standout window across the whole 16 days. It’s a few weeks out, so treat it as promising but not locked in, but if that forecast holds, Thousand Steps could be pure gold for a reef wave of that size. The swell direction (SW) aligns with the optimum for this break, which is a big tick. The 0.6m is mellow enough for intermediates but still has that long-period energy to give you a proper ride. Crowds can show up here sometimes, so get in early.

Before that, the week starting Monday the 17th through to Monday the 24th is pretty flat to tiny – 0.4m to 0.8m, mostly SSW, with cross-onshore winds or light breezes. The energy is low, and conditions are poor to marginal. Not worth rushing out for. There’s a gap of around a week with nothing solid until that Tuesday the 25th window.

So in short: the first 10 days are mostly a write-off with marginal to poor surf, but don’t lose hope – that Tuesday the 25th is shaping up as a real gem if the stars align. Keep an eye on it.

Rusty.

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