Cape Mendocino Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's have a look at what's on the table for the Cape Mendocino area over the next couple of weeks.

To be straight with you, the first week and a half is a bit of a struggle. From Tuesday, August 18th right through to the end of the month, we're looking at a run of mostly poor surf conditions. The wind is stuck in a cross-shore pattern, mostly from the NNW at 15 mph, which keeps things messy. Swell is small, generally between 1ft and 3ft from the SSW, with periods that are all over the place. The energy is mostly moderate, with readings like (326) and (512), but it's just not coming together. You'll see a few sessions flagged as "marginal" on the 19th and 20th, but honestly, with that cross-shore chop, it's not worth getting excited about. There's a real gap in quality surf until the end of the month.

Now, the best bet in this whole outlook falls on Monday morning, August 24th. It's not a big swell—only 2ft—but it's coming from the SW with a very long period of 18 seconds. That's proper groundswell energy, and the real kicker is the wind. We're talking a light WNW breeze at only 3 mph, which is glassy, near offshore conditions. That will make Cape Mendocino as clean as it gets. The combined energy reading is a solid (615), which is strong for the size. It's a tricky one, though, because that long-period SW groundswell will want to stand up tall and break a bit straight at the beach, so keep your wits about you. This is the standout. It's a fairly consistent spot, but it can get crowded, so get in early.

After that, things go back to the same old story. The wind picks up again, and the surf stays marginal into the first week of September. There's a pulse of short-period NW windswell on the 27th and 28th, with heights hitting 6ft to 7ft, but with a period of only 7-8 seconds and cross-shore winds at 15 mph, it's just a messy, blown-out wall. That's more of a kite-surfing setup than a clean paddle-surfing wave. The water temp is about average for the time of year, so no need to dig out the thickest rubber.

So, to sum it up: hold out for that Monday morning, August 24th. It's the only real window of clean, glassy conditions on a long-period swell. The rest of the run is a write-off.

Rusty.

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