Surf Forecasts:
San Mateo surf forecast from 1 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Monday 7 Sep, 7AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.0m), 13s period, SW swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Friday 4 Sep, 1AM (local time) - 5.5ft (1.7m), 17s period, SW swell with 1,710 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Wednesday 2 Sep, 7AM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.8m), 12s period with SW swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for San Mateo this week:
The surf forecast for San Mateo over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Sep 02) at 7AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.8m and 12s period with a secondary swell of 0.6m and 16s. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at San Mateo in the next 16 days are 1.7m 17s and forecast to arrive on Friday (Sep 04) at 1AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.9m 6s period and expected on Tuesday (Sep 01) at 1AM.
| Wave Type | Time (-05) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 7AM (Wed 2nd Sep) | 2.5ft (0.8m) 12s |
| Best Surf | 7AM (Mon 7th Sep) | 3.5ft (1.0m) 13s |
| Most Powerful | 1AM (Fri 4th Sep) | 5.5ft (1.7m) 17s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for San Mateo over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, let's have a look at what's coming our way for San Mateo over the next couple of weeks. It's been a bit quiet, but things are starting to show signs of life, especially if you're a patient surfer.
We'll start off with a bit of a slow run, but there's a real interesting window building for the first few days of September. Water temps are sitting at a very warm 80°, which is a wild 8° warmer than normal for this time of year - way out of the ordinary, so you might not even need a spring suit.
Alright, so right now and through the first few days, the surf is pretty marginal. On Monday afternoon the 31st of August, we've got a weak 3ft SW swell with a short, average period of 12 seconds, and it's getting chopped up by a moderate cross-onshore wind. The wave energy is weak, only 390. It's not worth paddling out for.
Tuesday the 1st of September is a write-off - similar story, small 3ft swell and poor conditions.
Now, Wednesday the 2nd of September morning is interesting. The swell is still small at 3ft from the SW, but the wind drops to almost nothing – a slight air from the WSW, just barely a cross-onshore ripple. The energy bumps up to 498, and it's glassy enough to be worth a look, even if the sets are small and inconsistent.
But the real standout window, the one that's got my attention, is Thursday the 3rd of September through to Friday the 4th of September. On Thursday morning, we get a 4ft SW groundswell with a long 18-second period, and the wind is light and cross-shore. The wave energy jumps to 941 – that's moderate to strong energy. That long period swell is going to wrap into this point break with real shape and power. The sets will be clean, well-defined, and there will be those nice lulls between them, making the paddle out easier. This could be the best of the whole forecast.
Friday the 4th of September morning is another good call. Swell builds to 6ft (still from the SW) with a 16-second period, and the wind stays light and cross-shore. Wave energy is very strong at 1474. This is solid, powerful groundswell for intermediate and advanced surfers. The offshore direction from the guidance is ESE, and we're getting cross-shore winds, so it should hold up well on the point.
After that, the forecast settles back into a pattern of cleaner mornings and choppier afternoons, with the wind picking up from the SW or WSW each day. The swell sticks around in the 3ft to 4ft range through the middle of the month, but the wind is never really on our side for more than a few hours. The mornings of the 10th and 11th of September are worth a quick dawny, with 4ft and 3ft respectively and light winds, but it's not going to be firing.
The energy tapers off noticeably by the second week, dropping into the 200s and 300s by the 13th of September. The swell gets smaller and the period stays long, which means the wave quality will be dropping off. It's a typical slow-down for the area – a blank run is normal when the energy falls like this.
So, bottom line: focus on Thursday the 3rd and Friday the 4th of September. That's your window for the best swell, the best energy, and the cleanest conditions all rolled together. Don't sleep on those morning sessions.
