Moss Landing Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Let’s be straight with you – this stretch out of Moss Landing is a tough one. The 16-day window starts off with a lot of onshore junk and very little to get excited about. We’ve got a long, frustrating gap until things even look remotely surfable, so patience is the name of the game.

The first few days are a write-off. Sunday the 5th through to Saturday the 11th is all cross-onshore muck. Swell is tiny – 2ft to 5ft – and the wind is from the west or west-southwest, keeping it choppy and messy. The combined swell energy is weak, with values like 67 and 84, just not enough oomph to push through the wind. It’s a whole week of “poor surf conditions” so don’t even bother. This is a blank run that’s pretty normal for the area when the wind doesn’t play ball.

Finally, on Sunday the 12th, we get a glimmer. The morning is glassy – dead calm, with the wind gone light from the WNW – and the swell is 3ft from the WNW at 9 seconds. The combined energy is still low at 101, but the glassy conditions will make it rideable. The afternoon stays glassy with a 4ft swell, but the period drops to 5 seconds, which is short and weak. It’s surfable, but very ordinary. This is the one standout, and it’s only because the wind finally shuts off. The water temperature is 61°F, which is 4°F warmer than normal for this time of year – that’s a noticeable anomaly, so it’ll feel like a warm bath compared to usual.

After that, it’s back to the same story. Monday the 13th through to Monday the 20th is mostly cross-onshore winds and poor conditions. The swell picks up a bit around the 15th and 16th, with heights hitting 5ft and combined energy climbing into the 500s and 600s, but the wind is never right. You’ll see a few “marginal” calls on the 17th and 18th, but with cross-onshore breezes, it’s still not worth paddling out. The very end of the window, Sunday the 19th, has a long-period 15-16 second swell from the SW, but it’s tiny at 2ft and cross-on, so no good.

Honestly, if you’re desperate, the glassy morning on Sunday the 12th is your best bet. Grab a small board and enjoy the clean, warm water – but don’t expect much push. For the rest, it’s a kite surfer’s setup with those cross-onshore winds and moderate swell, not a paddle surfer’s. Stay tuned, forecasts can change, but right now, it’s a grind.

Rusty.

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