Morro Rock Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's be straight with you about the stretch ahead. Honestly, looking at this 16-day run, we are in for a tough patch. The surf quality is just not there. The first decent bit of swell doesn't show up for a while, so we’re looking at a long, flat gap with nothing to recommend.

The only break on the menu is Morro Rock. It’s a consistent spot, fairly exposed to the swell, and it likes a northwesterly direction. The water temp is sitting at 62°F right now, which is bang on average for this time of year, so no surprises there. But don’t let that fool you; the waves are a letdown.

The first real chance of seeing anything rideable comes on Thursday, August 20th. Through the morning, we’ve got a tiny 2ft swell from the WNW with a long period of 11 seconds. The wind is a light cross-onshore breeze from the SW at 3 mph. The combined energy is moderate at 237. But the catch is that it’s still being called poor surf. Thursday afternoon gets a bit of size at 4ft from the WNW, but the period drops to a short 6 seconds and the wind goes onshore. It’s just not happening.

Friday the 21st is more of the same, really. A 4ft NW swell in the morning with a short 6-second period, and it’s poor. The afternoon stays at 4ft from the WNW with a slightly better 9-second period, but the wind is onshore. Energy is moderate but the quality is missing.

Saturday the 22nd morning has a 4ft WNW swell, 8-second period, and onshore wind. Then the afternoon gets weird – a tiny 1ft swell but with a very long 21-second period. That’s a lot of energy packed into a small wave, with 298 on the energy scale. But it’s a long-period groundswell. At a spot like Morro Rock, that could just break too straight. And the onshore wind kills any chance of it being clean.

Sunday the 23rd and Monday the 24th show a persistent pattern of small, long-period swells (18 to 19 seconds) with cross-on/onshore winds. The energy numbers are decent (262 to 343), but the height is tiny and the wind is not our friend. It’ll be bumpy and uninviting.

To be honest, there isn’t a single standout session in this whole 16-day window. Every single entry in the forecast is marked as poor surf conditions. The winds are never truly offshore, it’s always at best a light cross-on breeze. The swell directions don’t line up perfectly for clean conditions. There's nothing to get excited about.

So, the call here is a flat-out miss for the area. We have a big gap from now until about Thursday the 20th with nothing on offer, and even after that, it’s all poor quality. This is just one of those blank runs where you’d be better off tuning the fins or checking the kite gear, because for a standard paddle surf, it’s a no-go. Stay patient, the forecasts can change, but right now, there’s nothing to chase.

Rusty.

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