San Mateo Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let's have a look at what's on the menu for San Mateo over the next couple of weeks.

To be straight with you, this outlook is a tough one. We've got a fair bit of swell energy hitting this exposed point, but the wind just won’t play ball for most of the period. The water is cooking at 80°, which is much warmer than normal for this time of year – a solid 9° above average, so you can leave the wetsuit at home.

The best wave energy is showing up from Thursday the 14th through Tuesday the 19th, with moderate to strong combined energy readings (between 876 and 993). The swell is a solid 4ft to 5ft from the SW, with those longer periods of 15 to 17 seconds bringing in some real groundswell grunt. This is a point break, so those long-period swells should wrap in nicely and hold their shape. The problem is the wind. Almost every day we’re looking at moderate cross or cross-onshore breezes that are going to chop things up.

If you had to pick a window, the best bet is the morning of Saturday the 15th. We’ve got a 4ft SW swell with a 15-second period and moderate cross-shore energy (876). The wind is just a gentle cross-shore breeze, which should keep the surface in better shape than the afternoons. It’s not perfect, but it's the cleanest looking morning in that whole window. Keep in mind this is rated as an advanced break and it’s inconsistent, so you’ll need some patience and skill.

After that, things get pretty grim. From Sunday the 23rd onwards, the swell drops right off to knee-high stuff with weak combined energy (under 275). It looks like a blank run to close out the month. The morning of Saturday the 22nd might offer a glassy window with a tiny 2ft swell, but it’s not worth rushing for.

So, to wrap it up: the standout is the morning of Saturday, August 15th. It’s not going to be epic, but with a bit of luck and that consistent SW groundswell, you might snag a few clean ones before the afternoon chop sets in.

Rusty.

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