Cape Mendocino Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what the ocean’s got cookin’ for us around Cape Mendocino over the next couple weeks.

Honestly, the next week is gonna be a bit of a tease. We’ve got some solid swell pulses rollin’ in, but the wind just won't play ball. The water’s a bit colder than normal for this time of year, sittin’ around 56°, so you’ll want a good hood or a thick wetsuit.

The first real chance of anything decent doesn’t show up until Thursday afternoon, September 4th and into Friday morning, September 5th. That’s when a bigger NW swell fills in. On the 4th afternoon, Cape Mendocino could see chest-to-head-high-plus waves at 8 ft from the NW, with a period of 11 seconds. There’s a lot of energy in the water, too – moderate to strong energy readings in the 3000s. This is expert territory though; that size is for the experienced crew only. The wind is still cross-shore, so it’s going to be lumpy. Not ideal, but the biggest we’ve seen. If you’re an expert and just need a paddle, that Friday morning the swell drops to a still-chunky 6 ft from the NW.

Now, if you want the real standout, you’ve gotta wait until Tuesday afternoon, September 8th. This is the one. Cape Mendocino gets a clean 2 ft swell from the SW with a long 18-second period. That’s proper groundswell. The big trick here is the wind goes glassy – dead calm. For a spot that’s usually choppy, that’s a gift from the surf gods. The energy is moderate (643), but it’s a long-period, clean wave. Because the period is so long (over 15 seconds), the sets will be few and far between, but the shape will be much better. The downside is I can’t be 100% sure on that glass-off holding that far out, but if it does, that’s your session.

Thursday, September 11th afternoon also shows a bit of hope with glassy conditions and a 3 ft SSW swell (15 sec period), so it could be a decent clean-up session for the second week. Keep an eye on that one.

Bottom line: The first week is a write-off for most of us because of the wind. The best bet on the whole chart is that glassy Tuesday afternoon (Sept 8) for some clean, long-period lines, and the expert-only NW pulse on Sept 4 for the heavy crew. Everything else is just waiting.

Rusty, out.

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