
Surf Forecasts:
Cape Mendocino surf forecast from 10 Aug 2026:
- Most powerful swell: Saturday 15 Aug, 11AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.0m), 17s period, SSW swell with 576 kJ wave energy.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Cape Mendocino this week:
The most powerful waves expected at Cape Mendocino in the next 16 days are 1.0m 17s and forecast to arrive on Saturday (Aug 15) at 11AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 3.0m 9s period and expected on Thursday (Aug 13) at 2AM.
| Wave Type | Time (PDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | - | - |
| Best Surf | - | - |
| Most Powerful | 11AM (Sat 15th Aug) | 3.5ft (1.0m) 17s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Cape Mendocino over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
G’day, it’s Rusty here. Let’s be real with you: the next couple of weeks at Cape Mendocino are looking pretty damn lean. The swell is gonna be small and the wind is mostly going to have that cross-shore chop on it, making things messy. We’re looking at a long stretch of days where you’ll be better off doing something else, and I’ll walk you through the whole 16-day window as it stands.
The first week is basically a write-off for any decent waves. From Monday the 10th through to Friday the 14th, we’ve got nothing but tiny surf – we’re talking 1ft to 2ft – with a consistent cross-shore breeze that’s going to leave the surface lumpy. The swell energy is weak to moderate at best, sitting around 183 to 360 (combined energy). There’s a bit of a longer period groundswell in the mix, 14 to 19 seconds, but with these tiny heights, it’s just not doing anything. It’s all poor surf conditions, so don’t get your hopes up.
The weekend of the 15th and 16th sees a slight bump in size, up to a clean 3ft, but the wind remains that annoying cross-shore. The energy picks up into the moderate range – we’re looking at values around 550 to 660 (combined energy) – but the conditions are still marginal at best. The tide might be doing something weird, but with the wind as it is, it’s still not worth paddling out for more than a grovel. The 17th is more of the same, with 3ft and a *slight* improvement in wind, but it’s still cross-shore.
Then we hit another flat spell from the 18th to the 19th, with the swell dropping back down to 2ft to 3ft. The energy is still moderate, but the quality is poor. The 19th does see a change in direction to a short-period WNW, but at 9 seconds and less than 3ft, it’s not going to save the day.
The 20th is the first day that starts to look interesting. The swell jumps to 5ft, but it’s a short-period WNW (10 seconds) and the wind is still cross-shore. That’s a lot of energy – 749 (combined energy) – but it’s not going to be pretty. This is more of a bump than a proper swell, and it’s still in the marginal category.
The real standout in this whole period is the afternoon of Friday the 21st. The wind finally drops out, turning glassy. The swell is a modest 3ft from the WNW, but with that clean surface, it’s going to be the best surf of the entire run. It’s not big, but it will be clean and fun. The energy is moderate at 315 (combined energy). This is your window.
After that, it’s back to the grind. The 22nd has a small 2ft in the morning before a bump to 5ft in the afternoon, but that’s a short-period NW with onshore wind, so it’s messy. The 23rd drops back down to 1ft to 2ft, and the 24th and 25th are stuck in the 2ft range with cross-shore winds. The long-range stuff from the 23rd on is promising-sounding with a 19-second period, but there’s no size to push it.
So, if you’re waiting for a proper day, you’re going to be waiting a while. The only real highlight is that glassy session on the afternoon of Friday the 21st. It’s not going to be big, but it will be clean. For the rest, it’s a long stretch of small, choppy, cross-shore junk. If you’re a beginner, some of those 3ft to 5ft days might be okay, but the wind will make it tricky. Experts will be bored.
