Moss Landing Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's have a look at what Moss Landing's got cookin' for us over the next couple of weeks.

Right off the bat, I gotta be straight with you—it's gonna be a lean start. The first few days are looking pretty bleak. We've got tiny swell and persistent cross-onshore winds, so you're not missing much. Sunday the 6th and Monday the 7th are write-offs with poor surf conditions and weak energy readings (73 and 61). Tuesday the 8th is more of the same with a combined energy of just 52. Honestly, save your energy.

Now, things start to get a little interesting around Wednesday the 9th. We see a shift with a long-period groundswell (19 seconds) coming from the southwest, and the energy jumps to 183—moderate, but it's still labelled as poor surf conditions. The wind stays light and cross-onshore, so it's not clean. Thursday the 10th morning bumps up to 499 energy, with a 17-second period from the southwest, and the swell height sits at 0.9m (about 3ft). The forecaster is calling it "marginal," giving it a score of 1 out of 10. Still, it's a glimmer of hope. The wind is a light cross-onshore, so expect some ripples on the surface.

Friday the 11th is frustrating. The energy is climbing—585 in the morning, 617 in the afternoon—with a solid 15-16 second period from the southwest. But the wind picks up to a gentle breeze (9 mph) from the WSW, keeping it choppy and messy. It's still labelled as poor.

Then we get to Saturday the 12th of September. This is the standout window, but it comes with a big caveat. The morning shows a 2.4m (about 8ft) swell from the NW with a period of 10 seconds and a massive combined energy of 1697—that's strong wave energy. However, that size is pushing into expert-only territory, especially with cross-onshore winds at 9 mph making it choppy. The afternoon drops to 1.8m (about 6ft) and 637 energy, still decent but messy. This is more of a "watch and wait" situation, and honestly, with that wind, it might be more interesting for the kite crew than us paddle surfers.

Sunday the 13th settles back to a 1.3m (about 4ft) swell from the WNW, with 407 energy. The wind drops to a light breeze (6 mph) but it's still cross-onshore, so the surf quality remains marginal at best.

The second week is pretty quiet. From Monday the 14th right through to Monday the 21st of September, we're looking at small swells—mostly 0.3m to 0.9m (1ft to 3ft)—with long periods (16-21 seconds) from the southwest. The energy levels are low to moderate (56 up to 439), and the wind is persistently a light cross-onshore from the WSW. There are a couple of "marginal" calls in there, like the morning of the 19th and the morning of the 21st, but nothing that'll get your heart racing. For the most part, it's poor surf conditions.

The water temp here is about average for the time of year, so no surprises on that front.

So, to wrap it up: the best bet on the table is Saturday the 12th of September, but only if you're an expert and can handle a choppy, powerful 8ft NW swell. For everyone else, the next couple of weeks are a real test of patience. It's not unusual for this area to have a quiet run, so don't lose hope—forecasts can change.

Stay salty,
Rusty

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