Cape Mendocino Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Gotta be straight with you, the outlook for Cape Mendocino over the next couple of weeks is a tough one to sell. We're looking at a long, frustrating stretch of mostly poor conditions. Don't expect much in the way of clean, ridable waves.

We start off with a bit of swell on Thursday the 30th – a 3ft SSW groundswell with a long 15-second period. The energy is moderate at 686, but that cross-shore wind at 19 mph is going to chop it all up and turn it into a lumpy mess. The water is sitting at about 55°, which is a touch cooler than average for the time of year. Honestly, it's a write-off.

That pretty much sets the tone. From there through to the beginning of August, we've got a few marginal windows on the Friday and Saturday, but it’s all cross-shore wind and small, weak swell. The best of a bad bunch might be Friday afternoon with a 5ft NW windswell, but it’s a short 9-second period and still blowing 16 mph cross-shore. Not worth getting excited about.

Then the real downer hits. From Saturday the 1st of August all the way through to Tuesday the 5th, we've got a solid gap of several days where the surf quality is just poor. Swell heights are barely breaking 2ft, and the wind is up, often over 19 mph, making for messy, lumpy conditions. It’s not even worth thinking about.

Now, there is one flicker of hope. On Wednesday the 6th of August, the morning shows a chunky 8ft NW swell rolling in. The energy jumps way up to 1035, which is strong. But the wind, while light at 6 mph, is coming from the SSW, making it a cross-onshore breeze. That’s going to put a bit of a bump on the face and the period is a short 9 seconds, so it’ll be a bit crumbly. It’s still a big, powerful swell so that’s one for the experienced crew only – way too much for beginners. This is the closest thing to a standout in the whole run, but the wind is a real problem.

Following that, we go straight back into the doldrums. From Thursday the 7th through to the end of the forecast on the 14th, it’s another long run of tiny surf and fresh cross-shore winds. Even when the groundswell gets some long 21-second period on the Friday morning, the swell is only 1ft and it’s blown out. The conditions are just not cooperating.

Bottom line, if you are desperate, the Wednesday the 6th morning window with that 8ft NW swell is the only real look, but even then the wind is less than ideal. Otherwise, it’s a blank run. For a spot like this that is fairly consistent, a run this poor is a little unusual, but these things happen. Don’t hold your breath.

Rusty.

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