Cape Mendocino Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s take a look at what’s shaping up for Cape Mendocino over the next couple of weeks.

Right off the bat, we’ve got a bit of a slow start. The first few days are looking pretty mediocre with small, messy swells and onshore winds messing things up. For Sunday and Monday, the 30th and 31st of August, the swell is coming from the SSW at around 3ft to 4ft, but the strong cross and cross-onshore winds are making a mess of it. The combined swell energy is sitting at 1135 on Sunday morning, but it’s a cross-shore chop, so not really worth paddling out for.

Things get a little more interesting around Thursday the 3rd of September. That morning we’ve got a 3ft SSW groundswell with a very long period of 19 seconds, and the combined energy jumps to 1029. The wind is light and cross-shore, so it’ll be clean. That long period will make for some nice shaped waves, but it’s on the smaller side, so it’s more of a longboarder’s or a bigger board kind of day.

But the real standout—and I mean the one to circle on the calendar—is Sunday the 6th of September. It’s a beauty. The morning is glassy, absolutely no wind, with a 3ft SSW swell running at 15 seconds. The water is about average for this time of year. The combined energy is 587, which is moderate, but with glassy conditions and that longer period, it’s going to be clean, lined up, and super fun. Cape Mendocino (California) is exposed to SW swells, and this one is coming right in. Expect very good surf conditions. Crowds are *sometimes* a thing here, but with that kind of forecast, it’s worth getting out early.

The next few days after that stay clean but drop a little in size. Monday the 7th has a 3ft swell with a clean cross-off wind from the NE in the afternoon. Good, but not as good as Sunday.

Then we get a bit of a wild card towards the end of the run. Saturday the 12th of September has a massive 8ft NW swell hitting in the afternoon, with a combined energy of 2642—that’s strong, powerful energy. The period is 11 seconds, so it’s a decent groundswell, but the wind is a moderate cross-shore from the N at 16 mph, which will put a chop on it. This is only for experienced surfers. At over 8ft, it’s expert territory. The consistency is fairly consistent, but the wind is going to make it tricky.

Overall, the best bet is that glassy Sunday session on the 6th. The Thursday the 3rd morning is a solid second choice if you’re after clean, long-period lines. The big one on the 12th is a power session for the brave, but don’t expect perfect conditions.

Rusty out.

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