Mavericks Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's talk about what's on the cards.

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Alright, straight up, this outlook for the next 16 days is a tough one to swallow for us paddle surfers. We’re looking at a long stretch where the conditions are just not playing ball for a decent paddle session at Mavericks. The forecast shows a persistent pattern of cross-onshore and cross-shore winds that are keeping the surface messy and the quality real low.

The first real flicker of anything even close to surfable doesn’t pop up until Monday the 17th of August, and even then it’s a marginal call. Mornings are the best bet here, with some very, very small windows of clean offshore wind. The swell energy through most of the period is moderate, with the combined energy reading around the 300 to 400 mark, but the poor wind is the killer.

The real story is the gap. After the start date, there’s a solid eight days of just poor surf conditions. From the 10th right through to the 17th, the wind is mostly from the SSW or SW, blowing onshore or cross-onshore, and it’s making a mess of the 4ft to 2ft swell that’s coming in from the WNW or SW. For a wave like Mavericks, that combo is a no-go.

The only time it gets even a little interesting is on Monday the 17th of August morning. We get a light offshore from the WNW and a bump in the combined energy to 668, a moderate-strong reading. The swell is 3ft at 14 seconds from the SW. That’s a long-period groundswell, meaning there will be energy and shape, but for a spot that size, 3ft is tiny. It’s a marginal, maybe-something-if-you-squint scenario.

From the 22nd of August onwards, the swell drops right off to tiny 1ft stuff with very long periods (19 seconds). That’s more of a lake surface than a surf zone. The water temp anomaly isn't mentioned, so it’s fair to say it’s running about average for the time of year, if you were tempted for a quick dip.

Honestly, for a dedicated paddle surfer, there’s not a single standout session here. The wind and swell never align for a proper ride. The entire period is a write-off for good waves. If you’re into kiting, the consistent cross-shore winds on a moderate swell could look more appealing, especially around Wednesday the 12th and Thursday the 13th of August.

Keep an eye on the charts, but for now, I’d say it’s a good time to polish your quiver and wait for a better window.

Rusty.

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