Caspar Creek Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, surfers, Rusty here. Let's cut through the noise and give it to you straight for the next couple of weeks. We’ve got a bit of a slow grind ahead, but there’s a little light at the end of the tunnel if you’re willing to wait.

The overall picture is pretty average for the next stretch. We’ve got a persistent run of cross-onshore winds that are going to keep things a bit lumpy and messy for most of the period. The swell energy is there at times, but the quality is just not going to be there to make it worth your while. We’re looking at a lot of days where it’s just onshore slop.

Right off the bat, Monday the 17th and Tuesday the 18th are write-offs. Swell is small at 4ft to 5ft from the NW but with that cross-onshore wind, it’s going to be a mess. The energy is weak to moderate (138 to 328). Just leave the board in the car.

The middle of the week, Wednesday the 19th and Thursday the 20th, sees a pulse of more energy, with the combined swell energy jumping up (533-651). The swell does push up to 7ft on Wednesday, but the wind is still cross-onshore, making it blown-out and choppy. That’s just frustration in the water. For Thursday, the energy remains moderate (420-500), but the 12-second period on the morning of the 20th is a tease as the wind is howling 12 mph cross-onshore. Not good.

The weekend from Friday the 22nd through Sunday the 24th remains in the same pattern. Size stays in the 5ft to 7ft range, but that persistent cross-onshore wind ruins the party. The swell is all short-period NW windswell, and it just won't have any push or shape to it.

Now, here’s where things get interesting. Around Sunday the 23rd and Monday the 24th, the wind finally starts to ease a little, and we see the swell period stretch out a bit with a NW swell of 6ft and 9-second period. The energy is still strong (614-655), but it's still only showing as marginal, so not a huge shout.

We then hit a bit of a lull around Tuesday the 25th. Swell drops right off to 2ft. It's a long-period SW groundswell (16 seconds), but it's tiny. There’s almost nothing to ride. We then see a return of the short-period NW windswell from Wednesday the 26th through the following week, but the wind is still a problem, mostly cross-on.

But then, late in the period, there’s a glimmer of hope. On the morning of Sunday the 31st of August, the wind finally turns light offshore and glassy. We have a clean 2ft SW swell with a 14 to 15-second period. The conditions finally look good, clean and glassy. The energy is moderate (369-526), and for the first time in the whole run, we’re seeing a real opportunity. It’s small, but it’s clean, and at a sheltered spot like Caspar Creek (Mendocino), a clean 2ft with a long period could be a lot of fun on a longboard. This is the standout of the whole window. The vibe is right.

So, if you can wait, the morning of Sunday the 31st is the one to circle on the calendar. It’s not going to be big, but it will be clean. For the rest of it, it’s a lot of average and choppy conditions. The winds are your biggest enemy here.

Rusty out.

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