Cape Mendocino Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let's talk about what we've got for the Cape Mendocino area.

Honestly, for the first week our surf situation is pretty grim. We've got a long stretch of poor conditions staring us down. The wind is a constant problem, locked in from the north or north-northwest, blowing cross-shore at 15 to 19 mph. That's a moderate to fresh breeze that's just ruining any chance of clean waves. The water temp is about average for the time of year.

Let's walk through it. Friday the 10th and Saturday the 11th, we're looking at small, long-period SSW groundswell around 3 ft to 3 ft with a period of 14 to 15 seconds. The combined energy is moderate (around 435 to 671), but with that cross wind creating a cross-chop, it's poor. Not worth paddling out.

Sunday the 12th sees a bit more size, with the swell bumping up to 6 ft from the NW, but the period drops right off to a short, weak 7 to 10 seconds. That combined energy climbs up to 885, but it's still lumpy and poor. This setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing.

Monday the 13th through Saturday the 18th is more of the same. Swells hover around 1 ft to 6 ft, mostly from the NW, WNW, or SW. The periods vary, but the wind stays cross and messy. A couple of mornings on the 17th and 18th get a marginal forecast, but with a gentle cross-onshore breeze, it's still just not clean. The energy is moderate, topping out at 811 on the morning of the 18th, but the quality isn't there.

There's a real gap here. Days 10 to 14 have no standouts.

Now, looking into the second week, things get a little more promising but it's far from certain. On Sunday the 19th, we see a morning pulse of 6 ft from the NW with a short 8-second period. The energy is moderate (884) but it's still a cross wind. That's a "maybe" at best, not a standout.

The real glimmer in this whole 16-day window is on Friday the 25th. Saturday morning the 25th sees a tiny 1 ft swell from the SW, but check out the period – a very long 24 seconds. That's proper groundswell energy, though it's only got weak combined energy (247). The wind finally eases to a light breeze from the NNW at 9 mph, but it's cross-on. Because this is such a long-period swell, it will wrap and work best at a proper point break or reef, but at a beach break it might break too straight. It's a tease, and a long way out, so treat it with a pinch of salt.

Honestly, for Cape Mendocino right now, it’s a blank run that’s pretty normal for the area when the wind sets in. It tends not to stay this poor forever and forecasts can change. For now, I’d save the energy.

Rusty.

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