Surf Forecasts:
Cape Mendocino surf forecast from 19 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Monday 24 Aug, 8PM (local time) - 5ft (1.6m), 8s period, NW swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Wednesday 19 Aug, 11PM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 15s period, SSW swell with 314 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Friday 21 Aug, 2AM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.8m), 14s 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 Friday (Aug 21) at 2AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.8m and 14s period with a secondary swell of 0.9m and 11s. 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 0.9m 15s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Aug 19) at 11PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 2.4m 9s period and expected on Sunday (Aug 23) at 8PM.
| Wave Type | Time (PDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 2AM (Fri 21st Aug) | 2.5ft (0.8m) 14s |
| Best Surf | 8PM (Mon 24th Aug) | 5ft (1.6m) 8s |
| Most Powerful | 11PM (Wed 19th Aug) | 3ft (0.9m) 15s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Cape Mendocino over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Gather 'round, crew. Let's talk about what's on the menu for the next little while. It's a bit of a slow burn, to be honest. We're looking at a stretch of fairly average to poor conditions for a solid week and a half, starting now. The first real glimmer of hope doesn't pop up until the very end of the run, so don't be in a rush.
Right off the bat, from Wednesday the 19th of August all the way through to the morning of Tuesday the 1st of September, it's a rough patch. We're getting a mix of cross-shore winds and moderate breezes, with swell heights barely scraping the 1 ft to 4 ft mark. The energy is around (203 to 717) which is moderate, but the conditions are just messy – lots of cross-chop and lumpy faces. A few of these days have a "poor surf conditions" label. It's not what you'd call promising.
Now, the one date to circle is Tuesday, the 1st of September. The afternoon session at Cape Mendocino is the standout of the whole outlook. The swell is coming from the NW at 3 ft, with a period of 11 seconds, but the real magic is the wind. It's going glassy – a full-on "Slight air" with a "glassy" wind state giving you clean, smooth lines. The combined energy sits at (414) – moderate – but it's the cleanliness that makes it worthwhile. This is a proper exposed spot, optimum swell from the SW, so a NW swell is a bit of a side-angle, but with that glassy surface, it's the best you're going to get. The water temp is about average for this time of year, no wild anomalies to report.
After that, the 2nd and 3rd of September see a drop in size and some rain showers, so don't get your hopes up for a run of perfect days. The glassy session on the 1st is the real highlight. It's a long-range call, so keep your fingers crossed, but it's the only one worth planning for.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Very mild (max 17°C on Wed afternoon, min 12°C on Thu night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Very mild (max 18°C on Sat afternoon, min 13°C on Sat night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wednesday 19 | Thursday 20 | Friday 21 | Saturday 22 | Sunday 23 | Monday 24 | Tuesday 25 | |||||||||||||||
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 16 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SW 18 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SW 18 | S 16 | SW 19 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SW 17 | SW 16 | NW 7 | SW 16 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 273 | 305 | 314 | 233 | 223 | 236 | 156 | 111 | 99 | 99 | 111 | 124 | 181 | 164 | 155 | 255 | 192 | 183 | 219 | 214 | 161 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross | cross | cross | cross-on | cross | cross-off | cross | cross | cross-off | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross | glassy | cross | glassy | cross | cross-on | cross | cross |
High Tide | 4:39PM1.68m | 7:24AM1.13m | 5:31PM1.65m | 8:53AM1.20m | 6:30PM1.65m | 9:48AM1.27m | 7:30PM1.67m | 10:27AM1.34m | 8:25PM1.72m | 10:58AM1.38m | 9:14PM1.77m | 11:24AM1.42m | 9:58PM1.81m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 10:37AM0.85m | 00:23AM0.29m | 11:45AM0.99m | 1:32AM0.24m | 1:04PM1.05m | 2:33AM0.18m | 2:14PM1.05m | 3:24AM0.11m | 3:09PM1.01m | 4:07AM0.05m | 3:54PM0.95m | 4:43AM0.01m | 4:33PM0.87m | ||||||||
 | |  | | |  | | | | |  |  | | | | | | |  | | | |
 | 6:31 | — | — | 6:31 | — | — | 6:33 | — | — | 6:33 | — | — | 6:35 | — | — | 6:35 | — | — | 6:37 | — | — |
 | — | 8:08 | — | — | 8:07 | — | — | 8:06 | — | — | 8:05 | — | — | 8:02 | — | — | 8:01 | — | — | 8:00 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 16 | 17 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 14 | 17 | 18 | 14 | 17 | 18 | 15 | 17 | 17 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 14 |
Feels °C | 12 | 14 | 10 | 13 | 13 | 11 | 13 | 13 | 11 | 13 | 14 | 10 | 15 | 15 | 12 | 16 | 16 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 11 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 16 | WNW 11 | WNW 12 | WNW 11 | WNW 11 | WNW 11 | WNW 11 | WNW 10 | NNW 8 | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | S 16 | NNW 8 | SW 18 | NNW 9 | NNW 8 | NNW 8 | NNW 7 | NW 7 | SW 16 | SW 16 |
| kJ | 273 | 186 | 242 | 225 | 210 | 164 | 117 | 83 | 88 | 54 | 52 | 124 | 682 | 164 | 821 | 469 | 330 | 250 | 211 | 214 | 161 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WNW 12 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | WNW 10 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SW 16 | SW 19 | SSW 16 | S 16 | SW 18 | S 14 | S 14 | SW 16 | S 13 | S 13 |
| kJ | 213 | 305 | 314 | 233 | 223 | 236 | 156 | 101 | 78 | 99 | 67 | 95 | 181 | 81 | 124 | 255 | 153 | 146 | 219 | 89 | 87 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 20 | SW 21 | — | SW 18 | SW 19 | SW 20 | SW 19 | SW 18 | SSW 13 | SW 18 | SW 18 | W 12 | SSW 15 | SSW 12 | SW 18 | S 14 | SW 18 | SW 17 | S 13 | W 15 | W 14 |
| kJ | 16 | 18 | — | 54 | 58 | 15 | 55 | 111 | 99 | 50 | 111 | 11 | 75 | 28 | 155 | 106 | 192 | 183 | 89 | 107 | 93 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NNW 7 | NNW 7 | NNW 7 | NNW 6 | NNW 6 | NNW 7 | NNW 7 | NNW 7 | — | NNW 7 | NNW 7 | NNW 8 | — | NNW 8 | — | — | — | — | — | NW 7 | NNW 6 |
| kJ | 343 | 270 | 163 | 99 | 88 | 75 | 59 | 86 | — | 94 | 143 | 452 | — | 771 | — | — | — | — | — | 173 | 122 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 151 | 54 | 51 | 151 | 54 | 0 | 134 | 151 | 51 | 211 | 54 | 40 | 191 | 51 | 0 | 188 | 0 | 40 | 51 | 114 | 40 |
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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