Rusty
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 26°C on Tue morning, min 24°C on Mon afternoon). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 27°C on Fri morning, min 24°C on Thu night). Wind will be generally light. | |||||||||||||||||||
Mon 31 | Tuesday 1 | Wednesday 2 | Thursday 3 | Friday 4 | Saturday 5 | Sunday 6 | ||||||||||||||
PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | |
Swell Height Map | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 13 | SW 17 | SW 12 | SW 16 | SW 19 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SW 17 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 13 |
Wave Graph | ||||||||||||||||||||
286 | 277 | 200 | 231 | 290 | 273 | 248 | 296 | 758 | 702 | 1710 | 1464 | 1675 | 1170 | 924 | 825 | 736 | 632 | 492 | 340 | |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross-on | cross | cross | cross-on | cross | cross | cross-on | cross |
High Tide | 5:49PM2.46m | 6:05AM2.60m | 6:28PM2.40m | 6:43AM2.52m | 7:12PM2.31m | 7:26AM2.40m | 8:03PM2.18m | 8:18AM2.26m | 9:06PM2.07m | 9:24AM2.12m | 10:26PM2.01m | 10:46AM2.06m | 11:52PM2.06m | |||||||
Low Tide | 11:53PM0.31m | 12:21PM0.26m | 00:31AM0.39m | 1:02PM0.31m | 1:14AM0.50m | 1:49PM0.40m | 2:05AM0.64m | 2:46PM0.51m | 3:10AM0.77m | 3:58PM0.59m | 4:33AM0.85m | 5:20PM0.59m | ||||||||
— | — | 6:20 | — | — | 6:20 | — | — | 6:18 | — | — | 6:18 | — | — | 6:18 | — | — | 6:18 | — | — | |
6:25 | — | — | 6:25 | — | — | 6:24 | — | — | 6:24 | — | — | 6:24 | — | — | 6:23 | — | — | 6:23 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 25 | 24 | 26 | 25 | 24 | 26 | 26 | 25 | 26 | 26 | 24 | 27 | 26 | 25 | 27 | 26 | 25 | 27 | 26 | 25 |
Feels °C | 24 | 24 | 27 | 26 | 26 | 29 | 27 | 26 | 28 | 25 | 24 | 28 | 26 | 26 | 27 | 26 | 26 | 28 | 26 | 26 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 11 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SW 17 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 13 |
286 | 277 | 200 | 231 | 203 | 273 | 199 | 179 | 758 | 702 | 1710 | 1464 | 1675 | 1170 | 924 | 825 | 736 | 632 | 492 | 340 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WSW 19 | SW 19 | SSW 6 | SW 6 | SW 7 | SW 17 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 11 | SW 11 | WNW 11 | WNW 10 | WNW 9 | SW 10 | WNW 9 | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | SSW 5 | WNW 10 | SW 19 |
36 | 55 | 49 | 39 | 47 | 222 | 248 | 221 | 169 | 172 | 11 | 10 | 8 | 24 | 8 | 10 | 11 | 18 | 21 | 236 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NW 11 | NW 11 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SW 17 | NW 9 | SW 20 | SW 19 | WNW 12 | SW 14 | — | — | W 12 | WNW 9 | NW 11 | W 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 10 | SW 21 | WNW 9 |
5 | 5 | 82 | 112 | 290 | 3 | 188 | 296 | 14 | 114 | — | — | 3 | 8 | 5 | 1 | 7 | 19 | 69 | 17 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 6 | SSW 6 | — | — | — | — | SW 3 | WSW 4 | — | SSW 6 | SW 11 | — | — | SSW 5 | SSW 4 | SSW 5 | SSW 5 | — | SSW 5 | SW 5 |
63 | 69 | — | — | — | — | 2 | 3 | — | 20 | 134 | — | — | 17 | 16 | 33 | 24 | — | 19 | 14 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 938 | 7 | 141 | 1077 | 46 | 7 | 1050 | 11 | 102 | 1054 | 111 | 7 | 1012 | 310 | 102 | 857 | 7 | 141 | 857 | 7 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Manabi | ||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in Ecuador | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the San Mateo Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for San Mateo provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at San Mateo can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our San Mateo surf forecast is unique since it includes wave energy (power) that defines the real feel of the surf rather than just the height or the period. If you surf the same spot (San Mateo) regularly then make a mental note of the wave energy from the surf forecast table each time you go. Very soon you may start to choose your surf days based on the wave energy alone combined with our forecast of favourable offshore wind conditions. Our star ratings will help here and of course you will also find the usual wave height and period predictions on our surf forecasts as well as a full break down of the swell components under our advanced users option (to reveal that, click the little Einstein character under the tide times).
Further information to help with frequently asked questions about our surf forecast for San Mateo may be found under the help tab on the top menu and also by moving your mouse over the question marks on the surf forecast table itself. Please always bear in mind that the forecast is for near-shore open water and local factors at each surf break influence the actual breaking wave height, such as the beach / reef profile, water depths offshore and shelter.
Are you planning a holiday in Manabi? If you are looking for accommodation near San Mateo, camping, hotels and holiday cottages in Manabi, consider staying in Manta which is 11 km (7 miles) away. Other places in and around Manabi where you can find information about places to rent, and car hire include Montecristi which is 21 km (13 miles) away, Portoviejo, Jipijapa and Sucre.











