Morro Rock Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what the next couple of weeks have in store for us.

Overall, it’s a pretty flat and frustrating run ahead. We’ve got a solid two-week stretch where the ocean just isn’t playing ball. For the first ten days, from the 4th right through to the 14th of July, the surf is consistently poor. There’s barely a session worth paddling out for, so don’t bother waxing up yet. There will be a gap of several days with no recommendations at all. The energy is weak, the winds are messy, and the conditions are just plain ugly. After that, things get weird with a very long-period swell showing up, but it’s still not gonna save the day.

Morro Rock (Morro-Rock)

Let’s start with our only break on offer, Morro Rock. The whole run kicks off on Saturday the 4th of July with a tiny 2ft WNW swell and a short 8-second period. The combined energy is a measly 56 – that’s barely a ripple. Winds are light onshore, and it’s just poor surf. That’s the theme for the first week. Sunday the 5th stays small (2ft, 8 seconds), and even as the swell bumps up to 3ft by Sunday afternoon with 145 combined energy, the wind stays on it, ruining any chance of a clean wave. By Monday the 6th, the swell drops even shorter to 5 seconds at 3ft – that’s pure wind slop. Not worth a second look.

Midweek on Tuesday the 7th, the swell does climb to 4ft in the morning and 7ft in the afternoon, with the combined energy hitting 202 and then ramping up to 415 (moderate energy). But the issue is wind direction – it’s a cross-onshore breeze turning the surface choppy. Still rated as poor. Wednesday the 8th and Thursday the 9th are similar stories: bigger swell, but more wind. Thursday afternoon on the 9th hits 10ft with a massive 1068 combined energy (very strong wave energy), but the onshore wind and messy conditions mean it’s for experts only, and honestly, it’s just not clean. No good.

Friday the 10th through Sunday the 12th offers a slight drop in size, but the consistent light cross-onshore wind keeps things marginal at best. On Tuesday the 14th, we finally get a glimmer. The morning sees 5ft swell with light offshore winds (3 mph from the west), the best wind we’ve seen. Combined energy is 375 (moderate). It’s still just a "marginal" call, but it’s the closest to a window we have. The 8ft afternoon swell on the 14th is too big for beginners, and with the wind picking up, it’s not a standout.

Now, the weird part. From the 16th to the 19th of July, the swell period jumps way up. On Thursday the 16th morning, we see a 2ft swell with a 19-second period. That’s very long-period groundswell. The combined energy is high at 808, but the height is tiny. This kind of long-period swell will be super clean, breaking slowly, but at 2ft, there’s hardly any power to push you. It’ll be glassy with light cross-onshore wind, but it’s more of a longboard session for the patient ones, if it even breaks properly. The afternoon on the 16th has 2ft at 18 seconds. Friday the 17th and into the weekend stays small with similar long-period swells, but the wind turns cross-onshore and choppy again by the afternoon.

Water temperature is sitting at 58°F, which is about average for this time of year (the anomaly is -1°F, so nothing unusual). The best option across the whole period, if you’re desperate, is that Tuesday morning, July 14th at Morro Rock. It’s the only time we get light offshore wind with a semi-decent 5ft WNW swell. It’s not going to be epic, but it’ll be the cleanest you’ll find in this otherwise dead stretch. Expect crowds possible here, as it’s a consistent spot that sometimes gets busy.

Otherwise, save your energy. The long-period stuff later in the month is more interesting for a reef or point, but for this beach setup, it’s likely to break too straight to be fun at that size.

Stay patient, and check back in a week. Forecasts can change.

- Rusty

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