Thousand Steps Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G'day, it's Rusty. I'm not gonna lie to you, this stretch isn't going to be one for the history books. We're looking at a long, drawn-out period of marginal, small, and inconsistent surf. The main energy is coming from the south and southwest, mostly groundswell, but the winds are a persistent problem, staying cross-onshore most of the time. The water temp is sitting at 73°F, which is a good 5°F warmer than normal for this time of year, so that's a nice touch if you're just going for a paddle.

Let's talk about the one spot the data gives us: Thousand Steps. It's a reef setup, very consistent, and this stretch of swell is all from the SW. The first few days are a write-off. Wednesday the 26th and Thursday the 27th have small, weak swell and cross-onshore breezes making a mess of things. The combined wave energy is weak, under 1000 (717 on Wednesday morning, 581 on Wednesday afternoon). Not worth paddling out for.

Friday the 28th morning sees a tiny 2ft swell from the SSW, but with a very long period of 17 seconds. That groundswell energy is weak (387), and the light cross-onshore wind will still mess with the surface. The long period is good for shape, but the size is just too small for a reef break to come alive.

The best chance, and I use that term loosely, comes on Saturday the 29th. The morning shows a 3ft SSW swell with a 17-second period, combined energy of 641. It's still marginal, but the light cross-onshore wind is the best we'll see. The afternoon pushes to 4ft from the SSW with a 16-second period, energy climbing to 837. It's still not big, but it's the biggest window of the whole outlook. The long period means it'll be a bit better on the reef, but that persistent cross-onshore breeze is the killer. It's hard to get excited about.

The rest of the forecast is a slow bleed. From Sunday the 30th right through to Thursday the 10th of September, it's a miserable run of tiny swells, poor conditions, and generally zero recommendations. The energy drops right off, with values like 271 and 289 by Tuesday the 1st of September. There's a slight bump on Thursday the 3rd of September, with a 5ft SSW swell and 916 energy, but the wind is still cross-onshore, making it sloppy. It's a long wait for nothing.

If you're a beginner, stay out of the water. The swell is mostly under 5ft, but the conditions are just too choppy and messy. For experts, the tiny swell and poor winds mean there's nothing to get excited about. Honestly, this setup looks more interesting for a kite surfer than a paddle surfer, if you can find a cross-shore break.

So, the only standout, if you can call it that, is the morning of Saturday the 29th of August. It's the least bad of a bad bunch. Don't hold your breath.

Rusty.

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