Cape Mendocino Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s take a look at what’s shaping up for Cape Mendocino. It’s a bit of a slow patch to kick things off, with a lot of marginal conditions and cross-shores that just won’t let up. The real standout looks like it’s a way off, so patience is the name of the game.

The first few days are a tough watch. From Tuesday the 25th through the end of the month, we’ve got small swell, mostly around 2ft to 3ft from the SW with a decent 16-second period, but the wind is a problem. It’s blowing cross or cross-on, and the wave energy is weak to moderate (443 to 466). It’s just not worth paddling out for. Wednesday and Thursday are even worse, with the same small swell and moderate cross-shore winds messing up any chance of a clean wave. The energy drops further, too (283 to 354).

Friday the 28th sees a slight bump in swell height to 3ft, still from the SSW with a 16-second period, and the energy picks up a bit (704), but it’s still marginal and cross-shore. That pattern hangs around through the weekend and into early next week. Saturday the 30th offers a little more size—4ft to 4ft from the SSW with an 18-second period, moderate energy (1031), but again, the wind is cross, and it’s just not clean. We’re stuck in a rut of marginal surf and poor conditions.

Then, on Monday the 7th of September, things start to look a little more hopeful. The morning has 3ft SSW swell at 14 seconds, with a light breeze and slight cross-shore chop. Not great, but not terrible. The real glimmer comes on Tuesday the 8th of September. The morning is still small, but look at the afternoon: the wind goes glassy, and we’ve got 2ft SSW swell with a 13-second period. The energy is low (290), but glassy conditions are a major positive. It’s the first time we’ve seen clean surf, and while it’s small, it’s the best on offer in the whole outlook. That’s the one to circle if you’re desperate for a paddle.

Wednesday the 9th of September goes back to marginal with a cross-shore, so that Tuesday afternoon window is the real standout.

Water temperature here is about average for the time of year, nothing unusual to report.

So, there you have it. A long flat spell, then a tiny window of glassy conditions on the 8th. Keep your eyes on the forecast, because that could be the only clean shot we get.

Rusty.

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