Cape Mendocino Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s talk about what’s shaping up on the coast.

Right off the bat, I gotta say, this isn’t a classic stretch of surf. We’ve got a long run of days ahead that are mostly gonna be a grind. The problem is the wind. It’s coming from the north and northwest, blasting straight across the swell, making everything lumpy and messy. The swell is coming from the SSW and SW, but it’s fighting a losing battle against that cross-shore chop.

For the first few days, starting Thursday the 23rd, we’re looking at small, weak surf. The water temp is a chilly 52°F, which is a whopping 4°F colder than normal, so you’ll be needing a thick suit. The energy is moderate at best – we’re talking 339 (Thursday morning) up to 1131 (Friday afternoon) – but it's all cross-wind junk. It’s just not worth paddling out for.

The weekend, Saturday the 25th and Sunday the 26th, the swell pushes up a touch to around 4ft, still from the SSW and SW. But the wind is still a cross-shore mess. The energy gets up there, hitting 1498 on Saturday morning, but the surface is going to be chopped up. It looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing, honestly.

From Monday the 27th all the way through the end of the month and into the first week of August, it’s a grim picture. The wind stays on, the swell drops, and the forecast keeps saying “poor surf conditions”. There’s a long gap of nothing good from the 27th of July right through to the 6th of August. That’s over a week of not much to get excited about.

Then, on the final day of the forecast, Thursday the 6th of August, there’s a tiny flicker of hope. The afternoon turns glassy, with a light southwesterly wind. The swell is tiny, only 1ft from the SSW, and the energy is weak (105), but the glassy conditions mean it’s at least surfable. If you’re desperate for a longboard and a paddle, that’s your window. But it’s not a standout by any stretch.

Honestly, for the best on offer, you’re looking at that Thursday afternoon, the 6th of August. It’s the only time the wind lays down. The rest of the run is a write-off for clean, quality waves. The combination of persistent cross-shore winds and small, weak swell just doesn’t give us any proper standouts.

Rusty.

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