Cape Mendocino Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s be straight with you—this stretch of coast is going to make you work for it. The next week and a half is looking pretty lackluster, with a whole lot of cross-shore wind and lumpy, messy surf. We’re talking days of poor conditions and very little rideable swell. You might be staring at a blank calendar from now until about mid-month. Don’t get too down, though; there’s a glimmer of hope hiding in there, but you’ll need to be patient.

Cape Mendocino is the only spot on the map, and it’s a fairly consistent set-up, but the consistency doesn’t mean much when the wind is howling. The water is running much colder than normal for this time of year, so you’ll want the thickest suit you’ve got. The first real chance for a wave comes on the morning of Thursday, August 13th. It’s not going to be pretty—marginal surf with a light cross-onshore breeze, but the afternoon cleans up nicely. The wind drops to nothing, turning it glassy, and you’ve got a 2ft southwest swell rolling in with a long 16-second period. It’s small, but it’s clean. That’s your low-tide fish board kind of day.

The standout, without a doubt, is the afternoon of Friday, August 14th. The wind goes completely calm, the ocean turns to glass, and we get a bump in size to 5ft of northwest swell. The energy jumps up to a solid 674 (moderate), and with that 8-second period, it’ll be a bit more lined up and punchy. It’s still not a giant, but it will be the best, cleanest surf we see in this whole stretch. The swell direction is a bit off from the optimum southwest, but the glassy conditions will make Cape Mendocino shine.

After that little taste, we’re back to the grind. The weekend of the 15th and 16th has some waves in the 3ft range, but the onshore wind messes it up. The following week doesn’t get much better, with persistent cross-shore winds and junky conditions. There is a pulse of northwest swell on Wednesday, August 19th, pushing 5ft with a strong energy reading of 993, but the wind is howling from the north at 15 mph, making it a total washing machine. That one’s for the kite surfers, not the paddle crew. For us surfers, it’s going to be a long, frustrating stretch with only one true standout day.

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