San Mateo Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s cookin' at San Mateo over the next couple of weeks.

Right off the bat, I’ve gotta be straight with you – the first few days are a write-off. Tuesday the 25th and Wednesday the 26th of August are pretty much flat, and what little bump is there is getting chewed up by cross and cross-onshore winds. It’s a tough start, with swell energy barely scraping into the moderate range (202) but the conditions are just plain poor. The water is a balmy 81°, which is much warmer than normal for this time of year, a real standout.

We start to see a pulse of energy arrive on Friday the 28th of August. The morning shows a 3ft SW swell with a long 18-second period, giving the waves some real push and shape. The combined energy is kicking into strong territory (653) and the wind is a gentle cross-shore, which keeps things a bit cleaner. It’s only a marginal call, but this is the first window where you might get a few workable ones. By the afternoon, the wind swings cross-onshore and the quality drops out.

The best of the first week, and honestly the standout of the whole outlook, arrives on Saturday the 29th of August. The morning sees a solid 5ft SW swell with a 16-second period, and the energy is pumping at a strong 1080. The wind is a gentle cross-shore, so the face will be holding up nicely. This is the pick of the bunch. It's a point break, so that long-period groundswell is going to line up beautifully. The swell is big enough for a good ride but not into the expert-only zone. Just keep in mind that it's an inconsistent break, so you’ll be waiting for the sets, but the wait will be worth it. The crowd situation is 'sometimes', so you might have a few friends out, but it won't be a circus.

We get a few more mornings of marginal surf through the end of August and into early September. Sunday the 30th has a 4ft SW swell with a 14-second period, but the wind is a bit more on it. The energy is still strong (566). The real tease is the morning of Friday the 4th of September. The swell is pushing 5ft to 5ft out of the SW with a 16-second period, and the energy is massive at 1263. The wind is a gentle cross-shore, but the forecast is only giving it a marginal nod. It’s far enough out that I’d call it a promising possibility, but I wouldn’t book the day off work just yet.

The rest of the second week is a rinse-and-repeat of cross-onshore winds wrecking the afternoon sessions. The mornings on the 9th of September offer a 4ft, 17-second SW swell with a light cross-shore, which is worth a dawn patrol look, but the conditions are never quite clean enough to fire.

Bottom line: The best bet is the morning of Saturday the 29th of August. It’s the most consistent pulse of swell with the best wind. The Friday the 4th of September morning is a long-range potential, but it’s a gamble. The rest of the time, we’re waiting for a window that doesn’t fully open.

Rusty.

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