Morro Rock Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, this is Rusty coming to you from the Morro Rock area. It’s a bit of a mixed bag looking out over the next couple of weeks, and honestly, the opening stretch is not what we want to see.

We’re looking at a bit of a flat spell to kick things off. The water temperature’s sitting around 60°, which is about what we’d expect for this time of year, nothing out of the ordinary there. The biggest problem is most of this period has poor surf conditions, with winds making a mess of things.

Right from Saturday the 29th through to the start of September, it’s a write-off. We’ve got a solid 5 ft swell from the WNW, but the wind is cross-on and onshore, turning the ocean into a choppy mess. Wave energy is moderate at best, hitting 191 on Saturday morning before building to a stronger 407 by the afternoon (combined energy of all swells directed here). Sunday’s similar—5 ft with cross-on wind. Saturday morning’s water temp is 60° with a -0.8° anomaly, so just slightly cooler than average.

Monday the 31st isn’t much better, with onshore wind and a weak 4 ft swell. This poor run rolls right through until Tuesday the 2nd of September, where we finally see a tiny glimmer. Wednesday morning looks a bit better, but the swell is coming from the SW at just 2 ft with a very long period of 16 seconds. That’s a lot of energy for such a small wave, and it might get a bit straight at a break like Morro Rock, which is a bit exposed to the NW. The energy is solid though, at 279. Still, the forecast calls it “marginal.”

The pattern stays frustrating through the first week of September. We get some glassy conditions on Monday the 7th with a 3 ft WNW swell, but it’s just not enough to get excited about. Thursday the 10th is interesting—the morning is glassy with a 2 ft NW swell and an 11-second period, but the real story is the afternoon. We’ve got a 3 ft SW swell with a very long 17-second period and combined energy of 751 (combined energy of all swells directed here). That’s a lot of power, but the wind is cross-onshore, so it’s a bit of a tease. Still, the direction matches what this spot wants (NW optimum), so it's worth a look if you're desperate.

The best bet in this whole forecast window is probably the tail end. Saturday the 13th of September finally gives us some size with a 6 ft NW swell on the morning and a 7 ft WNW swell later in the day. The wind is light or cross-onshore, but the break is exposed and the energy is strong, hitting 504 in the afternoon. At 7 ft, this is expert territory for Morro Rock. For the average surfer, the 6 ft morning session with light cross-onshore wind is the standout. The swell direction is on the money, but remember, this is a long-range call so treat it as promising but not locked in.

If you're a beginner, this entire forecast is rough. There’s nothing under 5 ft with clean conditions until potentially the 13th, and that’s too big. Kite surfers might have a better time on those windy afternoons.

Rusty out.

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