Surf Forecasts:
Cape Mendocino surf forecast from 24 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Saturday 25 Jul, 8AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.1m), 21s period, SW swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Sunday 26 Jul, 8AM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.3m), 19s period, SSW swell with 1,255 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Saturday 25 Jul, 2AM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.7m), 23s period with SW swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Cape Mendocino this week:
The surf forecast for Cape Mendocino over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Saturday (Jul 25) at 2AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.7m and 23s period with a secondary swell of 1.1m and 9s. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Cape Mendocino in the next 16 days are 1.3m 19s and forecast to arrive on Sunday (Jul 26) at 8AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.4m 8s period and expected on Thursday (Jul 30) at 11PM.
| Wave Type | Time (PDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 2AM (Sat 25th Jul) | 2.5ft (0.7m) 23s |
| Best Surf | 8AM (Sat 25th Jul) | 3.5ft (1.1m) 21s |
| Most Powerful | 8AM (Sun 26th Jul) | 4.5ft (1.3m) 19s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Cape Mendocino over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright folks, Rusty here. Gotta be straight with you – it’s a lean stretch ahead for Cape Mendocino. We’ve got a long, quiet spell to get through before anything even starts to look interesting.
Right now, the water’s sitting at 55° – a bit colder than usual for this time of year, so you’ll want a thick suit.
The first few days are a write-off. Friday the 24th through to the end of July is just slop. We’ve got a weak, long-period SSW groundswell bumping in, but it’s all cross-shore winds and lumpy conditions. The combined energy is moderate at best (789 for Friday morning, climbing to 1461 by Saturday morning), but the wind just won’t cooperate. The swell is tiny, around 2ft to 4ft, and with a period of 24 seconds dropping to 17 seconds, it’s a long-period groundswell that’s, frankly, wasting its energy on a messy beach break. Not worth paddling out for.
The first week of August is a total drought. From Sunday the 2nd through to Wednesday the 7th, the data is nothing but “poor surf conditions” and zero scores. A brutal run of cross-shore breezes at 18-22 mph and tiny, weak swells. The combined energy drops into the double digits (152 down to 74), so there’s nothing on offer.
Then, on Wednesday, August 5th, we get a flash in the pan. The morning shows a massive 10ft NW swell piling in, with a combined energy of 1780 – that’s strong. But the wind is still a cross-shore 18 mph, and the data flat-out says the swell is too big for this break. This is an expert-only, borderline dangerous situation. The period is a short, wind-affected 10 seconds, so it’ll be a bumpy, hostile mess. For the average surfer, this is a skip. For the big-wave chargers, it’s a maybe, but the wind is going to ruin it.
After that, it’s right back to the doldrums for the rest of the forecast. Small, weak, wind-blown nothingness.
