Ano Nuevo Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's be straight with you: the next couple of weeks at Ano Nuevo are looking pretty grim. We've got a solid 16-day window ahead, but honestly, there's hardly a single moment that's going to get your heart racing. The pattern is dominated by onshore and cross-onshore winds, mostly light, but enough to keep the surface messy. The swell is small and mixed up, and the water is sitting right around average for this time of year, nothing unusual to report there.

Let's walk through it. The first real chance to even consider paddling out doesn't come until Monday, the 10th of August. Even then, it's a tough sell. Morning shows a 4ft swell from the WNW with a 9-second period, but the wind is cross-onshore. The combined energy is moderate at 439, but the wave comment says it's marginal. It's messy, not worth rushing for. That afternoon and all through Tuesday and Wednesday, the conditions just get worse or stay the same – poor surf, light but onshore winds, and the swell drops to around 4ft. Thursday and Friday the 14th and 15th see a sudden shift to a long-period groundswell from the SSW, with periods up to 19 seconds, but the height is tiny, only 2ft to 3ft. The energy jumps up a bit – 459 to 573 – but it's still all rated as poor or marginal. Long period on a small wave at a sheltered beach-and-reef spot like Ano Nuevo won't do much for you.

The weekend of the 16th and 17th brings a little more energy – we see combined energy reaching 780 on the Monday morning of the 17th – but the wind turns cross-shore and the wave quality is still rated poor. The swell direction stays SSW, but the period is dropping from 16 to 14 seconds. This is the best of a bad lot, but it's really not saying much. The setup is a beach-and-reef, and with the significant energy and poor surf quality, honestly, this looks more interesting for a kite surfer than a paddle surfer.

After that, the second week is a flat, windy mess. From the 19th of August right through to the 25th, we're looking at tiny waves – 1ft to 3ft – with moderate cross-shore winds from the NW. The combined energy drops from 478 down to 246. There's a brief moment on the morning of the 19th where it's rated marginal, but it's still light cross-shore, and the swell is 3ft with a 15-second period. That's a long wait for a knee-high wave that's going to close out straight on a beach. Not worth your time.

Honestly, if you're looking to surf, this is a tough stretch. There's no standout session. The best you could hope for is a quick paddle on the morning of the 17th of August, when the energy is highest, but even then, the wind is cross-shore and the quality is poor. Keep your eyes on the forecast, things can change. But for now, it's a write-off.

Rusty.

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