Thousand Steps Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s see what this stretch has got for us.

First up, we’ve only got the one spot on the radar: Thousand Steps. It’s a reef break that loves a solid SW groundswell, and it’s very consistent. But honestly, mate, the first week is a tough slog. For the first several days, the wind is mostly cross or cross-onshore, and it’s spoiling what little push there is.

Tuesday the 8th kicks off with a small 3ft swell out of the SSW, but a moderate cross-breeze messes it up. The combined energy is moderate (444), but the surface is just choppy rubbish. That pattern sticks around – Wednesday the 9th has a 2ft SW swell with a very long 16-second period, but the morning looks okay for a second with an offshore wind, though the afternoon turns ugly. Thursday the 10th and Friday the 11th are more of the same: small, messy, cross-shore wind.

Saturday the 12th and Sunday the 13th see the swell drop to just 2ft to 2ft, with light cross-onshore breezes and combined energy falling to weak (160). It’s not worth paddling out.

There’s a noticeable gap here from about the 14th through the 18th of September where things barely improve. Early Monday the 14th has a tiny 1ft swell with a long 18-second period, but the cross-onshore wind keeps it poor. Energy is weak, around 186. The one bright spot early on is Wednesday the 16th, where the morning sees a 2ft SSW swell with a 17-second period and a light cross-onshore breeze, but it’s still not clean. Energy is still moderate but low (337). Then on Thursday the 17th afternoon, we get a brief moment of offshore wind (SW 6 mph) with a 2ft SSW swell and 15-second period. It’s labelled as marginal, but that offshore flow is a good sign, and the energy is 390. That’s the pick of the first two weeks.

Now, if you can wait, the standout window is Sunday the 20th of September. The morning brings a 3ft SW swell with a very long 19-second period, light offshore wind from the SSW, and the combined energy jumps to 984 – that’s moderate to strong energy and the best we’ll see. This is a reef break, so that long-period groundswell will wrap in nicely and hold its shape. The water temp is unremarkable for the time of year.

The afternoon of the 20th keeps that 3ft SW swell, with the energy still strong (616) and offshore wind (SW 6 mph). Monday the 21st also looks promising with 3ft SW swell and light offshore winds in the morning (energy 653, strong). This is the real highlight of the outlook.

After that, Tuesday the 22nd fades back to smaller 3ft swell with cross-onshore wind, Wednesday the 23rd is 2ft and fading.

The call: If you’re keen, hold out for the 20th and 21st of September. That Sunday into Monday window with the long period SW groundswell and offshore flow at Thousand Steps is the best on offer. It’s an intermediate reef break, so expect some power on the takeoff. A bit of a wait, but worth it.

— Rusty

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