Moss Landing Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here with a look at what’s coming down the line for Moss Landing. I gotta be straight with you – this is a tough run to call. We’ve got a whole lot of days ahead, but the waves are just not playing ball for paddle surfing.

The entire 16-day window is a flat spell, with the forecast showing nothing but poor surf conditions day after day. You’re looking at a solid two week stretch where the swell is tiny and the wind is constantly messing things up. There are zero standout sessions here, so if you’re hanging on for a good paddle, you’ll be waiting a long time. It’s a real bummer, but this blank run is what happens here sometimes.

Let’s walk through it. Starting from Tuesday the 21st of July, we’ve got a tiny 1 ft swell out of the WNW, but it’s a long-period 13 second groundswell. Unfortunately, the onshore wind has it looking messy. The combined energy of all swells directed here is only 61 (weak), so there’s just no power. The water temp sits at 59°, about normal for this time of year.

We roll into Wednesday and Thursday, still on the 22nd and 23rd of July, with the same story – cross-on winds and swells under 1 ft. The energy stays weak, and we’re looking at light cross-onshore bumps. There’s a brief pulse on Thursday afternoon the 23rd where the combined energy hits 200 (moderate), but with a 1 ft swell and a 26 second period it’s just a long, weak lump – no surfable shape, especially for a beach break like this.

The rest of July, through to the end of the month, is a washout. Swells bounce between 3 ft and 6 ft, with periods as low as 6 seconds – that’s short-period windswill. The wind is stuck in a cross-on pattern, mostly W or WSW at 6 to 9 mph, keeping the surface choppy. On Saturday the 25th, the afternoon hits 5 ft with energy at 159 (moderate), but that short 6-second period means it’s just a bumpy, weak mess. By the 27th and 28th of July, the energy climbs up into the 300s and 400s (moderate to strong), but the swell height maxes out around 6 ft with that same crappy 7 to 8 second period and steady cross-on wind. For a beach-and-reef setup like Moss Landing, this is looking more like a day for the kiteboarders than a surf session. This size is too big for beginners, but the quality is so poor that even experienced surfers won’t find much.

August starts the same way. The 1st and 2nd see smaller swells again, 3 ft and under, with energy dropping back to weak levels. The wind is still cross-on or onshore, with no real break in the pattern. Right at the tail end, on Monday the 3rd of August afternoon, a 16-second period groundswell shows up, but it’s only 1 ft and the cross-on wind kills any chance of it being clean. Same goes for the 4th of August and the 5th of August – a bit more energy (up to 451 on Wednesday the 5th afternoon), but the swell stays around 4 ft to 4 ft and the WSW wind at 9 mph is cross-on, keeping it all choppy.

Look, if you’re dead-set on getting wet, you might find a small, gutless wave on a rare lull in the wind, but there’s nothing here that’s worth making a plan for. For now, it’s a solid stretch of flat, blown-out days. Hang tight, forecasts can change, but this one looks pretty locked in.

Rusty.

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