San Mateo Surf Forecast and Surf Report

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

Read more