San Mateo Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's have a look at what we've got coming down the line for San Mateo.

It's a bit of a slow start, I won't lie. The first few days are looking pretty average with small, messy swell and a lot of cross-shore or cross-onshore breeze messing things up. The water is *much* warmer than normal for this time of year, sitting at 80°, which is a seriously warm anomaly (9° warmer than usual) – you’ll be in boardies for sure.

The real standout, the one you want to circle on the calendar, is Friday morning, August 7th. That's where the magic happens. The wind goes glassy, absolutely dead calm, and we get a solid 3ft groundswell from the southwest. The kicker is the period – a very long 16 seconds – which means proper, lined-up energy. The combined energy is cranking at 609 (moderate to strong), so there's plenty of push. For a point break like San Mateo, that long-period groundswell is perfect. It’s going to be clean, glassy, and offering some really nice, walled-up waves. This is the best session on offer, without a doubt.

Thursday morning, August 6th, is a decent consolation prize. We’ve got a light cross-offshore breeze with 3ft of swell, and the combined energy is already building at 376 (moderate). The period is a solid 13 seconds. It won't be as pristine as Friday, but it’ll be clean and fun, with good shape.

After that, things get tricky. The mornings on August 14th and 15th (Friday and Saturday) show some promise with a bigger swell building – around 4ft to 4ft – and a very long period of 17 seconds. The combined energy readings are strong (663 and 770). However, the wind each morning is a light cross-shore, which is okay, but not perfect. The afternoons get blown out by a strong cross-onshore breeze. For a point break, that long-period swell will wrap in nicely, but you’ll need to nail the early morning window before the sea breeze ruins it. These are promising but less certain, being a week and a half out.

There are a few other mornings scattered in the second week with marginal conditions and light winds, like August 11th, 13th, and 16th, but the swell is small and inconsistent, and the quality is just not there. The second week is really just about those early morning windows on the 14th and 15th.

So, to sum it up: hold out for Friday morning, August 7th for the best, cleanest surf of the outlook. If you can't make that, dawn patrol on Thursday the 6th or the mornings of the 14th and 15th are your next best bets. The rest of the time, it’s a waiting game.

Rusty.

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