Cape Mendocino Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s on offer for Cape Mendocino over the next couple of weeks.

I gotta be straight with you – this stretch is looking pretty grim. There’s a long, quiet run ahead full of cross-shore winds and lumpy, poor surf. The first real chance of anything decent doesn’t come until the very end of the period, and even then, it’s small.

The first few days are a write-off. Wednesday the 8th kicks off with a 3 ft SSW swell at a long 18 seconds, but the cross-shore wind at 15 to 19 mph and cold water at 51°F – that’s a whopping 5°F colder than normal for this time of year – makes it a no-go. Thursday through Saturday the 11th are even worse: tiny swell under 3 ft, fresh cross-shore winds, and the forecasts are all poor. Combined wave energy dips into the 300-400 range – weak stuff.

Then Sunday the 12th through the following week, the swell tries to pick up a little – Sunday morning sees a 7 ft NW swell, but it’s short-period windswell at just 7 seconds, cross-shore winds at 19 mph, and the lumpy conditions make it messy. The energy hits 691 (moderate), but the quality is just not there. The whole week from the 13th to the 18th is nothing but poor surf, with the wind never letting up out of the north or north-northwest, always cross or cross-on.

Here’s the one bright spot, and it’s a long way off. On Sunday the 19th, late in the afternoon, we get a window of glassy conditions. A light westerly breeze at 3 mph goes dead calm. The swell is only 3 ft from the SW at 17 seconds – a long-period groundswell. That’s the standout of the entire 16 days. The energy is 666 (moderate), and with the water being glassy, it’ll be clean. But, it’s small, so it’s a mellow, long-period swell that’ll work best at the points and reefs – it might break too straight for the beach. Crowds are possible, so keep an eye on it.

After that, Monday the 20th through the 23rd, the wind picks right back up to cross-shore, and we’re back to poor surf. The 23rd sees the smallest energy of the run at 282, with a 3 ft SSW swell.

So, the calls are simple: the next two weeks are mostly a write-off for paddle surfing. The consistent cross-shore winds and messy conditions actually make this setup look more interesting for kite surfing than surfing. The only real chance for a surf is the glassy window on Sunday afternoon the 19th – but it’s small, so keep your expectations low.

Rusty.

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