Surf Forecasts:
San Mateo surf forecast from 7 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Monday 7 Sep, 10AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.0m), 13s period, SW swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Thursday 10 Sep, 1AM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.3m), 17s period, SW swell with 929 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Monday 7 Sep, 10AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.0m), 13s period with SW swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for San Mateo this week:
The surf forecast for San Mateo over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Monday (Sep 07) at 10AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.0m and 13s period with a secondary swell of 0.6m and 18s. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at San Mateo in the next 16 days are 1.3m 17s and forecast to arrive on Thursday (Sep 10) at 1AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.9m 6s period and expected on Wednesday (Sep 09) at 10AM.
| Wave Type | Time (-05) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 10AM (Mon 7th Sep) | 3.5ft (1.0m) 13s |
| Best Surf | 10AM (Mon 7th Sep) | 3.5ft (1.0m) 13s |
| Most Powerful | 1AM (Thu 10th Sep) | 4.5ft (1.3m) 17s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for San Mateo over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, Rusty here. Let's chew the fat on what's coming up at San Mateo.
We've got a bit of a mixed bag ahead, but there's a real sweet spot to kick things off if you're quick. The standout window is Monday morning, 7 September. The conditions are about as good as it gets – glassy, no wind, and a clean 3ft swell rolling in from the SW with a nice 13-second period. The combined energy is solid (551), and with the point break setup at San Mateo, that long-period groundswell is going to line up beautifully. The water temp is about average for this time of year, so no nasty surprises there. I'd be calling this the best on offer, no question. Just be aware it can get crowded here sometimes.
That magic doesn't last, though. Monday afternoon the wind swings onshore and turns it to chop pretty quickly. From Tuesday the 8th through to the end of the first week, we're looking at a lot of marginal surf and onshore slop. The swell drops a touch, and periods are all over the place, but the wind is mostly cross or cross-onshore, making it messy. The combined energy stays moderate (in the 500 to 800 range), but the chop kills the quality.
Now, there's a second, smaller window of hope. On Friday morning, 11 September, we get another glassy morning with a 3ft SW swell. The period drops a bit to 14 seconds, but glass is glass. If you missed the Monday session, this is your backup. The combined energy is a bit lower (424), but it’s still a fun, clean wave.
After that, it’s a long, dry stretch. From Saturday the 12th right through to Tuesday the 22nd, the forecast is dominated by poor to marginal conditions. Swell sizes are tiny, mostly 1ft to 3ft, and the winds are nearly always cross or cross-onshore, making for choppy, uninviting water. The combined energy drops well into the 100s and 200s for most of this period – weak stuff. There’s hardly a single morning that looks worth paddling out for. The setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing during this long run of slop. It’s going to be a blank run for a while.
So, to sum it up: get in the water Monday morning the 7th, and if you miss it, try Friday morning the 11th. After that, it’s a waiting game until the end of the forecast period.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 27°C on Mon morning, min 24°C on Tue night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 27°C on Thu morning, min 24°C on Wed night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Monday 7 | Tuesday 8 | Wednesday 9 | Thursday 10 | Friday 11 | Saturday 12 | Sunday 13 | |||||||||||||||
AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | |
Swell Height Map |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | ||||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 15 | SW 18 | SW 15 | SW 17 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 19 | SW 19 | SW 18 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 330 | 330 | 318 | 352 | 390 | 525 | 437 | 410 | 929 | 728 | 719 | 492 | 404 | 398 | 285 | 173 | 171 | 168 | 131 | 131 | 112 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | glassy | cross-on | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross-on | cross | cross | cross-on | cross | glassy | cross-on | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross |
