Moss Landing Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, this is Rusty, and I’m looking at a pretty grim stretch of surf ahead for Moss Landing. The next 16 days start with a sniff of swell on Sunday the 19th, but it’s a real bummer—the conditions are just not on our side for a proper paddle.

Let’s talk about the water first. For the first readable session on Sunday morning, the water temp is 59°, which is a touch warmer than usual for this time of year (about 1° above average), so not a big deal, just a hint of a warm streak.

So, Sunday morning, July 19th, we’ve got a 2 ft swell from the southwest, with a super long period of 17 seconds. That’s a proper groundswell, which is usually a good sign, but it’s coming in with a cross-on shore breeze from the WSW at 6 mph. The wind is light, but it’s ruining the surface – it’s bumpy. The combined wave energy is moderate (497), which is decent, but the forecast says marginal surf. It’s a tough call. That afternoon, it gets worse: wind picks up to 9 mph, and the surf is rated poor. Honestly, it’s a no-go for a paddle.

Monday the 20th through to the end of July is a real flat spell. The swell is tiny, often under 3 ft, and the wind is mostly a light cross-on breeze. The wind states are all “poor surf conditions” or “marginal.” The wave energy drops to weak numbers (down to 15 on Wednesday the 22nd morning). There’s a long stretch of nothing worth paddling for. The only slight uptick comes on Sunday the 26th afternoon, where we get a 3 ft, 19-second SW groundswell with moderate energy (733), but that same cross-on wind (9 mph) is still messing it up. It’s frustrating.

Then, as we move into the last week of July and first few days of August, the swell does start to build. Monday the 27th and Tuesday the 28th have 5 ft to 6 ft WNW swell, with periods around 9 seconds. That’s a bit more push, but the wind is still cross-on, and the conditions are marked as poor. The combined energy is moderate to strong (339 to 518), but it’s just not clean. This kind of setup, with persistent cross-onshore wind and a beach break, honestly looks more interesting for kite surfing than a proper paddle surf. The swell is too big for beginners on the 29th (6 ft, over 5 ft), and the wind kills it for anyone else.

By the 1st and 2nd of August, it’s all fading back to weak, small swell with light wind. The whole 16-day window is a tough one. The only real standout for potential is if you are desperate and go out on Sunday the 26th afternoon, but the wind is a killer. If you’re a beginner, the few days with 5 ft+ swell are too big anyway. For a consistent, clean surf, there’s just nothing here. The spot is very consistent, but the quality is not. A blank run like this is unusual for Moss Landing, but it happens. Forecasts can change, so keep an eye out, but for now, I’d leave the board at home.

Rusty.

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