Cape Mendocino Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s talk about what’s going on at Cape Mendocino.

To be straight with you, the next few days are a tough watch. We’ve got a long stretch of pretty average conditions kicking off Monday the 13th and running through most of that week. The swell is small and the wind is mostly cross-shore, with a moderate breeze messing up any chance of clean waves. The water temperature is 51°F, which is 5°F colder than normal—much colder than average for the time of year, so you’ll want a thick suit.

Through to Saturday the 18th, it’s a frustrating mix of poor to marginal surf. There’s some longer-period groundswell showing up, with periods hitting 17 to 19 seconds on a few days, but the wave heights are just too small—mostly around 2ft to 3ft—and the wind stays cross. The combined wave energy on Thursday the 16th is moderate at 546, rising to strong on Friday the 17th with 1060, but without clean wind, it’s not doing us any favors. The cross-shore wind just keeps things bumpy and uninviting.

There is a gap of several days here with no real recommendation. It’s not until Saturday the 25th that something stands out, and it’s a big one. On Saturday morning, the 25th of July, we see a solid 10ft swell from the NW with a short period of 9 seconds. The combined energy is a massive 2045—strong to very strong. Now, that’s expert territory, no doubt. It’s too big for beginners and even most intermediates. The wind is still cross from the NNW at 12 mph, so it won’t be perfect, but for the big-wave crew, this is the standout. The break is exposed to the SW, and with this much NW swell wrapping in, it could offer some heavy, powerful lines. Just know it’s a beast.

Beyond that, Sunday the 26th drops off quickly back to small, messy surf with long-period SW swell but still cross winds. And into the final days of the month, the wind picks up to a fresh breeze, keeping conditions lumpy. Overall, the real window is that one morning on the 25th if you’ve got the nerve and the quiver for it.

Stay patient, stay stoked.

Rusty

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