Surf Forecasts:
Cape Mendocino surf forecast from 6 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Sunday 6 Sep, 5AM (local time) - 4ft (1.2m), 15s period, SSW swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Sunday 6 Sep, 5AM (local time) - 4ft (1.2m), 15s period, SSW swell with 636 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Sunday 6 Sep, 5AM (local time) - 4ft (1.2m), 15s 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 Sunday (Sep 06) at 5AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.2m and 15s period with a secondary swell of 1.1m and 9s. Another secondary swell of 0.6m and 4s is also forecast. 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 1.2m 15s and forecast to arrive on Sunday (Sep 06) at 5AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 3.0m 8s period and expected on Friday (Sep 11) at 2PM.
| Wave Type | Time (PDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 5AM (Sun 6th Sep) | 4ft (1.2m) 15s |
| Best Surf | 5AM (Sun 6th Sep) | 4ft (1.2m) 15s |
| Most Powerful | 5AM (Sun 6th Sep) | 4ft (1.2m) 15s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Cape Mendocino over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, Rusty here, checkin' in from the coast. Let's look at what's cookin' for Cape Mendocino over the next couple weeks.
Right off the bat, it's a slow start. The forecast period is wide open, but we’ve got a gap of several days with no real surf on offer. Honestly, we're lookin' at a stretch of small, lumpy, cross-shore conditions that just don't cut it for a proper paddle.
The first time we see anything worth talking about is around Sunday the 6th and Monday the 7th, but even then it’s marginal. The swell is small – we're talking about 3ft to 3ft, coming from the SSW and SSE, with moderate energy. It's got that long period groundswell feel, periods of 13 to 15 seconds, which is good for shape, but the cross-shore wind from the N and NNW is messin' with it. You’re lookin' at a cross-chop, and it’s marginal or poor. Not the kind of thing to get out of bed for.
Come Wednesday the 9th, there’s a slight glimmer. The wind eases off to 3 mph from the north, just a slight air, but it’s still cross-shore. The swell is a mixed bag – a 3ft S swell with a short 11-second period and a later 2ft SW swell with a very long 19-second period. That long period groundswell is promising for shape, but it's still a bit on the small side.
Moving into the second week, things get bigger but uglier. On Sunday the 13th of September, we see a jump in swell height to 8ft from the NW, with a short 9-second period. That’s a lot of chunky, messy energy, but the wind is cross-onshore and it’s lumpy. That kind of size with short period and onshore wind is a write-off for surfing.
The rest of the second week is a write-off, honestly. Swell sizes drop off to 1ft to 3ft, mostly from the SW, with moderate to fresh cross-shore winds keeping it lumpy. The water temp is about average for this time of year.
The Best Bet? I gotta be honest with you, there's no real standout here. The whole 16-day window looks bleak for a proper surf. If you were to pin me down, Wednesday the 9th (September) morning has the lightest wind, even if it's still cross-shore. The combo of a short period S swell and a very long period SW swell might just give you a few clean-ish lines at Cape Mendocino, with 2ft to 3ft faces. But it's a big "maybe". Keep an eye on it, but don't hold your breath.
Stay tuned, forecasts can change. Rusty out.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 20°C on Tue afternoon, min 12°C on Sun night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 23°C on Wed morning, min 13°C on Thu night). Winds increasing (light winds from the NE on Wed morning, fresh winds from the N by Fri afternoon). | ||||||||||||||||||
Sunday 6 | Monday 7 | Tuesday 8 | Wednesday 9 | Thursday 10 | Friday 11 | ||||||||||||||
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 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSE 14 | SSW 14 | SSE 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 14 | S 12 | S 11 | SW 19 | WNW 12 | SSW 17 | SW 17 | SSW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 15 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 653 | 405 | 400 | 236 | 243 | 236 | 229 | 158 | 166 | 225 | 250 | 368 | 180 | 504 | 560 | 441 | 483 | 453 | 314 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | cross | cross | cross-off | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross-off | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross |
High Tide | 9:14AM1.37m | 7:30PM1.87m | 9:58AM1.47m | 8:37PM1.91m | 10:36AM1.56m | 9:37PM1.94m | 11:11AM1.64m | 10:32PM1.91m | 11:44AM1.71m | 11:23PM1.85m | 12:15PM1.76m | 00:14AM1.74m | |||||||
Low Tide | 2:10AM-0.05m | 1:56PM0.98m | 3:10AM-0.12m | 3:02PM0.86m | 4:00AM-0.14m | 3:59PM0.71m | 4:44AM-0.12m | 4:49PM0.56m | 5:23AM-0.05m | 5:37PM0.42m | 6:00AM0.06m | 6:22PM0.30m | |||||||
 |  | |  | | | | | | |  | | | | | | | | | |
 | — | 6:48 | — | — | 6:50 | — | — | 6:50 | — | — | 6:52 | — | — | 6:52 | — | — | 6:54 | — | — |
 | — | — | 7:40 | — | — | 7:39 | — | — | 7:37 | — | — | 7:37 | — | — | 7:35 | — | — | 7:32 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 14 | 16 | 16 | 14 | 17 | 17 | 14 | 19 | 20 | 18 | 23 | 23 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 13 |
Feels °C | 11 | 14 | 13 | 11 | 14 | 13 | 10 | 17 | 18 | 16 | 21 | 21 | 18 | 17 | 17 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 8 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSE 14 | SSE 13 | NW 7 | NNW 7 | S 12 | NNW 8 | NNW 8 | NNW 8 | NNW 8 | SSW 17 | SW 17 | SSW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 15 |
| kJ | 653 | 405 | 400 | 236 | 243 | 236 | 217 | 250 | 144 | 277 | 271 | 224 | 173 | 504 | 560 | 441 | 483 | 453 | 314 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NW 9 | NW 9 | NW 9 | SSE 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | N 7 | S 12 | SSW 14 | S 12 | S 11 | S 11 | WNW 12 | WNW 11 | S 12 | SSW 10 | S 9 | WSW 16 | WSW 15 |
| kJ | 190 | 142 | 107 | 218 | 233 | 233 | 86 | 148 | 166 | 225 | 250 | 116 | 180 | 157 | 177 | 139 | 42 | 51 | 85 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 14 | SSW 11 | SSE 16 | NW 8 | WNW 12 | WNW 12 | SSE 13 | SSW 13 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SW 16 | SW 19 | S 11 | S 10 | WNW 11 | WSW 19 | WSW 16 | SSW 8 | S 8 |
| kJ | 37 | 68 | 193 | 68 | 58 | 56 | 229 | 158 | 111 | 166 | 132 | 368 | 155 | 102 | 146 | 71 | 51 | 24 | 4 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | NNW 4 | NW 5 | NW 6 | NW 6 | NNW 7 | — | NNW 7 | — | — | — | — | NNW 7 | NNW 7 | NNW 8 | NNW 8 | NNW 9 | NNW 9 |
| kJ | — | — | 10 | 22 | 98 | 149 | 294 | — | 202 | — | — | — | — | 151 | 222 | 587 | 996 | 1115 | 1604 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 151 | 438 | 40 | 149 | 54 | 21 | 80 | 54 | 0 | 51 | 114 | 51 | 151 | 436 | 40 | 437 | 437 | 41 |
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)
FREE! Surf-Forecast.com widget for your website
The surf report / weather widget below is available to embed on third party websites free of charge and provides a summary of our Cape Mendocino surf forecast. Simply grab the html code snippet that we provide and paste it into your own site. You can choose your preferred language and metric/imperial units for the surf forecast feed to suit users of your site. Click here to get the code.
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.
Nearest