High Tide | 12:10PM2.10m | 1:06AM2.22m | 1:21PM2.23m | 2:04AM2.41m | 2:19PM2.38m | 2:53AM2.58m | 3:09PM2.51m | 3:36AM2.71m | 3:53PM2.59m | 4:15AM2.76m | 4:35PM2.62m | 4:53AM2.75m | 5:14PM2.59m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 6:02AM0.81m | 6:37PM0.51m | 7:16AM0.67m | 7:40PM0.37m | 8:15AM0.49m | 8:33PM0.25m | 9:05AM0.33m | 9:19PM0.16m | 9:48AM0.20m | 10:01PM0.12m | 10:28AM0.13m | 10:41PM0.14m | 11:06AM0.12m | 11:19PM0.22m | |||||||
 | |  | | | |  | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
 | 6:18 | — | — | 6:18 | — | — | 6:16 | — | — | 6:16 | — | — | 6:16 | — | — | 6:16 | — | — | 6:16 | — | — |
 | — | 6:23 | — | — | 6:22 | — | — | 6:22 | — | — | 6:22 | — | — | 6:22 | — | — | 6:22 | — | — | 6:22 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 27 | 27 | 25 | 27 | 26 | 25 | 27 | 26 | 25 | 27 | 26 | 25 | 27 | 26 | 25 | 26 | 26 | 25 | 26 | 26 | 24 |
Feels °C | 30 | 28 | 28 | 29 | 25 | 26 | 29 | 26 | 26 | 29 | 26 | 27 | 31 | 27 | 27 | 28 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 24 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 15 | SW 18 | SW 15 | SW 17 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 12 |
| kJ | 330 | 330 | 269 | 352 | 390 | 525 | 437 | 410 | 929 | 728 | 719 | 492 | 404 | 398 | 285 | 173 | 171 | 168 | 95 | 92 | 69 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 18 | SW 18 | SW 16 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 19 | SW 14 | SW 18 | NW 11 | NW 11 | NW 11 | SW 6 | SSW 8 | SSW 8 | SSW 8 | NW 11 | NW 10 | WNW 10 | SW 19 | SW 19 | SW 18 |
| kJ | 199 | 304 | 318 | 139 | 139 | 184 | 261 | 375 | 30 | 30 | 29 | 34 | 55 | 55 | 54 | 29 | 27 | 10 | 131 | 131 | 112 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WNW 10 | WNW 11 | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | NW 12 | NW 12 | NW 11 | — | — | — | NW 10 | WNW 10 | NW 10 | NW 10 | SW 18 | WSW 21 | SW 16 | WNW 11 | WNW 11 | WNW 10 |
| kJ | 22 | 22 | 20 | 9 | 20 | 35 | 34 | 31 | — | — | — | 28 | 20 | 26 | 28 | 12 | 45 | 42 | 11 | 11 | 10 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | SSW 4 | SSW 5 | SSW 6 | SSW 6 | SSW 6 | SW 6 | SSW 6 | SSW 6 | — | — | — | — | SSW 8 | SSW 8 | SSW 5 | SSW 6 | SSW 6 | SSW 6 |
| kJ | — | — | — | 13 | 40 | 49 | 60 | 67 | 34 | 32 | 47 | — | — | — | — | 52 | 88 | 42 | 47 | 53 | 65 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 930 | 7 | 7 | 912 | 102 | 141 | 820 | 141 | 7 | 912 | 7 | 0 | 852 | 7 | 7 | 912 | 377 | 102 | 848 | 102 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Manabi | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in Ecuador | |||||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||||
- Map Icons:
Break
Live Wave Height (m)
Live Wind Speed (km/h)
Surf Rating (10 Max)
Ocean Swells (m)- Wind Speed (km/h)
FREE! Surf-Forecast.com widget for your website
The surf report / weather widget below is available to embed on third party websites free of charge and provides a summary of our San Mateo surf forecast. Simply grab the html code snippet that we provide and paste it into your own site. You can choose your preferred language and metric/imperial units for the surf forecast feed to suit users of your site. Click here to get the code.
Information about the San Mateo Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for San Mateo provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at San Mateo can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our San Mateo surf forecast is unique since it includes wave energy (power) that defines the real feel of the surf rather than just the height or the period. If you surf the same spot (San Mateo) regularly then make a mental note of the wave energy from the surf forecast table each time you go. Very soon you may start to choose your surf days based on the wave energy alone combined with our forecast of favourable offshore wind conditions. Our star ratings will help here and of course you will also find the usual wave height and period predictions on our surf forecasts as well as a full break down of the swell components under our advanced users option (to reveal that, click the little Einstein character under the tide times).
Further information to help with frequently asked questions about our surf forecast for San Mateo may be found under the help tab on the top menu and also by moving your mouse over the question marks on the surf forecast table itself. Please always bear in mind that the forecast is for near-shore open water and local factors at each surf break influence the actual breaking wave height, such as the beach / reef profile, water depths offshore and shelter.
Are you planning a holiday in Manabi? If you are looking for accommodation near San Mateo, camping, hotels and holiday cottages in Manabi, consider staying in Manta which is 11 km (7 miles) away. Other places in and around Manabi where you can find information about places to rent, and car hire include Montecristi which is 21 km (13 miles) away, Portoviejo, Jipijapa and Sucre.
Nearest