Surf forecast · United States · Northern California
Surf forecast Steamer Lane today
Waves, swell and wind at Steamer Lane (Northern California, United States) today and for the next 3 days, every 3 hours of daylight, with a plain verdict per day — flat, small, fun, good or big, offshore or onshore — and the best window to paddle out.
These numbers are more than 7 hours old, so they are hidden. Open the live waves map for the current sea. Open the waves map centred on Steamer Lane
Right now
Small light wind. The swell comes from behind this beach, so the surf is smaller than the open-sea numbers.
Steamer Lane surf forecast, next 3 days
- Flat
- Small
- Fun
- Good
- Big
Saturday 24 October
Small Best window 12:00–15:00: small, cross-shore.
| Time | Waves | Swell | Wind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12:00 | 1.3 m · 10 s ↑WNW | 1.2 m · 7 s ↑WNW | 8–8 km/h ↑SSE light wind |
| 15:00 | 1.2 m · 10 s ↑WNW | 1.1 m · 7 s ↑WNW | 17–19 km/h ↑W cross-shore |
| 18:00 | 1.2 m · 9 s ↑WNW | 1.0 m · 7 s ↑WNW | 12–17 km/h ↑W cross-shore |
Sunday 25 October
Fun Best window 17:00–18:00: fun, cross-shore.
| Time | Waves | Swell | Wind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 09:00 | 1.0 m · 10 s ↑W | 0.8 m · 7 s ↑WNW | 4–5 km/h ↑NNE light wind |
| 12:00 | 1.0 m · 11 s ↑W | 0.8 m · 7 s ↑WNW | 12–12 km/h ↑WSW cross-shore |
| 15:00 | 1.0 m · 11 s ↑W | 0.7 m · 7 s ↑WNW | 18–21 km/h ↑WSW cross-shore |
Monday 26 October
Fun Best window 09:00–12:00: fun, light wind.
| Time | Waves | Swell | Wind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 09:00 | 1.0 m · 11 s ↑W | 0.5 m · 11 s ↑WNW | 6–10 km/h ↑NNE light wind |
| 12:00 | 1.0 m · 11 s ↑W | 0.5 m · 11 s ↑WNW | 10–11 km/h ↑SW onshore |
| 15:00 | 1.2 m · 10 s ↑WNW | 0.7 m · 10 s ↑WNW | 21–14 km/h ↑WNW cross-shore |
Tuesday 27 October
Small Best window 10:00–13:00: small, light wind.
| Time | Waves | Swell | Wind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 09:00 | 1.3 m · 9 s ↑WNW | 1.1 m · 6 s ↑WNW | 1–6 km/h ↑ESE light wind |
| 12:00 | 1.3 m · 9 s ↑WNW | 1.1 m · 7 s ↑WNW | 7–11 km/h ↑SSW light wind |
| 15:00 | 1.3 m · 9 s ↑WNW | 1.0 m · 7 s ↑WNW | 15–12 km/h ↑WSW cross-shore |
Every 3 hours of daylight, local time. Waves = significant height of the whole sea, with the peak period; swell = the long-period part. Arrows point where the waves and the wind are going.
Forecast for Sat 12:00 local time · updated 2026-10-24 19:11 UTC
Waves map around Steamer Lane
Open the waves map centred on Steamer Lane
Live significant wave height from NOAA WaveWatch III, averaged over 2° cells: coarser than the forecast above, so near the coast it can differ from it.
More about Steamer Lane
Water temperature in Santa Cruz · Tides in Santa Cruz · Swell map · Wind map
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Questions
- Is there surf at Steamer Lane today?
- Small: waves 1.3 m at 10 s from WNW, swell 1.2 m · 7 s WNW (Sat 12:00).
- Is the wind offshore at Steamer Lane?
- Wind 8 km/h from SSE: light wind for a beach facing S.
- When is the best time to surf Steamer Lane today?
- 12:00–15:00 (small, cross-shore)
- How warm is the water at Steamer Lane?
- 18.3 °C
- Where do the numbers come from?
- The Open-Meteo Marine API (wave models of Météo-France, ECMWF and NOAA) for a point just off the beach, and the Open-Meteo forecast for the wind. A model at sea, not a surf report: sandbanks, reefs and tide shape the waves you actually get.
Nearby surf spots
Pleasure Point 5 km · Mavericks 76 km · Pacifica Linda Mar 86 km · Ocean Beach San Francisco 102 km · Morro Bay 202 km · Pismo Beach 235 km
How it is computed
Hourly Open-Meteo Marine forecast (wave height, peak period and direction, swell) at a point just off Steamer Lane, and the Open-Meteo wind at 10 m. Size: flat under 0.3 m, small under 0.8 m, fun under 1.5 m, good under 2.5 m (with a period of 8 s or more), big above. Wind: under 8 km/h light; otherwise offshore, cross-shore or onshore from its angle to the direction the beach faces. The best window is the 3 daylight hours with the best mix of size, period and wind. Rebuilt every 3 hours. Live map.