San Mateo Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's have a look at what's on offer for our stretch of coast.

This forecast is a bit of a mixed bag, and honestly, for the next several days the surf isn't great. We’ve got a solid swell showing up early on, but the winds are going to rip into it, making things pretty ugly. It’s not until the end of the first week that we finally get a clean window.

The best swell of the period hits right at the start on Tuesday, July 7th. We’re looking at a 5ft SW groundswell with a long 16-second period, packing some serious energy (combined energy of 999). But the problem is the wind. Tuesday morning is a cross-shore, and by the afternoon it switches cross-onshore, turning it into a choppy mess. Wednesday through Friday are the same story – fair bit of swell for Wednesday and Thursday (around 4ft to 3ft, SW) but with moderate cross-shore winds and that cross-on afternoon chop that’ll ruin your session.

Now, hold onto your board, because the standout comes on Saturday, July 11th. That morning we finally get a clean one. Swell drops a touch to 4ft from the SW with a 14-second period (moderate energy of 543), but the wind is a light 6 mph cross-offshore breeze from the south. That is magic. San Mateo will be clean, with lined-up walls. The water is a very warm 80°, crazy for this time of year – over 7° warmer than usual. Expect some crowds here, as it's a well-known point break that can get busy.

Sunday the 12th and Monday the 13th see the swell fading to 3-3ft. Monday morning might offer a brief clean session with light cross-offshore winds, but it's small.

Looking further out into the second week, things become a promising but less certain prospect. From the 14th onwards, the swell drops right off, with a lot of days showing tiny, weak energy (often below 120). There are some very long-period pulses from the NW on the 20th and 21st (21-second and 20-second period), but the wave heights are tiny – only 0.7ft to 1ft. A couple of those mornings do have light winds, so if that long-period energy pushes something rideable, it could be a sneaky glassy session at a point or reef, but don't count on it. For the most part, the back half of the outlook is a write-off for decent waves.

So, the call is simple: if you can get out for Saturday morning, July 11th, that's your best bet in the whole 16 days.

Rusty.

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