Moss Landing Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let’s get straight into it.

Look, Moss Landing is the only break on the cards for the whole 16-day window, and I gotta be honest with you – the outlook is pretty grim. We’ve got a solid run of "poor surf conditions" stamped across the forecast, day after day. The first real chance at anything rideable doesn’t even show up until Monday morning, 14 September, and even then it’s only getting a marginal score. Before that, from Thursday 10 September right through Sunday 13 September, the swell is there – up to 6 ft at times – but the wind is relentless cross-onshore, chopping everything up. The combined wave energy gets strong, hitting between 248 and 517, but it’s messy.

Now, the water temp at Moss Landing is sitting at 61°F, which is about 2°F warmer than average for this time of year – not a big deal, pretty normal.

That Monday morning, 14 September, is the first faint glimmer. Swell from the WNW around 5 ft with a period of 9 seconds, light offshore wind (W at 3 mph). That’s the cleanest wind we see in the whole stretch. The combined energy is a solid 506, so there’s power there. But it’s only marginal – tide might mess it up, and the consistency is questionable. Still, with that glassy morning, it might be the one session to pencil in.

After that, it’s back to cross-on breezes and choppy surf through Tuesday and Wednesday. Swell drops off noticeably from Wednesday afternoon onward, with heights down around 2 ft to 3 ft and energy tanking below 100. There’s a small pulse of long-period SSW groundswell showing up around 18 and 19 September – 19 seconds period! That’s proper groundswell. But the heights are tiny, only 2 ft, and wind is still cross-on. For a reef or point break that long period could be magic, but at a beach setup like Moss Landing, it’ll likely close out or be too straight.

Things get a bit more interesting around Tuesday 22 September. Swell picks up again to 4 ft from the WNW, period 11 seconds, and the energy climbs to 604 – moderate to strong energy. Again, wind is cross-on light, but that’s the biggest energy we see in the whole forecast. It’s still marked "marginal" – not a total write-off, but not a lock.

Honestly, there’s no standout day here. If I had to pick one, it’s that Monday 14 September morning for the offshore wind, or maybe the Tuesday 22 September for the extra push of energy. But neither is a guarantee. For a spot that’s "very consistent" and rates as advanced, it’s a frustrating run. If the wind ever swings offshore clean, this place could fire, but right now the cards are stacked against us.

Rusty.

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