Surf Forecasts:
Cape Mendocino surf forecast from 25 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Sunday 26 Jul, 2AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.1m), 20s period, SW swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Sunday 26 Jul, 8AM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.3m), 19s period, SSW swell with 1,255 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Saturday 25 Jul, 11PM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 20s period with SSW 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 Saturday (Jul 25) at 11PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.9m and 20s period with a secondary swell of 0.9m and 8s. 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 1.3m 19s 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 6s period and expected on Saturday (Aug 01) at 2PM.
| Wave Type | Time (PDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 11PM (Sat 25th Jul) | 3ft (0.9m) 20s |
| Best Surf | 2AM (Sun 26th Jul) | 3.5ft (1.1m) 20s |
| Most Powerful | 8AM (Sun 26th Jul) | 4.5ft (1.3m) 19s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Cape Mendocino over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's have a look at what Cape Mendocino has cookin' for us over the next couple of weeks.
Right off the bat, it's not looking pretty. We’ve got a bit of a wait on our hands. The best bet for a surf is this Saturday the 25th, but even then, it’s a tough sell. We've got a solid push of energy from a long-period South-Southwest groundswell, with a combined swell energy reading of 1498. That's a heap of power, and those 21-second intervals mean the waves will have some serious grunt. The water is sitting at 54° – that’s a touch colder than usual for this time of year.
Cape Mendocino is exposed to the South-West, which is the right direction. The swell is around 4 ft on Saturday morning. But here's the kicker: the wind is coming from the North-West at 6 mph, putting us in a light cross-onshore situation. It'll be a bit bumpy with small wind ripples. It’s not the clean, glassy perfection we dream of. For a fairly consistent spot, this is disappointing. The combo of a massive, long-period swell like this at a beach break can also make things wall up and close out. This could be more interesting for the kite crowd than for a paddle surfer.
Sunday the 26th, the wind picks up to 12 mph from the North-Northwest, making it choppy. Swell drops off a tick to 4 ft but the period stays long at 19 seconds. The energy is still strong at 1285, but the chop makes it a messy affair. Monday and Tuesday stay in that same 4-4 ft range with strong cross-shore winds. It’s all a bit of a slog, fellas.
From Wednesday the 30th onward, the whole thing just falls apart. Swell heights drop below 3 ft, the wind howls at 19-22 mph, and the energy numbers sink like a stone. We’re looking at a solid ten-day stretch of poor conditions right through to the end of the outlook on the 9th of August. The swell dies, the period drops, and it's just lumpy, cross-shore junk. The energy numbers fall well below 1000, bottoming out in the double digits. There’s just nothing to get excited about.
Honestly, if you absolutely have to get wet, Saturday morning the 25th is the only faint heartbeat in this forecast. It’s got the size and the power, but the wind is gonna be a pain. A long, disappointing stretch for the Cape. Forecasts can change, but right now, it's a stay-at-home kind of window.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Very mild (max 18°C on Sat afternoon, min 12°C on Sun night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Very mild (max 18°C on Tue afternoon, min 12°C on Wed night). Mainly fresh winds. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Saturday 25 | Sunday 26 | Monday 27 | Tuesday 28 | Wednesday 29 | Thursday 30 | Friday 31 | |||||||||||||||
AM | PM | 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) | SSW 21 | SW 21 | SW 20 | SW 19 | SW 19 | SW 18 | SSW 18 | SSW 18 | SW 19 | SSW 17 | SSW 18 | SSW 17 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | S 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSE 15 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 1221 | 1051 | 872 | 1100 | 863 | 719 | 845 | 1104 | 837 | 789 | 1081 | 911 | 635 | 539 | 441 | 377 | 306 | 161 | 186 | 239 | 284 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off | cross-on | cross | cross-off | cross | cross | cross-off | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross-off |
High Tide | 11:00AM1.28m | 8:50PM1.78m | 11:38AM1.33m | 9:34PM1.81m | 12:10PM1.37m | 10:16PM1.84m | 12:39PM1.39m | 10:55PM1.85m | 1:05PM1.42m | 11:34PM1.83m | 1:30PM1.46m | 00:13AM1.79m | 1:56PM1.51m | 00:53AM1.70m | |||||||
Low Tide | 3:21PM1.02m | 4:39AM-0.05m | 4:10PM1.01m | 5:16AM-0.10m | 4:52PM0.98m | 5:49AM-0.13m | 5:29PM0.95m | 6:20AM-0.14m | 6:06PM0.90m | 6:50AM-0.13m | 6:43PM0.85m | 7:20AM-0.09m | 7:23PM0.78m | ||||||||
 | |  | | |  |  | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
 | 6:07 | — | — | 6:09 | — | — | 6:09 | — | — | 6:09 | — | — | 6:11 | — | — | 6:11 | — | — | 6:13 | — | — |
 | — | 8:38 | — | — | 8:37 | — | — | 8:37 | — | — | 8:36 | — | — | 8:35 | — | — | 8:34 | — | — | 8:32 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 17 | 18 | 17 | 17 | 18 | 16 | 16 | 18 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 16 | 15 | 16 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 14 |
Feels °C | 16 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 13 | 14 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 13 | 10 | 11 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 9 | 11 | 11 | 9 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 21 | SW 21 | SW 20 | SW 19 | SW 19 | SW 18 | SSW 18 | SSW 18 | SW 19 | SSW 17 | SSW 18 | SSW 17 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | WNW 9 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | S 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSE 15 |
| kJ | 1221 | 1051 | 872 | 1100 | 863 | 719 | 845 | 1104 | 837 | 789 | 1081 | 911 | 635 | 539 | 258 | 377 | 306 | 161 | 186 | 239 | 284 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NW 9 | NW 9 | NW 8 | NW 8 | SSW 12 | NW 10 | SSW 13 | NW 9 | NW 9 | NW 9 | SSW 12 | NW 9 | S 18 | S 18 | SSW 16 | S 16 | NW 8 | SSW 15 | SSE 17 | SSE 16 | SSW 14 |
| kJ | 152 | 148 | 112 | 84 | 56 | 163 | 98 | 125 | 117 | 97 | 55 | 107 | 154 | 227 | 441 | 183 | 67 | 142 | 168 | 198 | 136 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 13 | S 12 | SSW 12 | S 12 | NW 11 | SSW 21 | — | SSW 11 | SSW 16 | SSW 21 | — | S 20 | SW 11 | SSW 11 | S 17 | SSE 15 | S 16 | SSE 18 | S 15 | — | WNW 7 |
| kJ | 125 | 196 | 57 | 101 | 30 | 180 | — | 40 | 144 | 144 | — | 119 | 20 | 11 | 297 | 21 | 181 | 61 | 67 | — | 37 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | NW 7 | — | NW 9 | NNW 3 | N 3 | N 3 | NW 9 | WNW 5 | NW 9 | NW 8 | N 6 | NW 6 | NNW 6 | NNW 6 | NNW 7 | NNW 6 | NNW 6 |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | 75 | — | 166 | 7 | 5 | 8 | 178 | 16 | 269 | 346 | 41 | 223 | 140 | 209 | 277 | 225 | 127 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 75 | 436 | 0 | 151 | 151 | 51 | 151 | 151 | 40 | 334 | 436 | 51 | 316 | 437 | 59 | 151 | 437 | 40 | 151 | 436 | 54 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Humboldt County | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United States | |||||||||||||||||||||
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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.
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