Morro Rock Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s talk about what’s going on with Morro Rock. This is a consistent spot that’s fairly exposed to swell, and we’ve got a solid run of waves heading our way, but the quality is going to be a mixed bag for a while.

Right now, the surf is pretty poor. We’re looking at small, weak, cross-on waves in the 3 to 4 ft range with short periods, and the wind is just messing it up. The water is sitting at 58°, which is about normal for the time of year. Honestly, there’s nothing worth paddling out for over the next several days – through the weekend and into Monday, it’s all small, weak, and onshore with moderate wave energy in the 251 bracket. It’s a bit of a flat spell.

Thursday 9th and Friday 10th things start to get interesting, but it’s still marginal. We get a bit more size with swell hitting 8 ft by Thursday afternoon and 5 ft on Friday morning, and the period stretches out to 10 seconds, which is a nice groundswell. The wind is light, though cross-on, so it’s not glassy, but the wave energy is ramping up into the moderate-to-strong range (790 on Thursday). These days are a “maybe” – the potential is there for a few if you pick your tide right.

Saturday 11th the swell drops back a touch to 4 ft, still with a 9-second period, and the wind stays light cross-on. It’s survivable, but not a standout. The energy is moderate at 292.

Sunday 12th we get a pulse of 6 ft from the NW with an 8-second period, and the energy shoots up to 625. Wind is light and cross-on from the SSW. It’s still looking marginal, but that’s the biggest, most energetic day in the near-term. It could offer a few fun ones if the tide cooperates.

Monday 13th through Tuesday 14th the surf fades back to small, weak, and poor again. Not worth the effort.

Now, here’s the standout window. Wednesday 15th and Thursday 16th we see something special, but with a caveat. Swell drops to only 2 ft to 3 ft, but the period is very long – 17 to 19 seconds. This is a long-period groundswell, which means really well-shaped, powerful waves for the size, with long lulls. The wave energy is actually strong, sitting at 610–683, because of that long period. The wind is light and cross-on, or even cross-shore, which will keep it clean.

This kind of swell loves a point break or reef, and Morro Rock is a rock setup, so it could handle that energy well. But heads up: with such a long period, it might break a bit too straight and sectiony for some, and only the better waves will connect. It’s a promising window, but for experienced surfers who know how to read a lully, grinding line. Crowds are possible here, especially if word gets out that it’s glassy.

Friday 17th continues with similar 3 ft, 16-second swell and light cross-on wind, still clean and punchy. Energy remains strong around 584.

So if you’re looking for the best on offer, it’s the Wednesday 15th and Thursday 16th window. The swell is small but the quality from that long period and light wind is the highlight of the whole forecast. It’s not for beginners – the power to size ratio is deceptive, and the long lulls can be tricky. But for a savvy surfer, that’s the time to be at Morro Rock.

Stay tuned, forecasts can change, but this run of longer-period energy looks promising.

- Rusty

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