San Mateo Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s coming up for San Mateo.

Right off the bat, this isn’t exactly a week for the casual paddle. The water is sitting at 80°F – that’s a whopping 8°F warmer than average for this time of year, so you’ll feel like you’re surfing in a bath. But the problem is, the waves are tiny and the wind is messy. For the first week, it’s a real struggle. There’s a big dry spell with basically no worthwhile surf from now until the end of August. You’ll see scraps of 1ft to 2ft swell, mostly cross or cross-on breezes, and the combined energy is stuck under 300 (weak to low moderate) – not enough to get excited about.

Friday morning, August 21st, you get a brief moment of glassy conditions with a 2ft SW groundswell at a very long 16 seconds. That long period is best left for the point at San Mateo rather than a beach, but it’s just too small to make the paddle worth it. The energy is only 127 (weak).

The rest of that first week is a write-off – poor conditions, choppy, and tiny.

Now, as we roll into the second week, things start to look a bit more promising, but we’ve got to wade through more marginal stuff first. Friday morning, August 28th, sees the swell bump up to 4ft from the SW, with a period of 18 seconds. The combined energy jumps to 932 (moderate), but the wind is light cross-onshore, so it’s still a bit bumpy. This is marginal.

The standout comes on Thursday, September 4th. Friday morning, September 4th, is the real gem for this whole outlook. We’ve got a clean 5ft SW swell with a 16-second period, combined energy of 1226 (strong), and light cross-offshore winds from the south. That’s a magic combination for the point at San Mateo. This is solid groundswell, long period, perfect for the point – it’ll have proper shape and power. The only thing to keep in mind is that 5ft is a bit meaty; it’s not for beginners, but for experienced surfers, this is excellent. It’s also an inconsistent break, so you’ll want to be patient between sets, but the quality when they come through will be worth it. Crowds are possible here – it’s a known spot.

Before that, Saturday morning, August 29th, has a 6ft SW swell at 15 seconds, but it’s cross-shore and choppy, so not the standout. And Thursday morning, September 3rd, has a 4ft SW swell with long period (19 sec) and gentle cross-shore wind, giving it a score that points to marginal conditions.

To sum it up: the first week is a bust. The second week builds, and Friday morning, September 4th, is your best bet – clean, solid, and proper. Everything else is either too small, too windy, or too marginal.

Rusty.

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