So, the honest truth? There are no good surf options in this 16-day window. Cape Mendocino is a fairly consistent spot, so this blank run is a bit of a bummer, but forecasts can change. For now, keep the board in the car and the wax in the wrapper.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Very mild (max 18°C on Sat afternoon, min 12°C on Sun night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Very mild (max 18°C on Tue morning, min 12°C on Wed night). Mainly fresh winds. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Friday 24 | Saturday 25 | Sunday 26 | Monday 27 | Tuesday 28 | Wednesday 29 | Thursday 30 | |||||||||||||||
AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | |
Swell Height Map |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | ||||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 24 | SSW 24 | SW 23 | SSW 21 | SW 21 | SW 20 | SW 19 | SW 19 | SW 18 | SSW 18 | SSW 18 | SW 19 | SSW 17 | SSW 18 | SSW 17 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | NW 9 | S 15 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 374 | 964 | 558 | 1221 | 1051 | 872 | 1100 | 863 | 719 | 845 | 1104 | 837 | 789 | 1081 | 911 | 635 | 539 | 436 | 493 | 418 | 218 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | cross-on | glassy | on | cross-on | cross-off | cross | cross | cross-off | cross | cross | cross-off | cross | cross | cross-off | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross |
High Tide | 10:11AM1.21m | 8:03PM1.75m | 11:00AM1.28m | 8:50PM1.78m | 11:38AM1.33m | 9:34PM1.81m | 12:10PM1.37m | 10:16PM1.84m | 12:39PM1.39m | 10:55PM1.85m | 1:05PM1.42m | 11:34PM1.83m | 1:30PM1.46m | 00:13AM1.79m | |||||||
Low Tide | 2:25PM1.00m | 3:58AM0.01m | 3:21PM1.02m | 4:39AM-0.05m | 4:10PM1.01m | 5:16AM-0.10m | 4:52PM0.98m | 5:49AM-0.13m | 5:29PM0.95m | 6:20AM-0.14m | 6:06PM0.90m | 6:50AM-0.13m | 6:43PM0.85m | ||||||||
 | |  | | | | | | | | | | | |  |  | | | | | | |
 | 6:07 | — | — | 6:07 | — | — | 6:09 | — | — | 6:09 | — | — | 6:09 | — | — | 6:11 | — | — | 6:11 | — | — |
 | — | 8:39 | — | — | 8:38 | — | — | 8:37 | — | — | 8:37 | — | — | 8:36 | — | — | 8:35 | — | — | 8:34 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 17 | 17 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 16 | 18 | 18 | 17 | 14 | 16 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 14 |
Feels °C | 16 | 16 | 15 | 16 | 18 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 10 | 12 | 9 | 13 | 12 | 10 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NW 9 | NNW 9 | NW 9 | SSW 21 | SW 21 | SW 20 | SW 19 | SW 19 | SW 18 | SSW 18 | SSW 18 | SW 19 | SSW 17 | SSW 18 | SSW 17 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | S 15 |
| kJ | 211 | 176 | 183 | 1221 | 1051 | 872 | 1100 | 863 | 719 | 845 | 1104 | 837 | 789 | 1081 | 911 | 635 | 539 | 436 | 493 | 302 | 218 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 13 | SSW 24 | SW 23 | NW 9 | NW 9 | NW 8 | S 12 | SSW 12 | NW 10 | SSW 13 | NW 9 | NW 9 | NW 9 | SSW 12 | WNW 8 | S 18 | WNW 8 | S 17 | S 16 | S 16 | SW 15 |
| kJ | 204 | 964 | 558 | 115 | 126 | 69 | 101 | 56 | 138 | 99 | 122 | 138 | 95 | 56 | 92 | 98 | 125 | 373 | 183 | 186 | 171 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 24 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | S 13 | S 12 | W 6 | — | NW 11 | SSW 21 | SSW 13 | SSW 11 | SSW 16 | SSW 21 | SSW 9 | SSW 11 | SW 11 | S 18 | SSW 11 | SE 16 | SSE 15 | SSE 15 |
| kJ | 374 | 154 | 151 | 125 | 196 | 26 | — | 30 | 180 | 99 | 40 | 144 | 144 | 8 | 48 | 29 | 307 | 11 | 10 | 22 | 22 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | W 5 | — | — | — | — | NW 8 | NW 7 | N 3 | NW 9 | NNW 4 | NW 9 | N 3 | NW 9 | N 3 | NW 8 | NNW 4 | NW 9 | NW 6 | NW 9 | NW 8 |
| kJ | — | 13 | — | — | — | — | 86 | 75 | 3 | 162 | 11 | 211 | 5 | 126 | 5 | 176 | 15 | 246 | 209 | 418 | 268 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 83 | 74 | 0 | 152 | 75 | 0 | 151 | 211 | 51 | 151 | 151 | 0 | 151 | 151 | 51 | 316 | 436 | 40 | 151 | 51 | 40 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Humboldt County | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United States | |||||||||||||||||||||
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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.
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