Morro Rock Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here, looking at what’s coming up for the Central Coast over the next couple of weeks. I’ll level with you straight up—this run is a tough one. We’re talking about Morro Rock (Morro-Rock) and it’s basically a stretch of poor-quality surf with a few flickers of hope that are barely worth the paddle out. The water’s sitting at 60.4°, a bit colder than normal for this time of year, so you’ll want a good spring suit.

The first record we’ve got is Friday afternoon, September 4th—clear skies, a westerly breeze at 9 mph blowing straight onshore, and a weak 3 ft swell from the northwest at 10 seconds. The combined energy is only 166, so it’s weak, and the report says poor surf conditions. Not worth waxing up.

Saturday morning, September 5th, is worse—2 ft from the northwest, a cross-on breeze from the southwest at 3 mph, and energy down to 84. Still poor. Saturday afternoon shows a 2 ft southwest swell but with a 12-second period, which is a longer groundswell, but the wind is onshore from the west at 6 mph and the energy is 128. Still poor.

Sunday morning, September 6th, has a 2.3 ft northwest swell, onshore west wind at 6 mph, energy 121—poor. Sunday afternoon sees a 3.9 ft swell from the west-northwest, but the period drops to a pathetic 5 seconds, energy 72, and it’s onshore. Poor.

Monday morning, September 7th, brings a 3.6 ft northwest swell with a 6-second period, cross-on breeze from the northwest at 3 mph, energy 209—still poor. Monday afternoon is a tiny 1 ft swell from the southwest at a very long 19 seconds, but it’s onshore and the combined energy is 104. That’s a groundswell, but it’s too small and blown out.

Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday all stay poor—mostly weak swells under 3.3 ft, onshore or cross-on winds, and energy levels that never get exciting. The only time we see a marginal rating is Thursday, September 10th, with a 3 ft southwest swell at 16-17 seconds, energy climbing to 445 in the morning and 429 in the afternoon. The wind is a light cross-shore from the south at 6 mph, which is the best we’ve seen. This is marginal, not good, but it’s the closest thing to a wave all week. The period is long, so it’ll be a groundswell—better for reefs or points, but Morro Rock is a fairly exposed setup, so it might offer a few lined-up waves if the tide plays nice.

From Friday, September 11th, through to Monday, September 14th, it’s a mix of poor and marginal, with a few swells reaching 4.3 ft to 4.9 ft, but the wind is always onshore or cross and the period is short. The energy on Thursday, September 10th, is the standout—445 in the morning, 429 in the afternoon—the highest we see in the first week. But it’s still only marginal, and the crowds are listed as “sometimes,” so you might find a few others out, but don’t expect to be alone.

Now, the second week—September 17th and 18th—shows a bit more promise, but it’s far out and less certain. Thursday, September 17th morning has a 1.3 ft southwest swell at a very long 22 seconds, energy 277, with a light onshore wind from the west at 6 mph. That’s a long-period groundswell, but it’s tiny. The afternoon of September 17th jumps to 6.9 ft from the west-northwest at 7 seconds, energy 546—that’s moderate energy, but the period is short and the wind is onshore, so it’s likely messy. For beginners, 6.9 ft is getting big; for experts, it’s just on the edge.

The real standout might be Friday, September 18th afternoon—a 8.2 ft swell from the west-northwest at 7 seconds, energy 1035—that’s strong wave energy. The wind is light onshore from the west-northwest at 6 mph, so it might be clean enough for experts. But 8.2 ft is only for experts, and the short period means it’ll be a bit dumpy. The morning of the 18th has a 2 ft southwest swell at 20 seconds, energy 546, but with a cross-on northwest breeze—still marginal.

Overall, the best on offer is the window around Thursday, September 10th, with that 3 ft southwest groundswell and light cross-shore wind. It’s not epic, but it’s the cleanest we’ll see. The other hopeful is Friday, September 18th afternoon, if you’re an expert and don’t mind the short period. For the rest of the run, the wind is mostly onshore and the swells are weak or short-period. There’s a lot of dead days in between—several days with no real recommendation. If you’re into kiting, the

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