Ano Nuevo Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s be real about what’s on the table for the next couple of weeks. The short story is: this is a tough stretch for Ano Nuevo. We’re looking at a long, frustrating run of poor surf conditions, with only a few fleeting moments that might be worth a paddle. The wind is the main villain here, blowing cross or cross-onshore almost the entire time, which is going to chop up whatever swell tries to roll in.

The water temp is sitting at 60° right now, which is about average for this time of year, so no surprises there.

Kicking things off on Tuesday, August 11th, we’ve got a weak Westerly breeze and a tiny 3 ft swell from the WNW with a period of 9 seconds. The combined energy is only 394 – weak stuff. The cross-onshore wind is already messing it up, so it’s a no-go. This pattern just keeps repeating. Wednesday the 12th and Thursday the 13th offer nothing but onshore wind and poor surf. The swell bumps up a touch to 4 ft on Thursday morning, but with a period of only 8 seconds and an onshore wind, it’s just a messy, weak chop.

Friday the 14th through Sunday the 16th of August is a dead zone. The wind stays cross or cross-shore, and the swell is a mix of tiny, long-period SSW groundswell (15-16 seconds) that just doesn’t have any power for this sheltered spot. The combined energy climbs into the 500-600 range on the weekend, but it’s all wind-affected slop. Honestly, for a beach and reef setup like this, with that much cross-wind, it’s looking more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing.

The following week, from Monday the 17th through to Friday the 21st of August, is more of the same misery. Constant cross-shore winds from the NW, with small 2 ft to 4 ft swells. There’s a glimmer on Thursday the 20th morning, with a 4 ft swell from the W at 12 seconds and combined energy of 592, but the wind is still cross-shore. It’s a marginal “maybe” at best, but the cross-shore wind will ruin it. The rest of the days are just “poor surf conditions” scribbled all over the forecast.

Alright, the true standout, if you can call it that, falls on the very end of the run. On Tuesday the 25th of August, the morning shows some promise. We’ve got a 3 ft swell from the SSW with a very long period of 18 seconds, and a light WNW breeze. The combined energy is a solid 741 (moderate), and the light wind is the best we’ve seen in weeks. This is your best bet. The long period means it’s going to be a proper groundswell with some energy, but at a beach break like Ano Nuevo, it might break a bit straight. Still, the light wind makes it the cleanest option by a mile. The morning of Wednesday the 26th of August is a similar story, with a 2 ft SW swell at 16 seconds, combined energy of 620, and a gentle cross-shore breeze. It’s marginal, but it’s the second best on offer.

So, to wrap it up: the next two weeks are mostly a write-off. The only real shot at anything decent is the morning of Tuesday the 25th of August. Get out there early if you’re desperate. Otherwise, this is a classic case of the forecast changing, because it can’t stay this poor for long.

Rusty.

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