Cape Mendocino Surf Break

Lat Long: 40.42° N 124.40° W

Cape Mendocino Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Issued: 4 am 13 Sep 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's Cape Mendocino sea temperature is
12.5°C
2.0° 

Cape Mendocino surf forecast is for near shore open water. Breaking waves will often be smaller at less exposed spots.


Cape Mendocino surf forecast from 13 Sep 2026:

  • Best quality surf: Wednesday 16 Sep, 11PM (local time) - 6ft (1.9m), 8s period, NW swell with glassy winds.
  • Most powerful swell: Thursday 17 Sep, 5AM (local time) - 6.5ft (2.0m), 8s period, NW swell with 553 kJ wave energy.
  • Next surfable swell (1★+): Sunday 13 Sep, 8AM (local time) - 4ft (1.2m), 10s period with WNW swell.

Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Cape Mendocino this week:

The surf forecast for Cape Mendocino over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Sunday (Sep 13) at 8AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.2m and 10s period with a secondary swell of 0.7m and 14s. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.

The most powerful waves expected at Cape Mendocino in the next 16 days are 2.0m 8s and forecast to arrive on Thursday (Sep 17) at 5AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 2.5m 8s period and expected on Tuesday (Sep 15) at 11PM.

Wave TypeTime (PDT) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+) 8AM (Sun 13th Sep)4ft (1.2m) 10s
Best Surf11PM (Wed 16th Sep)6ft (1.9m) 8s
Most Powerful 5AM (Thu 17th Sep)6.5ft (2.0m) 8s

Table - best surf conditions forecast for Cape Mendocino over the next 16 days.


The Lowdown

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s coming down the line for the Cape Mendocino area.

Straight up, the next week and a half is a bit of a write-off for decent surf. We’ve got a long, dry spell from Sunday the 13th right through until the morning of Monday the 21st of September. During that stretch, the swell is either too weak, too cross-chop-ridden, or just plain messy. The winds are mostly cross-shore and moderate to fresh, which is not what we want. There are a few small pulses of long-period groundswell in the second half of that period, but they’re tiny—around 2 ft to 3 ft—and the wind is ruining any chance of a clean wave. Don’t bother paddling out.

Now, things start to look more interesting from Wednesday the 23rd of September. We’ve got a proper NW groundswell showing up, with swell heights around 5 ft and a period of 12 seconds. The combined energy jumps up to 1061 (moderate energy), which is a big step up from the junk we’ve been looking at. The wind is still cross-shore and moderate, but it’s manageable. This is the first real sign of life. It’s not perfect, but it’s worth a look if you’re desperate.

The standout, the one that gets my blood pumping, is Thursday the 24th of September. By Thursday afternoon, we’re looking at a solid 8 ft swell from the NW with a period of 11 seconds. The combined energy is a massive 2553 (strong to very strong wave energy). This is a serious swell. Now, here’s the catch: the wind is cross-shore at 16 mph from the north, which will put a bit of a chop on it. But for an exposed spot like Cape Mendocino, that size with that period is going to produce some heavy, powerful lines. This is advanced-level stuff; over 8 ft, it’s expert territory. The water temperature is about average for this time of year, nothing wild.

Friday the 25th of September is also promising. We’ve got a 7 ft NW swell in the morning, period 11 seconds, and the wind swings light from the SSW—that’s a cross-offshore breeze. That light wind will make a massive difference for clean faces. The combined energy is 1402 (strong). This is the best quality window of the whole outlook. If you can, get out Friday morning for the best chance at a clean, powerful session.

After that, the swell drops off a bit through the weekend, with smaller NW swell in the 4 ft to 6 ft range and the wind turning more onshore again. Not a total loss, but not the highlight.

Summary: Don’t even think about it until Wednesday the 23rd. The real standout is Friday morning the 25th of September—best swell size, best wind, cleanest conditions. Thursday the 24th afternoon is for the big-wave chargers only.

Rusty.

Short Range Forecast

Mostly dry. Very mild (max 16°C on Sun morning, min 12°C on Sun night). Winds increasing (light winds from the ENE on Sun morning, fresh winds from the NNW by Mon afternoon).

Days 4-6 Weather Summary

Mostly dry. Very mild (max 17°C on Fri morning, min 13°C on Wed morning). Wind will be generally light.

