San Mateo Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s get into it.

Well, it’s a story of two halves for the next couple of weeks. The first week is a real struggle – we’ve got the swell, but the wind is just a mess. It’s not looking good for a paddle. The second week, however, is where things start to get interesting, with a serious pulse of energy showing up.

The only spot on the radar is San Mateo, a point break that’s inconsistent and only really for the advanced crew. It’s exposed to the NW, but the optimum swell direction is from the NW, so the setup is right when it all lines up.

We’re looking at a long, barren stretch to start. From Tuesday, the 18th, right through to the morning of Thursday, the 28th, the surf is just poor. The wind is mostly cross or cross-on, chopping everything up. The swell is tiny, around 1.0 ft to 3 ft, with weak energy. The water temperature is about average for this time of year. Honestly, it’s a write-off. There’s a couple of days where the conditions are "marginal," but with these onshore winds, you’re wasting your time.

Then, on the morning of Friday, August 28th, things start to change. There’s a big jump in energy. The swell is a clean 3 ft from the SW with a very long period of 18 seconds. The wind is light and cross-shore – that’s a major positive. This is a proper groundswell, and it’s going to wrap in nicely on that point. The long period means the sets will be fat and powerful, with long waits between them, making paddling out easier.

The real standout, though, is the morning of Saturday, August 29th. We get a solid 5 ft swell from the SW with a period of 16 seconds. That’s a serious pulse of energy. The wind is a gentle cross-shore, which is great. This is the best on offer in the whole window. It’s getting up there in size, so it’s for the experienced surfers only. The sets will be meaty and the line-up at San Mateo should be handling it perfectly.

The next morning, Sunday, August 30th, is still holding in at 5 ft, but the wind picks up a bit more, making it less clean. The morning of the 29th is the clear winner.

After that, the swell slowly drops through the start of September, but the morning of Monday, September 1st, still offers a decent 4 ft swell with a 13-second period and light wind. It’s a fun, smaller option. The morning of Wednesday, September 2nd, is another small window with a clean 3 ft and 16-second period, but the energy is dropping.

To sum it up: the first ten days are a total washout. The only real session to plan for is the morning of Saturday, August 29th at San Mateo. That’s the one. The morning of the 28th is a solid warm-up, but the 29th is the best of the lot. Keep an eye on it, because the long-range forecast is promising, but it’s not set in stone.

Rusty.

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