Thousand steps
Surf spot · United States
Is it worth the trip?
51Fair out of 100 for your dates
Best on Mon 2: 3 ft swell at 13 s
Mon 2 · 81 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft13 shollow
- Energy
- 332kJ
- Wind
- ENE 4 kn
- Temp
- 22°C
Tue 3 · 64 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft12 shollow
- Energy
- 256kJ
- Wind
- NE 4 kn
- Temp
- 22°C
Wed 4 · 46 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft12 shollow
- Energy
- 137kJ
- Wind
- E 6 kn
- Temp
- 22°C
Thu 5 · 35 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft8 shollow
- Energy
- 75kJ
- Wind
- NE 5 kn
- Temp
- 23°C
Fri 6 · 36 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft12 shollow
- Energy
- 86kJ
- Wind
- SW 2 kn
- Temp
- 24°C
Sat 7 · 29 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft12 shollow
- Energy
- 69kJ
- Wind
- W 1 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Sun 8 · 23 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft12 shollow
- Energy
- 61kJ
- Wind
- ENE 1 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 161, good
- Mon 281, good
- Tue 364, good
- Wed 446, fair
- Thu 535, too small
- Fri 636, too small
- Sat 729, too small
- Sun 823, too small
- Mon 925, too small
- Tue 1026, too small
The spot in five facts
- Faces SWtakes swell from the SW
- Offshore: NEwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 1–6 ftof swell
- Water 18 °C2 mm shorty
Full forecast
every day, every number
The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.
Thousand steps does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for intermediates, so you can see what it does.
| Day | Scorefor Intermediate | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 61, good | 3 ft13 shollow5 ft at break (est.) | 350kJ | wind from the west-north-west, 2 knots | 21°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 81, good | 3 ft13 shollow5 ft at break (est.) | 332kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 4 knots, offshore | 22°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 64, good | 3 ft12 shollow5 ft at break (est.) | 256kJ | offshorewind from the north-east, 4 knots, offshore | 22°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 46, fair | 2 ft12 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 137kJ | offshorewind from the east, 6 knots, offshore | 22°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 35, too small | 3 ft8 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 75kJ | offshorewind from the north-east, 5 knots, offshore | 23°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 36, too small | 2 ft12 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 86kJ | wind from the south-west, 2 knots | 24°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 29, too small | 2 ft12 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 69kJ | wind from the west, 1 knot | 26°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 23, too small | 2 ft12 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 61kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 1 knot, offshore | 27°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 25, too small | 1 ft12 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 49kJ | wind from the west, 3 knots | 29°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 26, too small | 2 ft10 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 56kJ | wind from the south-west, 1 knot | 26°C |
Energy is the swell's power, in kJ per metre of wave. Wind is in knots, the arrow where it blows to; green is offshore. More
Tide
- Sun 1 NovHigh 03:37 +0.3 mLow 07:41 +0.1 mHigh 13:42 +0.6 mLow 21:22 −0.9 m
- Mon 2 NovHigh 04:31 +0.4 mLow 09:41 −0.1 mHigh 15:20 +0.6 mLow 22:23 −0.8 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 05:11 +0.5 mLow 11:00 −0.3 mHigh 16:43 +0.5 mLow 23:14 −0.8 m
Local clock times; heights about mean sea level. On open coasts the times are usually within a quarter of an hour; in bays, estuaries and on the Gulf of Mexico they can be an hour or more out. Tide: EOT20 global ocean tide model, Hart-Davis et al. 2021, DGFI-TUM (doi:10.17882/79489), CC BY 4.0. Times and heights computed by us. A model, not a tide table: check a local table before you go.
Forecast updated . It refreshes every three hours. Forecast data: ECMWF, DWD, Météo-France and NOAA, served by Open-Meteo.com (CC BY 4.0). Changed by us. Generated using E.U. Copernicus Marine Service Information.
Best time to go
No month stands out
Good days in a typical week, each month, for intermediate surfers, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).
- Jan2of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb1of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar2of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr2of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May2of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun2of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul2of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug1of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep2of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct2of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov1of 7: a trip from Mon 2 Nov
- Dec1of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Dec
Tap a month to see this spot for a trip then.
Typical, not a forecast.
Map
the spot, its town, photos
Thousand steps on Google Maps · Directions
Each place wears its best day on these dates, a surf spot for beginners: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.
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Photos of Thousand steps
More surf near here
5 places
- 10th street - 1000 step 0.3 km away
- Three Arch Bay 1.1 km away
- Aliso Creek Beach 1.7 km away
- Salt Creek Heroins 1.8 km away
- Salt Creek Point 2.4 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Thousand steps
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces SW (228°), so it takes swell from the SW. The wind blows offshore from the NE (48°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up, because of a steep sea floor. It works in 1–6 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves steeply: 10 m deep about 100 m out (1 in 11). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hollow. The sea is about 15°C in January, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 21°C in July, its warmest (2 mm shorty). The town to stay in is Laguna Beach, 6.6 km away (about 15 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 9 surf spots and 1 wind sports spot.
Water about 18°C: 2 mm shorty. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.
The score is the conditions only: the journey, the price and the partners never change it (how we score, how we earn).
Rough cost (estimate): about US$1,080–US$1,960 each
about US$1,080–US$1,960 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, taxi, stay, food, board and wetsuit.
Our estimate from typical public prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book (where they come from). Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 30 October 2026.
How we worked it out
| What | How we worked it out | Each |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | return ORD to SNA, estimated from distance and season, 2 airlines on the route, with a hold bag | about US$248–US$516 |
| Taxi | airport and back, shared | about US$40–US$60 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$301–US$502 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$342–US$636 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$147–US$241 |
| Total | about US$1,080–US$1,960 |
For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: 3 towns
9 min by car · 22 places to stay
about US$114/nightcountry average
About Dana Point its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Laguna Beach on Booking.com
12 min by car · 49 places to stay
- Beds in San Clemente on Booking.com
25 min by car · 35 places to stay
About US$114 a night is our estimate of the country's average 2-star double room that month: not each town's price, and not a quote. Drives are estimates. Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 30 October 2026.
Getting there: about 6h 50m
About 6h 50m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → SNA, direct, then 35 min by road
Flights ORD → SNA on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.