Cape Mendocino Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, folks, let's cut to the chase. It’s gonna be a frustrating stretch of surf for a bit, I'm not gonna lie.

We’ve got a southwest swell pushing in, but the north wind is just shredding the surface. Today and Friday are a loss – cross-shore winds, lumpy, poor. The swell energy is around 617, so there's some power, but it’s not reaching us clean.

The weekend is a write-off for the most part. Saturday is tiny, around 3ft, with a cross-onshore breeze. Not worth the drive. Sunday gets a little more size, up to 4ft, but the period drops out from the WNW, and it's a short-period, crumbly mess.

By Monday, we see a bit more push, 6ft plus, but the north wind is getting stronger and it’s all cross. This is getting into the territory where it’s too big for beginners and the chop will make it a battle. The period is still just 8 seconds, so it lacks any real punch.

Then, we hit a flat spell. Tuesday and Wednesday are barely breaking – knee-high at best. Plan on doing something else with your time. We’re looking at a blank run from Tuesday morning through Thursday morning, a solid four days of nothing.

Thursday the 16th shows a bit of a pulse, back up to 6-7ft from the northwest, but the period is still short, and it's cross-onshore in the morning. It’s messy and jumbled.

We go back into the small stuff for the rest of that week and into the weekend. There's a glimmer of hope for Sunday morning, the 20th. The wind, for once, looks like it’s going to die down to glassy. Swell is around 2-3ft from the southwest with a long 18-second period. That’s a proper groundswell, which gives us a chance of some shape. The energy is moderate, but the clean conditions will be the key. This is the standout window. It’s small, so don't expect magic barrels, but it's your best chance for a fun, clean surf.

But don't bank on it lasting. Monday and Tuesday of the following week are back to the usual north wind chop.

Then we see a change. The forecast for Thursday the 24th starts showing a bigger pulse of swell. We're looking at 8ft from the northwest. But the period is a puny 8 seconds, and the north wind is going to be gale force. This is a stormy, maxed-out, horrible looking mess. By Friday the 25th, it’s bigger still, 8ft, with 45 km/h north winds. For the average punter, this whole stretch is going to be more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing.

So, to sum up. A whole lot of nothing, and then a small window of clean potential on the morning of Sunday, September 20th. It’s not going to be epic, but it’ll be the best we get for a while. After that, it’s all about waiting out the stormy, windy mess. Forecasts can change, but right now, this is what we got.

Rusty.

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