I’ll be keeping an eye on it, but for now, the forecast says we’re in for a dry spell. Keep the board waxed, and wait for that Friday afternoon window.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Very mild (max 17°C on Mon afternoon, min 12°C on Sun night). Mainly fresh winds. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Very mild (max 16°C on Thu afternoon, min 13°C on Wed night). Mainly fresh winds. | ||||||||||||||||||
Monday 10 | Tuesday 11 | Wednesday 12 | Thursday 13 | Friday 14 | Saturday 15 | ||||||||||||||
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 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SW 20 | SW 19 | SW 18 | SSW 18 | SSW 18 | SW 17 | SSW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SSW 15 | SSW 19 | SSW 18 | SSW 17 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||
167 | 165 | 163 | 134 | 95 | 115 | 209 | 207 | 137 | 173 | 206 | 201 | 245 | 150 | 212 | 280 | 576 | 505 | 493 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross-on | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross-off |
High Tide | 8:39PM2.04m | 11:10AM1.45m | 9:39PM2.09m | 11:49AM1.53m | 10:34PM2.09m | 12:26PM1.60m | 11:26PM2.05m | 1:02PM1.66m | 00:17AM1.94m | 1:36PM1.71m | 1:08AM1.78m | 2:09PM1.74m | 2:00AM1.60m | ||||||
Low Tide | 4:20AM-0.29m | 3:57PM0.89m | 5:08AM-0.34m | 4:52PM0.79m | 5:51AM-0.32m | 5:45PM0.68m | 6:32AM-0.24m | 6:36PM0.58m | 7:11AM-0.11m | 7:28PM0.49m | 7:49AM0.06m | 8:19PM0.43m | |||||||
— | 6:22 | — | — | 6:24 | — | — | 6:24 | — | — | 6:26 | — | — | 6:26 | — | — | 6:28 | — | — | |
8:22 | — | 8:22 | — | — | 8:20 | — | — | 8:19 | — | — | 8:17 | — | — | 8:15 | — | — | 8:15 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 13 | 16 | 17 | 14 | 16 | 17 | 15 | 15 | 17 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 14 |
Feels °C | 9 | 11 | 12 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 12 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 11 | 13 | 14 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 11 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | S 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 14 | SSW 18 | SSW 18 | SW 17 | SSW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | NNW 8 | NW 8 | SSW 14 | NW 7 | SSW 17 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 |
167 | 165 | 163 | 92 | 70 | 115 | 209 | 207 | 137 | 173 | 206 | 201 | 245 | 378 | 140 | 217 | 576 | 505 | 493 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 21 | SW 21 | SW 20 | SW 20 | SW 19 | SW 18 | SW 14 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | S 11 | WNW 12 | NW 8 | SSW 15 | SSW 19 | SSW 18 | WNW 11 | WNW 10 | W 10 |
72 | 67 | 98 | 134 | 95 | 113 | 53 | 34 | 68 | 70 | 9 | 29 | 216 | 150 | 212 | 280 | 23 | 35 | 52 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 11 | SSW 11 | S 10 | SW 16 | WNW 14 | WNW 13 | WNW 13 | WNW 12 | WNW 13 | NW 16 | NW 16 | S 11 | SW 16 | SSW 20 | S 10 | SSW 14 | S 10 | SSE 12 | SSE 11 |
12 | 12 | 2 | 39 | 18 | 33 | 32 | 14 | 32 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 245 | 127 | 8 | 140 | 17 | 30 | 25 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NNW 9 | NNW 8 | NNW 8 | NNW 9 | NNW 8 | NNW 8 | NNW 8 | NNW 8 | NNW 8 | NNW 9 | NNW 8 | NNW 8 | NNW 8 | — | NNW 8 | — | NNW 7 | NNW 7 | NNW 7 |
1118 | 931 | 817 | 1159 | 931 | 770 | 956 | 897 | 723 | 1426 | 966 | 650 | 488 | — | 306 | — | 224 | 222 | 149 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 41 | 334 | 80 | 41 | 219 | 80 | 54 | 219 | 54 | 51 | 219 | 54 | 45 | 170 | 54 | 40 | 151 | 51 | 45 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Humboldt County | |||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United States | |||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||
- Map Icons:
Break
Live Wave Height (m)
Live Wind Speed (km/h)
Surf Rating (10 Max)
Ocean Swells (m)
Wind Speed (km/h)
Latest Updates
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.











