Moss Landing Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Hey folks, Rusty here. Let’s be straight with you – this outlook for Moss Landing is a tough one. Looking at the whole 16-day window, there’s no real surf to get excited about. The wind is pretty much glued to a cross-on direction for the entire period, and the swell is weak and short-period for the most part. The water is sitting at 16°, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year, so that’s one small comfort. The reality is there are no good surf options on the cards here, but don’t lose hope – forecasts can change, and it rarely stays this poor for long.

From Sunday the 26th of July right through the first week, it’s all cross-on wind and messy conditions. The swell hovers around 3 ft to 5 ft, mostly from the WNW, with periods of only 6 to 8 seconds – that’s windswell, not groundswell. The combined energy is weak to moderate, ranging from 46 to 487. Even the so-called “marginal” morning on Thursday the 30th of July, with a 5 ft swell and 8-second period, is still a cross-on mess. The afternoons get choppier, with a gentle breeze adding to the chop. Nothing to paddle out for.

Heading into the first week of August, it’s more of the same. The swell stays between 3 ft and 5 ft, period creeps up to 9 seconds, but the wind remains stubbornly cross-on. The combined energy starts to climb a bit, hitting 339 on the 2nd of August morning, but with that cross-on wind, it’s just not going to be clean. By the 5th of August, the swell drops back to 3 ft, and the energy fades. There’s a slight uptick on the 8th of August, with a 3 ft swell from the NW and a 9-second period, but again, cross-on wind kills it.

The second week, from the 4th of August onward, the swell stays small, 3 ft to 4 ft, with periods around 9 to 10 seconds. The combined energy is moderate, but the wind never lets up. Even on the 9th and 10th of August, when the swell is 4 ft and the period is 10 seconds, the cross-on wind means the surf will be poor. The only real standout here is that the water is a touch warmer than normal, but that’s cold comfort when there’s nothing to ride. Honestly, with this consistent cross-on wind and weak swell, this setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing. Keep your eyes on the forecast, and I’ll keep you posted. Rusty out.

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