Surf Forecasts:
Cape Mendocino surf forecast from 31 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Thursday 3 Sep, 11AM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 19s period, SW swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Friday 4 Sep, 8AM (local time) - 6.5ft (2.0m), 10s period, NW swell with 831 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Monday 31 Aug, 11PM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.8m), 14s period with SSW 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 Monday (Aug 31) at 11PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.8m and 14s period with a secondary swell of 0.9m and 7s. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Cape Mendocino in the next 16 days are 2.0m 10s and forecast to arrive on Friday (Sep 04) at 8AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.4m 10s period and expected on Friday (Sep 04) at 5AM.
| Wave Type | Time (PDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 11PM (Mon 31st Aug) | 2.5ft (0.8m) 14s |
| Best Surf | 11AM (Thu 3rd Sep) | 3ft (0.9m) 19s |
| Most Powerful | 8AM (Fri 4th Sep) | 6.5ft (2.0m) 10s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Cape Mendocino over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s talk about Cape Mendocino. The water’s sitting at 53°, which is a full 5° colder than normal for this time of year – that’s a serious chill, so bring the thickest rubber you’ve got.
We’ve got a rough start. Monday the 31st through Wednesday the 2nd of September is mostly a write-off: small, messy, poor conditions. The standout window hits Thursday the 3rd of September. Morning brings a clean 6 ft swell out of the WNW with a moderate energy reading (1098), and a light cross-offshore breeze. Afternoon goes glassy, with a 6 ft WNW swell and 3 mph wind from the west – that’s about as clean as it gets. The energy is solid (1005), and the 10-second period means good, punchy waves. This is the pick of the whole run for experienced surfers.
Friday the 4th sees the swell bump up to 7 ft from the NW (1544 energy), but it’s cross-shore and choppy, so it’s not as clean. Saturday the 5th and Sunday the 6th drop off fast with poor conditions. After that, there’s a long gap of nothing special until Wednesday the 9th of September, when a 6 ft WNW swell rolls in (1103 energy), but it’s blown out by a 22 mph cross-shore wind. The rest of the second week is messy and mostly small, with only a few marginal windows. On Saturday the 12th, a 2 ft SW swell is onshore and weak. Then Sunday the 13th and Monday the 14th bring a 8 ft NW swell (1498 and 1094 energy), but with cross-onshore winds and a short period, it’s likely lumpy and better left for experts or maybe even kite surfers in that strong wind.
The bottom line: Thursday the 3rd of September morning through afternoon is your best bet. It’s clean, solid, and the energy is pumping. Don’t sleep on it.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 6mm), mostly falling on Wed night. Very mild (max 17°C on Tue morning, min 14°C on Mon morning). Winds increasing (light winds from the NE on Mon night, fresh winds from the S by Wed afternoon). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 2mm), mostly falling on Thu afternoon. Very mild (max 16°C on Thu morning, min 12°C on Thu night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Monday 31 | Tuesday 1 | Wednesday 2 | Thursday 3 | Friday 4 | Saturday 5 | Sunday 6 | |||||||||||||||
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 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | NW 10 | SSW 13 | SW 18 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | SW 19 | WNW 10 | SSW 18 | NW 10 | NW 10 | NW 10 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 400 | 325 | 210 | 198 | 181 | 151 | 249 | 134 | 215 | 528 | 603 | 559 | 804 | 701 | 512 | 487 | 469 | 525 | 491 | 301 | 236 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | cross-on | off | cross | cross | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | glassy | cross-off | cross | cross | cross-off | cross-on | cross | cross-off | cross-on | cross | glassy |
High Tide | 1:55PM1.76m | 2:34AM1.40m | 2:29PM1.80m | 3:43AM1.27m | 3:11PM1.82m | 5:11AM1.18m | 4:03PM1.83m | 6:53AM1.19m | 5:06PM1.83m | 8:17AM1.27m | 6:17PM1.84m | 9:14AM1.37m | 7:30PM1.87m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 8:32PM0.27m | 8:22AM0.55m | 9:27PM0.20m | 9:03AM0.72m | 10:30PM0.14m | 9:54AM0.88m | 11:43PM0.09m | 11:07AM1.00m | 1:00AM0.02m | 12:35PM1.04m | 2:10AM-0.05m | 1:56PM0.98m | 3:10AM-0.12m | ||||||||
 |  |  | | |  | | |  | |  |  |  | |  | | | | | | | |
 | 6:43 | — | — | 6:43 | — | — | 6:45 | — | — | 6:46 | — | — | 6:47 | — | — | 6:48 | — | — | 6:48 | — | — |
 | — | 7:51 | — | — | 7:50 | — | — | 7:47 | — | — | 7:45 | — | — | 7:45 | — | — | 7:43 | — | — | 7:40 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 6 | — | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 16 | 16 | 15 | 17 | 17 | 16 | 17 | 17 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 13 | 16 | 17 | 15 |
Feels °C | 15 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 15 | 16 | 11 | 12 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 12 | 9 | 14 | 14 | 12 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NW 7 | NW 7 | NW 7 | NW 10 | NW 10 | NW 9 | WNW 9 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 9 | WNW 10 | WNW 11 | NW 10 | NW 10 | NW 10 | NW 9 | NW 9 | NW 9 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | NW 8 |
| kJ | 183 | 105 | 54 | 196 | 181 | 141 | 138 | 134 | 215 | 528 | 603 | 452 | 804 | 701 | 469 | 332 | 294 | 199 | 491 | 301 | 129 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SW 18 | SW 16 | SSW 6 | SW 19 | SW 15 | NW 10 | SSW 18 | SSW 17 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | WNW 10 | WNW 9 | SSW 14 |
| kJ | 400 | 325 | 210 | 198 | 154 | 151 | 249 | 130 | 70 | 513 | 186 | 239 | 651 | 576 | 512 | 487 | 469 | 525 | 83 | 52 | 236 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 10 | W 10 | NW 11 | S 13 | S 12 | WSW 5 | SSW 13 | SSW 12 | SSW 16 | SSW 12 | SSW 20 | SSW 18 | S 11 | S 10 | S 12 | SSW 12 | S 11 | SSW 10 | SSE 14 | SSW 11 | SSE 14 |
| kJ | 17 | 17 | 46 | 90 | 76 | 12 | 90 | 58 | 177 | 57 | 216 | 559 | 89 | 53 | 103 | 107 | 88 | 32 | 36 | 45 | 81 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | WNW 7 | — | SE 2 | SSE 3 | SE 3 | S 4 | S 4 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | NNW 3 | — | NNW 8 | NNW 8 | NW 8 |
| kJ | — | 64 | — | 2 | 2 | 5 | 9 | 20 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | — | 123 | 114 | 191 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 86 | 438 | 0 | 21 | 86 | 21 | 188 | 51 | 21 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 151 | 595 | 0 | 151 | 437 | 0 | 151 | 51 | 0 |
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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