Morro Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, this is Rusty. Let’s have a look at what’s on offer.

Honestly, it’s tough out there. The next couple of weeks are a bit of a flat and messy stretch for this region. The swell sticks to a SSW direction almost the entire time, ranges from 1.0 ft to 3 ft, and the period is hanging between 12 and 19 seconds. That long-period swell from the south gives the waves some shape and energy, but it’s almost always arriving with a cross-onshore wind, which messes with the surface. You’ll be doing a lot of paddling with not much to show for it.

The only break we’ve got is Morro Beach, a reef setup that’s fairly consistent. The water temp sits at 66°F, which is about 1°F warmer than normal for this time of year – nothing wild, just a touch on the mild side.

Monday the 6th of July is a write-off. No recommendation here. The surf is small at 2 ft, wind is cross-on, and the water’s chopped up. Combined swell energy is moderate at around 429 to 500 (morning and afternoon). Not worth suiting up.

Tuesday the 7th of July shows a slight tease. The morning picks up to 3 ft from the SSW with a very long period of 18 seconds and the wind switches to a straight onshore from the SSW but only at 3 mph. It’s nearly glassy. That makes for some clean conditions, but the report flags it as only marginal – it’s a maybe, not a go. The swell energy jumps to 726, which is solid moderate. Keep an eye on that morning window.

Wednesday the 8th into the weekend is more of the same – wave heights stay between 3 ft and 3 ft, the wind is mostly cross-on, and the quality rating never gets good. Most sessions score as poor surf conditions. The energy stays moderate, peaking around 661 and then slowly dropping into the lower hundreds by mid-month.

There is a gap with no real recommendations from Thursday the 9th all the way through until Sunday the 19th of July. During that stretch, the swell drops to as low as 1.0 ft, and the combined energy dips into double digits – 81 at one point. That’s weak. For a couple of mornings (like the 16th and 19th), the wind is onshore and light, but the wave height is just 1 ft to 2 ft. It’s barely rideable.

The only time it starts to look more interesting is around the morning of Monday the 20th of July. The swell lifts to 3 ft–3 ft from the SW, period around 15–16 seconds, and the wind is light onshore at 3–6 mph. The combined energy climbs back to 303–432. It’s still labelled marginal or poor, so don’t expect a classic, but it’s the best the second week has to offer.

To be straight with you: Morro Beach is a reef, and those long-period south swells (14–19 seconds) actually suit a reef setup better than a beach break. Over 15 seconds counts as very long period, which means the waves have plenty of energy and shape, but they can also be a bit straight at beach breaks. Here on the reef, that’s a plus – you’ll get cleaner, more defined lines. The downside is you’ll have company. Crowds are described as “often,” so expect a few others out there if it’s even half decent.

Overall, this is a tough outlook. If I had to pick one standout session across the whole 16 days, I’d point to Tuesday morning 7th of July. That 3 ft SSW swell with 18-second period and a near-glass onshore breeze at just 3 mph is as clean as it gets in this run. The reef will handle that long period well. But keep your expectations in check – it’s still a marginal call. For the rest, it’s either too small, too windy, or both.

If you’re a kite surfer seeing the cross-onshore wind and messy surface over a beach-and-reef setup like this in the middle of the period, it might look more like your playground than a day on a surfboard. But for paddle surfing, it’s mostly waiting.

Rusty

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