Surf Forecasts:
Cape Mendocino surf forecast from 20 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Monday 20 Jul, 8AM (local time) - 5.5ft (1.7m), 8s period, NW swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Sunday 26 Jul, 8AM (local time) - 4ft (1.2m), 20s period, SW swell with 1,111 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Monday 20 Jul, 8AM (local time) - 5.5ft (1.7m), 8s period with NW 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 Monday (Jul 20) at 8AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.7m and 8s period with a secondary swell of 0.8m and 16s. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Cape Mendocino in the next 16 days are 1.2m 20s and forecast to arrive on Sunday (Jul 26) at 8AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.8m 8s period and expected on Monday (Jul 20) at 5AM.
| Wave Type | Time (PDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 8AM (Mon 20th Jul) | 5.5ft (1.7m) 8s |
| Best Surf | 8AM (Mon 20th Jul) | 5.5ft (1.7m) 8s |
| Most Powerful | 8AM (Sun 26th Jul) | 4ft (1.2m) 20s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Cape Mendocino over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Right folks, Rusty here. Let's have a look at what Cape Mendocino has got cookin' for us over the next couple of weeks. I gotta be straight with you – it's a bit of a tough stretch. The pattern is looking pretty messy for a while, with a lot of wind and marginal conditions.
The first real sniff of anything surfable is this Monday morning, July 20th. We've got a 6ft swell coming from the NW, but it's wrapping around with a cross-onshore breeze right from the start. The water temp is about average for this time of year, so nothing to write home about there. The combined energy is moderate (792), but that wind is just making it a bumpy, rippled mess.
Through the rest of the week and into the next, the wind stays stubbornly cross-shore or cross-onshore, mostly from the north. The swell sticks around, but it's small – between 2ft and 4ft. The wave energy is moderate to strong (up to 1417 on Saturday the 25th), but it's all just getting chopped up by that breeze. You'll see a few clean-looking long-period swells, like a 24-second groundswell on Friday the 24th, but it's hitting a beach break with a cross-wind, so it's gonna be a straight, lumpy mess, not a nice peeling point. That's a real shame.
Honestly, the best on offer is a tough call. There's nothing that stands out as a true classic. If I had to pick one, it'd be the Monday afternoon of July 20th. The swell drops to 3ft, but it's a clean 16-second SW groundswell with moderate energy (909), and the wind is only a light cross-onshore. It's not perfect, but it's the most surfable moment in that first week. The crowds here are "sometimes", so you might have it to yourself, but it's unlikely to be firing.
The outlook gets worse. From the 27th of July onwards, the wind really picks up, hitting 19-25 mph, and the surf quality is just "poor" across the board. There's a big gap of nothing but rubbish conditions until the very end of the forecast. Then, on Monday, August 3rd, we get a glimmer. The wind drops to glassy conditions and we have a 1ft, 16-second SW groundswell. The energy is weak (151), but it's glassy. That's the only moment of true calm in the whole 16 days.
So, there you have it. A long, tough run with a couple of very small windows. The best is that glassy Monday, August 3rd, but it's a long way off and the swell is tiny. Keep your expectations low, and maybe check the forecast for that Monday.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Very mild (max 19°C on Wed morning, min 12°C on Sun night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Very mild (max 19°C on Thu afternoon, min 12°C on Thu night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||
Monday 20 | Tuesday 21 | Wednesday 22 | Thursday 23 | Friday 24 | Saturday 25 | ||||||||||||||
Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | |
Swell Height Map |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | ||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 17 | NW 8 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SSW 15 | S 12 | S 11 | S 10 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSE 14 | SSW 24 | SW 24 | SW 23 | SW 21 | SW 21 | SW 20 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 419 | 371 | 362 | 367 | 245 | 275 | 439 | 240 | 123 | 220 | 233 | 233 | 213 | 374 | 801 | 440 | 1051 | 898 | 872 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross | cross-off | cross | cross | cross-off | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross-off | cross | cross | cross-off |
High Tide | 4:18AM1.27m | 5:00PM1.73m | 5:43AM1.12m | 5:42PM1.73m | 7:28AM1.07m | 6:27PM1.73m | 9:03AM1.12m | 7:14PM1.74m | 10:11AM1.21m | 8:03PM1.75m | 11:00AM1.28m | 8:50PM1.78m | |||||||
Low Tide | 10:56PM0.49m | 10:31AM0.41m | 00:05AM0.40m | 11:20AM0.62m | 1:13AM0.29m | 12:16PM0.80m | 2:16AM0.19m | 1:21PM0.93m | 3:10AM0.09m | 2:25PM1.00m | 3:58AM0.01m | 3:21PM1.02m | 4:39AM-0.05m | ||||||
 |  | |  | | | |  | |  | | | | | | | | | | |
 | — | 6:03 | — | — | 6:03 | — | — | 6:05 | — | — | 6:05 | — | — | 6:07 | — | — | 6:07 | — | — |
 | 8:44 | — | 8:43 | — | — | 8:42 | — | — | 8:42 | — | — | 8:40 | — | — | 8:39 | — | — | 8:38 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 13 | 16 | 15 | 14 | 16 | 18 | 16 | 19 | 19 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 14 |
Feels °C | 10 | 16 | 15 | 13 | 14 | 16 | 14 | 17 | 17 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 10 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NW 8 | NW 8 | NW 8 | NW 8 | NW 8 | SSW 15 | S 12 | S 11 | S 10 | NW 8 | NW 8 | SSW 14 | NW 8 | SSE 13 | SW 24 | S 15 | SW 21 | S 13 | SW 20 |
| kJ | 408 | 371 | 322 | 238 | 182 | 275 | 439 | 240 | 123 | 86 | 95 | 233 | 158 | 236 | 801 | 302 | 1051 | 413 | 872 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 17 | SW 16 | SW 16 | S 13 | S 12 | S 11 | NW 8 | NNW 8 | SSW 13 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | WNW 10 | SSE 14 | SSW 13 | SSE 13 | SW 23 | S 14 | SW 21 | S 12 |
| kJ | 419 | 261 | 362 | 272 | 184 | 166 | 113 | 101 | 114 | 220 | 233 | 64 | 213 | 158 | 176 | 440 | 302 | 898 | 292 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WNW 14 | WNW 14 | S 13 | SW 16 | SW 16 | S 14 | WNW 12 | SSW 15 | NW 12 | S 9 | S 8 | S 8 | SSW 14 | SSW 24 | SSW 13 | S 12 | SSW 13 | SSW 12 | S 14 |
| kJ | 163 | 160 | 225 | 367 | 245 | 92 | 57 | 148 | 65 | 78 | 47 | 28 | 173 | 374 | 156 | 76 | 64 | 58 | 134 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | NW 8 | — | — | NNW 8 | — | — | NW 8 | — | NNW 8 | NNW 9 | NNW 9 | NNW 9 | NNW 8 | NNW 8 |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | 155 | — | — | 106 | — | — | 154 | — | 217 | 346 | 389 | 395 | 347 | 237 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 40 | 86 | 128 | 40 | 151 | 51 | 0 | 151 | 51 | 0 | 151 | 54 | 51 | 151 | 54 | 40 | 151 | 436 | 54 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Humboldt County | |||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United States | |||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||
- Map Icons:
Break
Live Wave Height (m)
Live Wind Speed (km/h)
Surf Rating (10 Max)
Ocean Swells (m)- Wind Speed (km/h)
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