Cape Mendocino Surf Break

Lat Long: 40.42° N 124.40° W

Cape Mendocino Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Issued: 10 am 11 Jul 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's Cape Mendocino sea temperature is
10.8° C
2.6° 

Cape Mendocino surf forecast is for near shore open water. Breaking waves will often be smaller at less exposed spots.


Cape Mendocino surf forecast from 12 Jul 2026:

  • Most powerful swell: Saturday 18 Jul, 2PM (local time) - 7.5ft (2.3m), 9s period, NW swell with 844 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 2.3m 9s and forecast to arrive on Saturday (Jul 18) at 2PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 3.0m 9s period and expected on Friday (Jul 17) at 2AM.

Wave TypeTime (PDT) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+)--
Best Surf--
Most Powerful 2PM (Sat 18th Jul)7.5ft (2.3m) 9s

Table - best surf conditions forecast for Cape Mendocino over the next 16 days.


Alright, Rusty here, let's talk about what's cooking up at this spot.

Honestly, for the next week or so, it’s a bit of a tough pill to swallow. We're looking at a long stretch of pretty unsurfable conditions at Cape Mendocino. The water is sitting at 51°, which is much colder than normal for this time of year, so even if the waves were good, you’d be needing a thick hood and gloves.

Starting out on Saturday the 11th, we’ve got some small 3ft swell coming from the SSW, but a moderate to fresh north wind is ripping across it, making a right mess of things with a lumpy cross-chop. That pattern just keeps rolling on through. Sunday the 12th sees a bit more size, up to 6ft from the NW, but the period is a short and weak 7 seconds, so it'll be a crumbly, choppy mess with those same cross-shore winds.

That same onshore, cross-shore wind pattern doesn't let up all week. It’s just day after day of moderate to fresh northerly winds ruining whatever small swell is trying to show up. There's a little pulse of long-period energy on Wednesday the 15th and Thursday the 16th, with some 2ft swell from the WNW carrying a beautiful 19-to-20-second period, but the wind is just tearing it up. Combined swell energy around (465-475) shows there is some energy in the water, but the surface conditions are poor.

The only time this setup starts to look remotely interesting is on Saturday, July 18th. We see a jump in size to a solid 7ft from the NW. That’s big enough to be just for experienced surfers. The swell energy gets pumped up to strong levels (1395-1576), but the catch is that it’s a short-period 9-second swell, and the wind is still a fresh cross-shore. It’s going to be a washing machine out there. The score suggests it's marginal at best.

Truthfully, this entire 16-day window is a low-quality run. The cross-shore winds are relentless, and it's not until you get deep into that second week that you see the swell periods get long again, but still no clean wind to go with it. There’s no standout day on offer here. If you’re desperate for a paddle, keep an eye on that model change, but as it stands, I’d be finding something else to do for a while.

Rusty.

Short Range Forecast

Mostly dry. Very mild (max 16°C on Sat morning, min 11°C on Sun night). Wind will be generally light.

Days 4-6 Weather Summary

Mostly dry. Very mild (max 17°C on Wed afternoon, min 12°C on Tue night). Wind will be generally light.

Saturday
11
Sunday
12
Monday
13
Tuesday
14
Wednesday
15
Thursday
16
Friday
17
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
Rating
(10 max)
1
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
2
0
0
0
0
0
1
Swell
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Wave
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
0.9
SSW
14
0.9
SSW
15
1.6
NW
10
1.9
NW
7
1.9
NW
9
0.8
SSW
14
1.7
NW
8
1.6
NW
8
0.6
SSW
13
0.5
W
14
0.4
SW
18
0.6
SW
18
0.6
SW
18
0.4
WNW
20
0.5
WNW
20
0.6
WNW
19
0.6
WNW
19
0.8
WNW
18
0.8
WNW
17
0.9
WNW
16
0.9
WNW
16
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
330
334
499
365
537
229
371
306
139
106
103
194
194
160
218
286
280
348
344
390
463
Wind (km/h)
20
N
30
N
20
N
25
NNW
30
N
20
N
25
N
25
N
20
N
25
NNW
25
N
20
NNE
20
N
25
N
20
NNE
25
N
30
N
25
N
30
NNW
30
N
25
N
Wind State
cross
cross
cross
cross
cross
cross
cross
cross
cross
cross
cross
cross-off
cross
cross
cross-off
cross
cross
cross
cross
cross
cross
High Tide
10:39AM1.25m
8:48PM2.06m
11:31AM1.36m
9:44PM2.12m
12:18PM1.44m
10:38PM2.15m
1:01PM1.50m
11:31PM2.12m
1:42PM1.56m
00:24AM2.04m
2:22PM1.61m
1:16AM1.89m
3:01PM1.66m
2:11AM1.69m
Low Tide
2:56PM0.92m
4:33AM-0.40m
3:57PM0.93m
5:23AM-0.49m
4:56PM0.90m
6:11AM-0.52m
5:52PM0.84m
6:56AM-0.48m
6:48PM0.78m
7:41AM-0.39m
7:46PM0.71m
8:23AM-0.23m
8:45PM0.65m
part cloud
part cloud
part cloud
clear
clear
clear
part cloud
clear
clear
clear
part cloud
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
part cloud
part cloud
clear
part cloud
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
5:56
5:56
5:58
5:58
5:58
6:00
6:01
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
8:47
8:47
8:46
8:46
8:45
8:45
8:45
 mm
Temp °C
16
16
14
15
16
13
15
16
14
16
16
14
16
17
15
15
16
14
15
16
14
Feels °C
13
12
10
10
11
8
11
12
9
12
11
9
12
12
11
10
12
10
10
11
10
  • Map Icons:
  • Break
  • Live Wave Height (m)
  • Live Wind Speed (km/h)
  • Surf Rating (10 Max)
  • Ocean Swells (m)
  • Wind Speed (km/h)
Map placeholder
How to use the Wavefinder 
submit an eyeball surf report

Quick surf report for Cape Mendocino:

join our community of surf reporters

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 locationNearest