San Mateo Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G'day, Rusty here. Alright, let's have a good look at the next couple of weeks for San Mateo.

This is a tricky one, fellas. The opening weekend has a real tease of a morning, but the rest of the outlook is a long, drawn-out battle with the wind. We're staring down a 16-day window where the best of it is right at the start, and then it's a grind. There's a massive gap of mediocre to poor conditions from the afternoon of Sunday, July 5th all the way through until the morning of Monday, July 13th – that's over a solid week of nothing to get excited about. A few mornings in the second week might offer a little window, but you've got to be sharp.

The standout, and really the only true call to action, is Sunday, July 5th, first light.

Hit San Mateo early on Sunday morning. It's a point break, exposed to the NW swell, and it's going to be doing its thing. We've got a very long-period groundswell (21 seconds) coming in from the SW at 2ft. The real magic here is the wind – it's glassy, practically nothing out of the SSE. That means the surface will be like a mirror. The water is a very unusual 80°F – that's a massive 7°F warmer than average for this time of year, so you can leave the wetsuit at home. The combined energy is moderate at 820. The sets will be clean and lined up on that point. It's an inconsistent spot, so be patient, and when it does come through, it'll be worth it. The crowds are listed as "sometimes," so there may be a few others with the same idea.

By Sunday afternoon, the wind swings to the WSW and cranks up to 9 mph, turning it cross-on and choppy. That's the end of the fun.

The rest of the week is a write-off. Monday through to the following Sunday (July 6th to 12th) is a mess of cross-shore and cross-onshore winds, building all the way up to 16 mph. The swell does pulse up to 5ft on Tuesday, but with a 16-second period and cross-onshore chop, it's just going to be a lumpy mess. The energy on Tuesday afternoon hits 951 (moderate), but it's completely wasted. Not worth paddling out.

The second week offers a few little glimmers, but nothing to write home about.

Monday, July 13th morning is another glassy moment, but the swell has dropped back to 3ft at 13 seconds. The energy is weak at 274. It's a clean 3ft wave, which is okay for a cheeky log session, but not a stand-out.

Wednesday, July 15th morning has a clean feel with a light cross-offshore breeze from the S, keeping the surface tidy on a 3ft SW swell. Again, it's small, but it's the best of a bad bunch in the second week.

After that, it's a slow fade. The last few days from July 18th onwards see the swell bottom out completely, with tiny 1.0ft to 1ft swells and onshore winds. The combined energy drops to 46 and 132, which is just weak. There's nothing moving here.

So, bottom line: if you want a wave, be at San Mateo at dawn on Sunday, July 5th. After that, you're waiting for a clean-up that never really comes. The forecasts can change, but right now, it's a one-morning show.

Rusty.

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