Surf Forecasts:
Cape Mendocino surf forecast from 6 Aug 2026:
- Most powerful swell: Wednesday 12 Aug, 5AM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.7m), 18s period, SW swell with 316 kJ wave energy.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Cape Mendocino this week:
The most powerful waves expected at Cape Mendocino in the next 16 days are 0.7m 18s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Aug 12) at 5AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 3.5m 9s period and expected on Wednesday (Aug 12) at 2AM.
| Wave Type | Time (PDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | - | - |
| Best Surf | - | - |
| Most Powerful | 5AM (Wed 12th Aug) | 2.5ft (0.7m) 18s |
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’s coming down the line for Cape Mendocino.
To be honest, it’s a rough start. We’ve got a solid two-week stretch of junk ahead. From Thursday, August 6th, all the way through the morning of Friday, August 14th, it’s pretty much a write-off. The wind is mean and cross-shore, and the swell is tiny and weak. The water is running at 52°F at the start, which is a massive 6°F colder than usual for this time of year – that’s a very unusual, proper cold snap. Don’t even bother paddling out for that first week; it’s just frustrating.
The first real glimmer of hope comes on Saturday, August 15th. The morning session at Cape Mendocino is the standout of the whole forecast. We’ve got a clean 3ft SSW groundswell, and the wind is glassy, coming from the WSW. That means the surface will be smooth as butter. The combined energy is strong at 618, so there’s some real push behind it. That long period (17 seconds) means it’s going to be a proper groundswell, with nice shaped lines and longer lulls between sets. This is a classic, low-key gem for an early paddle.
The afternoon does get a bit messy as the wind swings cross-shore, so get your waves in before lunch. Sunday morning the 16th still has some 3ft swell, but the wind is already up, making it more of a chop-fest. After that, we’re back into a mix of marginal and poor conditions all the way through to the end of the outlook on August 21st. The energy pops up again on the 18th (602 on the Tuesday morning), but with that cross-shore wind, it’s going to be lumpy, not clean.
So, the takeaway: don’t even look at the ocean for the next 8 days. Mark your calendar for the morning of Saturday, August 15th. That’s the one real window we’ve got.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Very mild (max 18°C on Fri afternoon, min 12°C on Thu night). Winds increasing (light winds from the NNW on Thu morning, fresh winds from the N by Sat night). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Very mild (max 17°C on Sun afternoon, min 12°C on Sun night). Mainly fresh winds. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Thursday 6 | Friday 7 | Saturday 8 | Sunday 9 | Monday 10 | Tuesday 11 | Wednesday 12 | |||||||||||||||
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) | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SSW 18 | SSW 13 | SSW 17 | SSW 18 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SW 20 | SW 19 | SW 18 | SSW 18 | SW 18 | SW 17 | SSW 16 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 87 | 85 | 83 | 85 | 131 | 109 | 235 | 240 | 147 | 263 | 196 | 167 | 165 | 163 | 134 | 95 | 115 | 209 | 152 | 137 | 173 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | on | cross | cross-off | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross |
High Tide | 5:33PM1.86m | 8:19AM1.14m | 6:32PM1.91m | 9:34AM1.24m | 7:36PM1.98m | 10:27AM1.35m | 8:39PM2.04m | 11:10AM1.45m | 9:39PM2.09m | 11:49AM1.53m | 10:34PM2.09m | 12:26PM1.60m | 11:26PM2.05m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 11:14AM0.82m | 1:20AM0.09m | 12:27PM0.95m | 2:27AM-0.06m | 1:45PM1.00m | 3:27AM-0.20m | 2:55PM0.97m | 4:20AM-0.29m | 3:57PM0.89m | 5:08AM-0.34m | 4:52PM0.79m | 5:51AM-0.32m | 5:45PM0.68m | ||||||||
 |  |  | | |  | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
 | 6:18 | — | — | 6:20 | — | — | 6:20 | — | — | 6:22 | — | — | 6:22 | — | — | 6:24 | — | — | 6:24 | — | — |
 | — | 8:25 | — | — | 8:24 | — | — | 8:23 | — | — | 8:22 | — | — | 8:22 | — | — | 8:20 | — | — | 8:19 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 15 | 17 | 14 | 16 | 18 | 14 | 17 | 18 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 14 | 16 | 17 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 15 |
Feels °C | 14 | 15 | 11 | 12 | 14 | 10 | 12 | 13 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 10 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NNW 8 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 17 | SSW 18 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 14 | SSW 18 | SW 18 | SW 17 | SSW 16 |
| kJ | 91 | 85 | 83 | 57 | 79 | 109 | 235 | 240 | 147 | 263 | 196 | 167 | 165 | 163 | 59 | 70 | 115 | 209 | 152 | 137 | 173 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WNW 8 | NW 8 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SSW 18 | SSW 16 | NW 11 | SW 12 | SSW 12 | SW 12 | SSW 12 | SW 21 | SW 21 | SW 20 | SW 20 | SW 19 | SW 18 | SSW 14 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SSW 13 |
| kJ | 40 | 18 | 82 | 80 | 131 | 107 | 59 | 21 | 56 | 37 | 28 | 72 | 67 | 98 | 134 | 95 | 113 | 80 | 44 | 44 | 70 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 13 | SSW 19 | NW 8 | SSW 21 | W 12 | SSW 19 | SW 12 | W 13 | SW 23 | SW 23 | W 12 | SSW 11 | W 12 | S 10 | SW 15 | WNW 13 | S 20 | S 12 | WNW 15 | W 18 | NW 16 |
| kJ | 87 | 37 | 17 | 85 | 11 | 74 | 37 | 31 | 21 | 21 | 26 | 12 | 11 | 2 | 37 | 18 | 30 | 11 | 21 | 6 | 10 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | NNW 8 | NNW 8 | NNW 7 | NNW 7 | NNW 8 | NNW 8 | NNW 8 | NNW 9 | NNW 8 | NNW 8 | NNW 9 | NNW 8 | NNW 8 | NNW 9 | NNW 8 | NNW 8 | NNW 9 | NNW 9 | NNW 9 | NNW 9 |
| kJ | — | 126 | 128 | 183 | 216 | 302 | 471 | 659 | 1133 | 1020 | 899 | 1069 | 909 | 899 | 1530 | 1148 | 1057 | 2002 | 1346 | 1217 | 1621 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 211 | 262 | 51 | 151 | 51 | 40 | 149 | 780 | 54 | 316 | 437 | 40 | 294 | 437 | 54 | 334 | 437 | 54 | 219 | 473 | 54 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Humboldt County | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United States | |||||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||||
- Map Icons:
Break
Live Wave Height (m)
Live Wind Speed (km/h)
Surf Rating (10 Max)
Ocean Swells (m)- Wind Speed (km/h)
Latest Updates
FREE! Surf-Forecast.com widget for your website
The surf report / weather widget below is available to embed on third party websites free of charge and provides a summary of our Cape Mendocino surf forecast. Simply grab the html code snippet that we provide and paste it into your own site. You can choose your preferred language and metric/imperial units for the surf forecast feed to suit users of your site. Click here to get the code.
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.
Nearest