Thousand Steps Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G'day, Rusty here. Look, I gotta be straight with you – this forecast for Thousand Steps is a long, frustrating stretch of nearly nothing to get excited about. We're looking at a solid 16-day window, but it’s a real struggle to find a wave worth paddling out for. The first couple of weeks are mostly "marginal" or "poor," with a few moments that might be worth a look if you're desperate.

The first real shot at anything comes on Monday, July 20th. The morning has a clean 4 ft SSW swell with a light offshore breeze, but the wave energy is weak (336) and the conditions are just poor. The afternoon drops to 2 ft but the period jumps to 16 seconds – that's a long groundswell that could wrap around the reef nicely, and the energy is moderate (464). The water is sitting at a much warmer than normal 71 °F, which is a nice surprise. Winds are light and offshore, so it'll be glassy. But it's a marginal call, not a standout.

Honestly, there's not a single standout session in the entire run. The best you'll get is a few "marginal" windows with light wind. For example, on Thursday, July 24th, the morning has a 4 ft S swell with moderate energy (1073) and a light cross-onshore breeze. It's the best of a bad bunch, but it's still not a guarantee. There's a similar pulse on Friday, July 31st with a 5 ft S swell, but the wind is turning cross-onshore, making it choppy.

The big swell event arrives on Tuesday, August 4th, with a 5 ft to 5 ft S swell and a very long period of 15 seconds. The energy is strong (1189-1355). But the wind is cross-onshore again, which is going to mess up the surface. This is a classic case of a long-period groundswell that might be too straight for the beach breaks, but a reef like Thousand Steps could handle it. It's still a "marginal" call, and I’d say it’s more interesting for the kite crew than for paddle surfing.

For the rest of the period, it's a mix of small, weak swells and onshore winds. There are days with 2 ft to 3 ft, and that's not going to get you out of bed. The swell energy is often in the low triple digits or even below 100, which is a clear sign of weak, soulless surf. The crowds at Thousand Steps can be an issue, but I wouldn't worry about that this month – there's nothing to crowd for.

So, bottom line: there's no true standout. Keep your board waxed for August 4th, but don't expect perfection. This is a tough run for an exposed reef.

Rusty.

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