Surf Forecasts:
San Mateo surf forecast from 20 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Thursday 27 Aug, 10AM (local time) - 2ft (0.6m), 16s period, SW swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Monday 24 Aug, 7AM (local time) - 2ft (0.6m), 17s period, SW swell with 230 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Friday 21 Aug, 4AM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.4m), 15s 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 Friday (Aug 21) at 4AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.4m and 15s period. 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 0.6m 17s and forecast to arrive on Monday (Aug 24) at 7AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.2m 8s period and expected on Thursday (Aug 20) at 10AM.
| Wave Type | Time (-05) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 4AM (Fri 21st Aug) | 1.5ft (0.4m) 15s |
| Best Surf | 10AM (Thu 27th Aug) | 2ft (0.6m) 16s |
| Most Powerful | 7AM (Mon 24th Aug) | 2ft (0.6m) 17s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for San Mateo over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, Rusty here. Let’s take a look at what San Mateo has in store for us.
First up, this is a bit of a slow burn. For the next several days, the surf is pretty ordinary with a lot of onshore or cross-shore winds making a mess of things. The water temp is roughly average for the time of year, nothing too wild.
The real standout, and honestly the only time I’d get excited, is Thursday morning the 27th of August. We’ve got a 2ft SW groundswell rolling in with a 16-second period – that’s proper long period energy. What makes it special is the wind goes glassy, absolute flat calm. That’s the session to paddle out for. The combined swell energy is a solid 298 (moderate wave energy), so there’s some push behind it, but it’s not going to be a washing machine. This point break can handle that long-period SW swell nicely.
The next morning, Friday the 28th, there’s a bigger pulse arriving – 4ft SW with that same long 18-second period, and the combined energy jumps to 1142 (strong wave energy). But here’s the catch: the wind is cross-onshore, light but still on it. It’s rated as marginal, so it’s not clean but you might find a few if you’re keen. The afternoon gets messy, so aim for early.
From there, we get a bit of size bump around Saturday the 29th with waves pushing 6ft, but that’s paired with moderate cross-shore winds and a bit of a lumpy cross-chop. That size is getting too big for beginners, and the wind won’t do it any favours for experts either. The period drops a bit to 16 seconds, but the energy is still high (1666 – strong). It’s a messy one.
After that, it’s small and mostly choppy right through to early September. A few mornings in the first week of September have light cross-shore winds and 2ft to 3ft SW swell, but nothing that screams “drop everything and go.” The combined energy sits in the moderate range, but the wind states just aren’t clean enough.
So to sum it up: the best window is Thursday morning the 27th – glassy, long-period SW groundswell, and San Mateo’s point setup should handle it well. If you miss that, Friday morning the 28th is the next look, but it’s a bit compromised. The rest is mostly a waiting game.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 26°C on Thu morning, min 23°C on Thu night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 26°C on Sun morning, min 23°C on Sun night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Thursday 20 | Friday 21 | Saturday 22 | Sunday 23 | Monday 24 | Tuesday 25 | Wednesday 26 | |||||||||||||||
AM | 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 11 | SW 11 | SW 15 | SW 16 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 19 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 5 | SW 18 | SW 18 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
176 | 166 | 77 | 127 | 74 | 127 | 116 | 85 | 129 | 208 | 203 | 192 | 219 | 165 | 161 | 145 | 76 | 74 | 22 | 51 | 111 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross | cross-on | cross | glassy | on | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross-on | cross | cross | cross-on | cross | cross | cross-on | cross | cross | cross-on | cross |
High Tide | 9:32PM1.88m | 9:42AM1.92m | 10:43PM1.78m | 10:52AM1.84m | 00:04AM1.78m | 12:09PM1.84m | 1:13AM1.87m | 1:14PM1.92m | 2:05AM2.01m | 2:05PM2.04m | 2:45AM2.16m | 2:47PM2.17m | 3:21AM2.32m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 3:13PM0.70m | 3:30AM0.94m | 4:16PM0.80m | 4:41AM1.03m | 5:31PM0.82m | 6:02AM1.04m | 6:42PM0.77m | 7:12AM0.97m | 7:39PM0.66m | 8:05AM0.85m | 8:23PM0.54m | 8:48AM0.71m | 9:02PM0.43m | ||||||||
6:24 | — | — | 6:22 | — | — | 6:22 | — | — | 6:22 | — | — | 6:22 | — | — | 6:22 | — | — | 6:22 | — | — | |
— | 6:29 | — | — | 6:29 | — | — | 6:28 | — | — | 6:28 | — | — | 6:28 | — | — | 6:28 | — | — | 6:27 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 26 | 25 | 23 | 26 | 26 | 24 | 25 | 25 | 24 | 26 | 26 | 24 | 26 | 26 | 24 | 26 | 25 | 23 | 25 | 25 | 23 |
Feels °C | 26 | 25 | 24 | 28 | 27 | 25 | 25 | 24 | 26 | 27 | 26 | 24 | 27 | 26 | 25 | 25 | 24 | 23 | 25 | 25 | 25 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 11 | SW 7 | SSW 7 | SSW 7 | SSW 9 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 5 | SW 14 | SW 5 |
176 | 119 | 86 | 40 | 106 | 127 | 116 | 85 | 82 | 208 | 203 | 192 | 219 | 165 | 161 | 145 | 76 | 74 | 22 | 50 | 13 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 16 | SW 11 | SW 10 | SSW 10 | SW 14 | SSW 10 | SSW 9 | SW 20 | SW 19 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 11 | SW 11 | SSW 10 | SSW 10 | SW 10 | SW 14 | SW 18 | SW 18 |
39 | 166 | 48 | 65 | 74 | 35 | 35 | 60 | 129 | 52 | 50 | 35 | 21 | 19 | 19 | 11 | 10 | 15 | 49 | 51 | 111 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NW 14 | SW 15 | SW 15 | SW 16 | SW 11 | WSW 21 | SW 20 | SSW 9 | NW 8 | NW 12 | SW 15 | NW 12 | SW 11 | NW 15 | NW 14 | WSW 10 | WSW 10 | WNW 13 | SW 10 | SW 10 | SW 9 |
8 | 8 | 77 | 127 | 19 | 42 | 61 | 15 | 3 | 6 | 8 | 6 | 5 | 9 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 18 | 15 | 14 | 13 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 8 | — | — | — | — | SW 6 | SW 5 | SW 5 | SSW 5 | SSW 5 | SW 4 | SW 4 | SSW 5 | SSW 6 | SW 6 | SSW 5 | SSW 6 | SW 5 | — | SW 5 | — |
150 | — | — | — | — | 24 | 28 | 29 | 24 | 17 | 15 | 18 | 41 | 65 | 44 | 36 | 41 | 30 | — | 23 | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 141 | 916 | 7 | 0 | 857 | 450 | 111 | 141 | 4 | 111 | 1054 | 111 | 141 | 938 | 450 | 141 | 815 | 7 | 310 | 857 | 46 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Manabi | |||||||||||||||||||||
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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.











