San Mateo Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right then, let’s take a look at what’s coming our way for San Mateo.

First up, we gotta talk about the water. It’s sitting at 80° right now, which is a solid 8° warmer than usual for this time of year. That’s not just a little warm, that’s properly unusual. You’ll be surfing in a bath.

Now, the surf. Honestly, the next week or so looks pretty average. There’s a pulse of decent energy coming in on Monday the 27th of July, with a 4ft swell from the southwest. The energy reading is strong, sitting at 1151, but the wind is a cross-shore breeze from the SSW at 12 mph, which is putting a bit of a chop on the surface. It’s not clean, and it’s not great. That afternoon it gets worse with a cross-on wind. Tuesday the 28th is more of the same – 5ft swell, but with a cross-on wind, it’s going to be lumpy and messy. Not what we’re after.

The standout, and I mean the only proper window to get excited about, is the morning of Wednesday the 29th of July. The swell drops slightly to 5ft from the southwest, but the wind swings around to a light cross-offshore breeze from the south at 6 mph. That’s the good stuff. The water will be clean, and the wave comment says "expect very good surf conditions". The wave energy is still moderate at 845. This is your best bet for a decent session. Keep in mind, San Mateo is a point break that’s exposed to the northwest swell, but this southwest swell will wrap in. It’s inconsistent here, so you might have to wait for the sets. Crowds are possible, so get there early.

After that Wednesday morning, it drops off. From Thursday the 30th of July right through to Tuesday the 11th of August, the swell fades away to nothing much. We’re talking 1ft to 3ft, and the wind is nearly always cross or cross-on, making for choppy, poor conditions. The energy readings drop off a cliff, from 460 down to as low as 61. The long period swells that pop up later, like on the 6th of August with a 19-second period, are too small (2ft) to bother with, and the wind is wrong. It’s a real dry spell for paddle surfing.

Between the 30th of July and the 11th of August, there’s a long gap of over a week with nothing worth recommending. The 7th and 8th of August have a bit of a pulse, but the wind is still messy. The morning of Saturday the 8th of August has a clean cross-offshore wind, but with only 3ft of swell, it’s marginal at best.

For the long-range, the 11th of August has a 1ft swell with a 19-second period, but again, it’s tiny and the energy is weak (61). Don’t hold your breath.

If you’re a kite surfer, the afternoons with strong cross-on winds and decent swell might be more interesting than surfing. For the rest of us, it’s all about that Wednesday morning. Make the most of it.

Rusty.

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