Moss Landing Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s get into it for Moss Landing.

Right off the bat, I gotta be straight with you – this forecast is a tough one. The whole 16-day stretch is a write-off for any decent surf. It’s a real bummer. From Friday the 10th of July all the way through to the 25th, we’re looking at a solid run of poor conditions. That’s over two weeks with nothing to get excited about. The wind is relentlessly cross-onshore, not a single moment of clean glass or offshore flow, and the swell is mostly weak and messy.

The first few days from Friday the 10th through to the 15th are just a constant battle with light to gentle cross-onshore breezes. Swell heights bounce around 3 ft to 5 ft, with periods of 8 to 9 seconds, offering very weak to moderate energy (between 130 and 400). It’s small, choppy, and not worth a paddle. The water temp is about average for the time of year, but that’s the only thing that’s normal.

We get a little bump in swell on Thursday the 16th, with a 7 ft swell from the NW showing up in the morning. The energy reads strong at 1460, but it’s still crossed-up by that WSW wind. That 7 ft size is pushing into the "too big for beginners" zone, but with the poor wind, it’s just a messy, blown-out wall. Not a day for it.

The 17th through the 22nd is weird. The swell drops to ankle-to-knee high (1 ft to 3 ft), but the period gets very long (14 to 18 seconds). That’s a groundswell signal, but with the energy dipping to weak (75 to 586), and the wind still cross-onshore, it’s all noise and no shape. Long period swells like this are best at a point or reef, but the conditions here are just wrong for it. The last few days, the 23rd to the 25th, tease a little more size (4 ft to 6 ft) but the period is short (6 to 9 seconds), and the forecast is still marginal at best. The whole setup looks more interesting for a kite surfer than a paddle surfer.

Honestly, this is a classic case of a blank run for this area. Moss Landing is a fairly exposed spot, but it needs a clean window to work, and we just don’t get one here. Keep your board in the car, but don’t hold your breath. Forecasts can change, but as it stands, there’s nothing to chase.

Rusty.

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