Cape Mendocino Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Hey folks, Rusty here. Let’s talk about Cape Mendocino. The next couple of weeks are looking like a real mixed bag, and I won’t sugarcoat it – there’s a lot of wind-kicked chop to wade through. We’ve got moderate energy in the water right now, sitting around 486 (moderate energy), but the angles are all wrong for clean surf. Water temp is about 55°F, which is a solid 3°F below the usual for this time of year, so you’ll feel that chill.

Saturday the 12th is a no-go – that NW cross-onshore breeze is ruining the 3ft SW swell. Sunday and Monday are more of the same, with Monday the 14th seeing the swell jump to 7ft from the NW and combined energy hitting 845 (strong energy). But that north wind is screaming at 19 mph, cross-shore and lumpy. That’s kite territory, not a fun paddle. Anything over 5ft is too much for beginners, and this is well into expert-only size with those conditions.

There are a couple of small windows if you’re keen. Wednesday the 16th afternoon goes glassy – dead calm, 2ft SW groundswell with a very long 16-second period. It’s tiny, combined energy is just 169 (weak), but it’ll be dead smooth. That’s a nice little session for the patient surfer.

The real standout is a long way out: Thursday the 24th afternoon. Another glass-off with 2ft SW swell, 15-second period, and 236 combined energy (weak). The wind is nil, so the surface will be like a lake. That long-period groundswell from the SW works well on the points here, so the waves should have some push and shape, even if it’s not big.

Otherwise, from the 17th through the 23rd, it’s a long stretch of poor conditions – strong north winds, lumpy cross-chop, and not worth the drive. Thursday the 24th is the one to pencil in. It’s a small day, but it’ll be clean and glassy. That’s as good as it gets in this window.

Rusty.

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