Sunday
13
Monday
14
Tuesday
15
Wednesday
16
Thursday
17
Friday
18
Saturday
19
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
Rating
(10 max)
1
2
2
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
2
3
1
1
2
0
1
1
Swell
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Wave
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
1.3
WNW
8
1.8
NW
9
1.8
NW
9
1.9
NW
8
0.6
SW
17
0.5
SW
17
0.6
SW
17
0.5
SW
16
0.4
SW
16
0.4
S
19
0.5
SW
16
0.4
SSW
18
1.8
NW
8
1.6
NW
8
1.4
NW
8
0.6
SW
19
0.6
SW
19
0.6
SW
19
0.6
SW
18
0.8
SW
18
0.8
SW
18
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
219
540
513
429
188
147
179
122
87
118
121
104
439
330
244
303
303
303
258
375
375
Wind (km/h)
10
NW
25
NNW
20
N
30
N
30
N
20
N
25
NNW
30
N
30
N
20
NNW
15
NNW
10
S
15
S
10
SW
10
NNE
10
NNW
20
N
15
NNE
15
NNW
20
N
15
NNE
Wind State
cross-on
cross
cross
cross
cross
cross
cross
cross
cross
cross
cross
cross
cross
cross-on
cross-off
cross
cross
cross-off
cross-on
cross
cross-off
High Tide
1:14PM1.78m
1:56AM1.48m
1:43PM1.76m
2:54AM1.35m
2:16PM1.72m
4:02AM1.24m
2:53PM1.66m
5:28AM1.19m
3:40PM1.60m
7:07AM1.20m
4:38PM1.55m
8:20AM1.26m
5:46PM1.53m
Low Tide
7:51PM0.17m
7:46AM0.56m
8:37PM0.16m
8:24AM0.74m
9:27PM0.17m
9:07AM0.90m
10:23PM0.21m
10:03AM1.02m
11:28PM0.24m
11:25AM1.09m
00:39AM0.24m
12:52PM1.09m
1:44AM0.22m
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
part cloud
clear
part cloud
part cloud
part cloud
part cloud
clear
clear
clear
part cloud
cloud
part cloud
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
6:56
6:56
6:58
6:58
6:58
7:00
7:01
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
7:30
7:28
7:27
7:24
7:22
7:21
7:20
 mm
Temp °C
16
16
14
15
16
13
16
16
14
15
16
14
16
16
14
17
17
15
15
16
13
Feels °C
15
13
11
10
11
9
12
11
10
11
13
13
13
14
14
16
15
13
13
13
10
  • Map Icons:
  • Break
  • Live Wave Height (m)
  • Live Wind Speed (km/h)
  • Surf Rating (10 Max)
  • Ocean Swells (m)
  • Wind Speed (km/h)
Map placeholder
How to use the Wavefinder 
submit an eyeball surf report

Quick surf report for Cape Mendocino:

join our community of surf reporters

FREE! Surf-Forecast.com widget for your website

The surf report / weather widget below is available to embed on third party websites free of charge and provides a summary of our Cape Mendocino surf forecast. Simply grab the html code snippet that we provide and paste it into your own site. You can choose your preferred language and metric/imperial units for the surf forecast feed to suit users of your site. Click here to get the code.


Information about the Cape Mendocino Surf forecast

The above surf forecast table for Cape Mendocino provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Cape Mendocino can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Cape Mendocino surf forecast is unique since it includes wave energy (power) that defines the real feel of the surf rather than just the height or the period. If you surf the same spot (Cape Mendocino) regularly then make a mental note of the wave energy from the surf forecast table each time you go. Very soon you may start to choose your surf days based on the wave energy alone combined with our forecast of favourable offshore wind conditions. Our star ratings will help here and of course you will also find the usual wave height and period predictions on our surf forecasts as well as a full break down of the swell components under our advanced users option (to reveal that, click the little Einstein character under the tide times).

Further information to help with frequently asked questions about our surf forecast for Cape Mendocino may be found under the help tab on the top menu and also by moving your mouse over the question marks on the surf forecast table itself. Please always bear in mind that the forecast is for near-shore open water and local factors at each surf break influence the actual breaking wave height, such as the beach / reef profile, water depths offshore and shelter.

Cape Mendocino is 47 km (29 miles) from Eureka. If you plan a vacation in Humboldt County, look for hotels and other accommodation in Eureka. Eureka has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.

Nearest locationNearest