San Mateo Surf Forecast and Surf Report

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

Right off the bat, I gotta be straight with you – this 16-day window for San Mateo is a tough one to love. The swell is there, but the wind and the conditions are just making a mess of things day after day. We’re looking at a long stretch of poor surf, and honestly, it’s pretty frustrating. The water temperature is sitting at 80°, which is a massive 9° warmer than usual for this time of year – that’s a seriously weird anomaly, like swimming in a bath.

The first real glimmer of hope doesn't show up until Friday, August 7th. For the morning session at San Mateo (point), we’ve got a glassy, dead-calm morning with a 3ft groundswell from the SW. That swell is packing a long period of 16 seconds, and the combined energy is a solid 572 (moderate wave energy). This is the standout. That long period, combined with zero wind, is going to give us some clean, lined-up waves peeling down the point. This is the one to aim for. After that, it’s back to choppy onshore junk for the afternoon.

The rest of the fortnight is a real grind. From Saturday the 1st all the way through to Thursday the 7th, and then again from Friday afternoon through to the end of the 16 days, it’s just poor conditions. The wind is either a cross-shore or a cross-onshore, usually moderate to fresh, and it’s just chopping up the surface. The swell is mostly small, 2ft to 4ft, and the period hangs around 12 to 15 seconds, so there’s some energy in the water, but the wind is ruining it. There’s a brief moment on Thursday morning, August 6th, with a bit of a bump in energy (376) and light winds, but it’s still only a marginal call.

If you’re a beginner, the swell never gets over 5ft, so size isn’t the issue. It’s the bumpy, choppy surface that’s the problem. The consistent cross-shore winds mean it’s going to be a battle to find a clean face. Honestly, for a lot of this period, with the stronger cross-shore winds and the beach setup, it might be more interesting for the kite crowd than us paddle surfers.

The Friday morning session is the only real surf in the window. After that, the second week (from August 9th onward) looks like more of the same – small, messy, and wind-affected. The energy is there on paper, but the conditions just aren’t cooperating. Keep an eye on the forecasts, because it can’t stay this poor forever.

Rusty.

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