Ano Nuevo Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright crew, Rusty here. Let’s break it down.

Honestly, the next 16 days at Ano Nuevo are lookin’ bleak. We’ve got a long stretch of poor surf ahead, so don’t get your hopes up for anything good. The first week and a half is basically a loss.

We kick off on Wednesday, August 19th, with a tiny 3ft SSW groundswell running at a very long 15 seconds. The combined energy is moderate (450), but it’s all blown out by a moderate cross-onshore breeze. The surf is just a choppy mess. This windy, cross-shore pattern sticks around day after day. Thursday the 20th and Friday the 21st are the same story – small swell, wind-ruffled surface. The combined energy drops from 435 down to 286, all poor.

The weekend of the 22nd and 23rd is no better. Saturday sees the swell bottom out at 1ft, and while Sunday the 23rd brings a new pulse of 4ft from the NW, the period is a short, weak 8 seconds. The energy is still weak (346) and the wind is cross-shore. It’s just not doing anything.

The next week, from Monday the 24th through to the end of August, stays stubbornly small. Swell hovers between 2ft and 3ft, mostly from the SSW with a long period, but the wind stays cross or cross-on. The combined energy fluctuates (345 on Monday, up to 664 on the 29th), but the "poor surf conditions" note is the same every day. The NW wind just won’t let up.

Finally, we see a glimmer of something on Wednesday, September 2nd. The swell jumps to 6ft from the WNW, with a moderate combined energy of 683. The period is a short 9 seconds, so it’ll be a bit crumbly, but the wind is light. The morning session is flagged as “marginal” – that’s the only thing in the whole 16 days that isn’t outright poor. This swell is a bit much for beginners at 6ft, and the short period means it won’t be a classic, but it’s the only window where you might get a couple of rideable ones. The wind picks up again in the afternoon though, so keep it to the morning.

Thursday the 3rd looks similar – 6ft, but the cross-shore wind comes back, spoiling it again.

So, the honest truth: there’s nothing to get excited about for nearly two weeks. The only real standout, and I use that term loosely, is the morning of September 2nd. It’s the only time the swell size and the wind line up to give you a chance. The rest of the time, it’s a blown-out, small-swell desert. The water temp is about average for this time of year, so no surprises there.

Hang in there, but don’t rush to wax your board.

Rusty.

Read more