Ano Nuevo Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Gotta be straight with you – the next couple of weeks at Ano Nuevo are looking pretty grim for paddle surfing. We’ve got a solid run of poor conditions stretching from now until the end of August, with only a couple of days that barely qualify as surfable. The wind is just wrecking it, blowing cross-shore from the Northwest almost constantly, leaving the ocean lumpy and chopped up. The water is a touch warmer than usual at 61°, but that’s small comfort when the waves are a mess.

Let’s break it down. From Thursday the 20th right through to Sunday the 23rd, it’s a total write-off. Swell is tiny, between 1 ft and 3 ft, and that cross-shore wind is just relentless. The combined swell energy is moderate, in the 200-300 range, but it doesn’t matter – the wind is junk.

We finally see a glimmer on Monday the 24th morning. A bit of a NW swell bumps up to 4 ft, and the energy climbs to a moderate 574. The wind is a gentle cross-shore, which is the best we’ve seen. It’s a marginal call, but it might be the only window for a sneaky session. After that, it’s back to the same old story – cross-shore wind and poor surf through until the end of the month.

The real tease comes on Saturday, August 29th. The morning shows a 4 ft SSW swell with a very long period of 18 seconds and a combined energy of 1564 – that’s strong energy. The wind is a moderate cross-shore. It’s still marginal, but for a sheltered spot like Ano Nuevo, that long-period groundswell might actually wrap in and produce a few clean lines, especially if the wind drops. It’s the only standout in the whole period, but treat it as a long-range whisper, not a promise. Then on Sunday the 30th morning, we get a 7 ft NW swell, which is too big for beginners and pushing into expert territory, but again, the wind is cross-shore, so it’s a messy, powerful beast.

The first few days of September are more of the same – small, weak swells and cross-shore winds. The only real hope is on Thursday, September 4th, when we get a 4 ft SSW swell with a 18-second period and a moderate energy of 1053, with light cross-shore winds. That’s a groundswell, and it could be clean. It’s a marginal call, but it’s the other potential highlight, though it’s a long way off.

Honestly, if you’re a kite surfer, the steady cross-shore winds might be more interesting than the paddle surfing. For the rest of us, it’s a waiting game.

Rusty.

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