Morro Rock Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Hey folks, Rusty here. Let's talk about what's shaping up for Morro Rock over the next couple of weeks. Gotta be straight with you, it's a pretty bleak picture for the most part. We're looking at a long stretch of onshore or cross-onshore winds and crummy conditions. The swell energy is all over the place, but the quality just isn't there. There's a glimmer of something much better right at the tail end of the period.

For the first week and a half, starting this Thursday the 10th, it's a tough watch. Thursday morning is tiny at 1 ft from the NW with a weak 68 combined energy, and a cross-onshore breeze messing it up. Thursday afternoon does see a jump to 3 ft from the SW with a solid 16-second period and moderate energy (653), but the wind is directly onshore, so it's a write-off. Friday is more of the same, small and onshore. Saturday the 12th has a bit more size, especially Saturday afternoon with 7 ft from the WNW, but the period is a short 7 seconds and the wind is howling onshore – that's messy, choppy, and honestly, more suited to a kite than a paddle board at a beach setup.

The following week continues the trend. Sunday the 13th has some size, up to 8 ft in the afternoon from the WNW, but it's cross-onshore and choppy. Monday the 14th morning actually has a more manageable 6 ft from the NW with a light cross-onshore breeze, and the energy is strong at 824, but the conditions are only called "marginal". It's the best of a bad bunch that week, but still far from epic. The rest of that week into the weekend of the 19th and 20th is a frustrating mix of onshore winds and small, weak swell with combined energy readings mostly between 29 and 573. We get some long-period SW groundswell, but it's small (2 ft to 3 ft) and the cross-onshore winds ruin any chance of a clean wave.

Now, here's where it gets interesting. Mark your calendars for Monday the 21st of September. That morning, the stars nearly align. We've got a clean 3 ft SW groundswell with a long 17-second period and a very strong combined energy of 502. The wind is forecast to be glassy – a gentle NNW breeze of 5 km/h (3 mph). That's a major positive. For a spot like Morro Rock, which is fairly exposed to NW swell but sees this SW groundswell, and it's a consistent beginner-friendly break, glassy conditions with that long-period energy could actually produce some super clean, albeit small, lines. That’s the standout, no question. It's a true rarity in this forecast period, so if you're flexible, that Monday morning is the only time I'd genuinely get excited about. The afternoon looks a bit more marginal with a light onshore breeze picking up.

After that, Tuesday the 22nd is back to small and cross-onshore, and the rest of the outlook into the end of the month fades back into poor conditions with onshore winds and short-period junk. So, a long, dry spell with one golden window. Keep your eye on that Monday morning swell.

Rusty.

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