Cape Mendocino Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, folks, Rusty here. Let’s be straight with you. The next couple of weeks are looking pretty flat and messy around Cape Mendocino. We’ve got a lot of lumpy, cross-shore chop and not a whole lot of push behind it. It’s gonna be a real grind for anyone looking for a proper wave.

Right out of the gate, Friday the 14th and through the weekend, we’re looking at weak, short-period swell in the 2ft to 3ft range. The energy is weak to moderate, with the combined energy readings mostly sitting in the 500s to 600s. Winds are cross-shore and onshore, which is just going to chop things up further. This is not the time to be getting your hopes up; it’s more of a “check the tide and see if it lines up” kind of situation, but honestly, shape is going to be hard to find.

We’ve got a long stretch of poor conditions from Monday the 17th all the way through to Saturday the 23rd. The swell stays weak, around 2ft to 3ft, with some readings dipping lower. The energy drops off into the 300s and 400s, which is pretty weak. The wind is your main enemy here—it’s just constantly cross, chopping up any bit of form the swell might try to put together. It’s going to be a featureless, lumpy mess. I’d say save your energy for something else; this looks better for a kite session than a surf session.

Now, there is a little blip on the radar for Monday the 24th. The swell jumps up to a solid 6ft to 7ft, and the energy reads a strong 708. But don’t get too stoked yet. The period is a short, crumbly 7 seconds, and the wind is still cross-onshore. This is going to be a messy, walled-up, onshore slop-fest. Might have some push, but it won’t be pretty. For most people, it’s a skip.

After that, we’re back to the small stuff. The last few days of the window, from the 25th to the 29th, we see a slight bump in period, with it climbing into the 15-17 second range, which is nice to see, but the height just isn’t there, staying mostly in the 1ft to 2ft range. There is a slight uptick in energy and size toward the very end, especially on the 28th and 29th of August, with readings reaching 3ft to 4ft and energy in the 700s to 900s. This is a long-range, promising sign, but with the cross-shore winds still forecast, it’s still not a sure thing. It's something to keep an eye on, but it's a week and a half out, so let's not start planning the party yet.

All in all, it’s a pretty bleak stretch ahead. Water temps are about average for this time of year, so no surprises there. Don't force it, just keep the board waxed and wait for the ocean to get its act together.

This is Rusty, signing off.

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