San Mateo Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Gotta be straight with you – the next couple of weeks at San Mateo are looking like a real test of patience. It’s a point break, exposed to the NW but getting hammered by a persistent SW wind, which is just about the worst direction for keeping things clean. Most of this period is a write-off with cross and cross-onshore winds messing up what little swell there is. The combined energy is all over the place, but when it’s there, the wind just ruins it. We’re looking at a long stretch of poor conditions, but there is one light at the end of the tunnel.

The water is hanging around 80°F which is a massive 9°F warmer than usual for this time of year – that’s a real anomaly, feels like a bathtub out there.

We kick off on Friday the 31st of July with a tiny 3ft SW swell at 13 seconds, but 12 mph cross-on SW wind makes it a total choppy mess. Saturday the 1st and Sunday the 2nd of August aren't any better – smaller waves, still cross winds. The whole first week is a blur of marginal surf and poor conditions. The wind just doesn’t let up.

Then, out of nowhere, on Friday morning, August 7th, we finally get a window. The wind drops to absolute glass – 0 mph, dead calm. The swell is 3ft from the SW with a very long period of 16 seconds, so it’s real groundswell energy. The combined energy is a solid 520 (moderate). This is the standout. For a point break like San Mateo, that long period will wrap in beautifully, giving you clean, lined-up waves. It’s inconsistent here, so don’t expect a barrage, but the ones that come through will be perfect. The morning is the only time to be in the water though, because by Friday afternoon the wind swings back cross-on at 9 mph and it’s all over.

After that, it’s back to the grind. Saturday the 8th through the rest of the forecast is just more of the same – cross-shore wind, onshore wind, and blown-out conditions. There are a few mornings with lighter winds, like the 12th of August, but the wind is still cross-shore, and the swell is mixed up. Nothing comes close to that Friday morning glass-off.

So here’s the deal: you’ve got a long, frustrating gap of poor surf, then one real moment of magic on the morning of August 7th. Set your alarms, that’s the one to chase.

Rusty, signing off.

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