Morro Rock Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, it’s Rusty here. Let’s be straight: the next sixteen days are a tough stretch for Morro Rock. We’ve got a massive gap of poor conditions right from the start, and it’s not until late in the second week that anything even hints at life. I’m looking at a lot of flat, weak, or just ugly surf.

For the first week, from the end of August right through to the 4th of September, it’s a write-off. Thursday the 28th kicks off with a 6ft swell from the NW, but the wind is a cross-on 12 mph, and combined energy is only moderate at 459. It’s choppy and poor. The following days offer similar stories: 5ft on the 29th, 4ft on the 30th – all with onshore or cross-onshore winds. The water temp is 61°, which is about average for this time of year. Don’t even bother.

There’s a tiny flicker of hope on Monday the 31st morning – a 5ft NW swell with a slightly longer 8-second period and a light 6 mph onshore breeze. The combined energy is moderate at 379. But the score is marginal at best. It’s a maybe, but barely. After that, we drop into flatness for days: the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd of September are all below 3ft with energy readings as low as 47. It’s dead.

We finally see something on Friday the 4th of September afternoon. A 5ft swell from the NW with a 12-second period – that’s a longer-period groundswell, so it’ll have more push and better shape, but it can be tricky at a place like Morro Rock. The combined energy jumps to a strong 598, so there’s some power behind it. Winds are onshore at 9 mph, but it’s clear. This is the standout of the whole period, but it’s still rated as poor. For a moment, it’ll be the biggest and best shaped wave we’ve seen, but don’t expect perfection.

Beyond that, the 5th and 6th are back to messy, weak surf. Then from the 7th to the 11th, it’s a lot of small, unappealing slop with energy under 180. One more point of interest: Saturday the 12th of September afternoon shows a 8ft WNW swell with a short 7-second period and a combined energy of 537. That size (over 8ft) is expert-only territory, and with short period, it’ll be a steep, dumpy wall. Honestly, unless you’re a charger, that’s more of a kite-surfing setup than a paddling one.

So, to sum it up: the first week is a blank. The second week is mostly blank too, with Friday the 4th offering the only real pulse of swell energy. Long-range stuff is always less certain, but that’s the best we’ve got. It’s a grim run, but forecasts can change – we might get lucky with a better wind shift.

Rusty.

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