Ano Nuevo Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, folks, Rusty here. Gonna level with ya straight up – this forecast for the next couple of weeks is a bit of a tough one. We’re looking at a long stretch of pretty ordinary conditions, a proper quiet spell with not much to get excited about.

The first week is basically a write-off. The wind is wrong, the swell is wrong, and it’s just not happening. We've got a period of poor surf and marginal conditions through to the middle of the month, nothing worth paddling out for. Even when the swell direction swings around to the SSW around the 17th, it’s inconsistent and mushy with a nasty cross wind messing it up. Energy levels are mostly moderate, but the quality is just not there. The water temp is about 61°F which is pretty average for this time of year, so that’s not the problem.

For the morning of the 21st of September, we get a flicker of hope at Ano Nuevo, but it’s only a marginal call. The swell is a tiny 3ft from the SSW, even though it has a nice long period of 17 seconds. That groundswell energy is there, reading 634, which is a solid moderate push. The wind is a light cross-onshore from the West, so it’ll be clean enough, but at that size it’s a longboard or a foiler at best, and it’s inconsistent.

But the real standout, the one thing worth circling on your calendar, is the morning of Tuesday the 29th of September. A new WNW swell shows up, and it’s a proper jumper. We’re talking 6ft from the WNW, a short period of 9 seconds so it’s a windswell, but the combined energy is pumping at a strong 803. More importantly, at Ano Nuevo, that swell direction is ideal, matching what this spot likes to see. And with the wind swinging to a light NW, that’s cross-shore an’ clean. It won’t be a classic groundswell, but for a beach and reef set-up that often needs a bit of push, this is the best bet of the whole 16 days. It’s a bit far off so treat it as promising but not guaranteed, but the numbers say it’s the only window with real power and halfway decent wind.

Later that afternoon, however, the wind picks up to a fresh 19 mph cross-shore, turning it lumpy. So it’s a one-morning window for the experienced crew.

The rest of the run into the very end of September is back to tiny, weak, poor-quality surf. A blank couple of weeks.

If you’re patient, the 29th morning is your play. Set the alarm, check the cams, and hope the forecast holds. The rest of the time, you might as well wax the longboard and go for a paddle, ‘cause the surf won't be there for a proper session.

Rusty.

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