San Mateo Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here, lookin’ over the San Mateo forecast. Honestly, this stretch of coast is copping a bit of a rough trot for the next couple of weeks. The water is a whopping 80°F, which is much warmer than normal for the time of year – feels like summer’s stuck on repeat. But the swell? It’s nearly all coming from the southwest, which is cross to cross-on for this break. Most of the time the wind is on it, chopping everything up. Let’s dive into the details.

The outlook starts on Friday, August 21st, but honestly, it’s a write-off. We’ve got a tiny 1ft southwest swell with a 14-second period – that’s a long period for such a small wave – and cross-on wind. The combined energy is a weak 74, and it’s just poor out there. Saturday and Sunday aren’t much better; we’re stuck on 2ft to 2ft with cross-shore or cross-on breezes, and the energy creeps up to moderate levels (around 203 to 284) but the quality is still rotten. The first real glimmer doesn’t show up until Monday, August 24th, morning. It’s still small (2ft), but for a couple of morning slots, we get a “marginal” tag with a gentle cross-shore breeze. That’s about the closest we get to clean, but it’s tiny and inconsistent. The whole first week is a slog of poor surf with only a couple of barely-rideable mornings.

Now, the second week has a bit more size. Starting Friday, August 28th morning, we see 3ft from the southwest, period 18 seconds, and the combined energy jumps to 756 – moderate to strong. The wind is light cross-onshore, which is still messy, but the size is there. It gets better on Saturday, August 29th, with 5ft, but the cross-shore wind (12 mph) and moderate energy (1256) keep it as a marginal call. This is the biggest swell of the whole window, but it’s not clean. For the advanced crew, it might be worth a look on the Saturday morning if you’re desperate, but the wind is never proper offshore. The spot is inconsistent and rated for advanced surfers, so don’t expect a crowd, but you’ll be fighting a cross-chop. Sunday, August 30th morning, offers a similar 4ft with a light cross-shore, which is probably your best bet for a slightly cleaner session if you can handle the inconsistent sets.

Looking further ahead to early September, the swell drops back to 2ft to 4ft, and the pattern doesn’t change. Mornings on September 3rd and 5th have marginal tags with 2ft to 4ft and a light breeze, but it’s still cross-shore or cross-on. Honestly, there’s no standout session here. If I had to pick one, I’d say Sunday morning, August 30th, offers the best balance of size (4ft) and the lightest wind, but it’s far from perfect. This break needs a proper offshore east-southeast wind and a northwest swell to shine, and we’re not getting either. For most of the 16 days, you’re looking at poor or marginal conditions, with a gap of several days where there’s no recommendation at all. Keep an eye on the forecasts – it tends not to stay this stubborn forever.

Rusty.

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