Surf Forecasts:
Camel Rock surf forecast from 20 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Sunday 23 Aug, 8PM (local time) - 7ft (2.1m), 8s period, NW swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Sunday 23 Aug, 8PM (local time) - 7ft (2.1m), 8s period, NW swell with 575 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Thursday 20 Aug, 5PM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 11s period with WNW swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Camel Rock this week:
The surf forecast for Camel Rock over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Thursday (Aug 20) at 5PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.9m and 11s period with a secondary swell of 0.8m and 7s. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Camel Rock in the next 16 days are 2.1m 8s and forecast to arrive on Sunday (Aug 23) at 8PM. Winds are predicted to be glassy at the time the swell arrives.
| Wave Type | Time (PDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 5PM (Thu 20th Aug) | 3ft (0.9m) 11s |
| Best Surf | 8PM (Sun 23rd Aug) | 7ft (2.1m) 8s |
| Most Powerful | 8PM (Sun 23rd Aug) | 7ft (2.1m) 8s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Camel Rock over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright folks, Rusty here with a look at what’s coming up for Camel Rock.
We’ve got a pretty drawn-out run of small, bumpy conditions on the cards, so don’t expect much action for the next couple of weeks. The best window is early on, but even that is modest. There’s a real dry spell coming after the first weekend, with hardly anything worth paddling out for until we get into early September.
Thursday the 20th is the pick of the whole outlook. The morning starts with a light cross-on breeze and a 3ft swell from the WNW at 11 seconds. It’s not huge, but the combined swell energy is moderate (381). The real highlight comes in the afternoon when the wind goes glassy – dead calm. That 3ft WNW groundswell will be clean and lined up. For a spot that’s fairly exposed to the west-northwest like Camel Rock, this is about as good as it gets in this run. That session is the standout.
Friday the 21st has the same glassy wind both morning and afternoon, but the swell drops to 2ft. It’s surfable and clean, but very ordinary. You’ll get a wave if you’re keen, but don’t expect any magic.
Saturday the 22nd starts off glassy again with 2ft, but the wind swings cross-on by the afternoon and it gets choppy. From Saturday onward, the quality slides off a cliff.
Sunday the 23rd sees a jump in size to 5ft, but the period drops to a wind-swell-like 7 seconds, and that cross-on wind ruins it. The energy jumps to 393, but it’s messy. That afternoon size hits 7ft, period still poor at 8 seconds, and with a moderate cross-on breeze, it’s a complete write-off.
The rest of the 16-day run is a long stretch of poor to marginal conditions. From Monday the 24th right through to the end of August, winds are mostly cross-on or cross-shore, often choppy, and swell heights bounce between 2ft and 4ft with short periods. There’s a few longer-period swells (15–18 seconds) mixing in from the SW, but the fetch is weak – energy values between 189 and 481 – and the wind never cleans up. Those longer-period SW groundswells would be better suited to a point or reef, but at Camel Rock they’ll just feel weak and bumpy.
There’s a gap of nearly two weeks with no true good surf. By Thursday the 4th of September, the swell ramps up to 7ft–8ft from the NW with a short 8-second period and moderate onshore winds. That size is big for beginners, and the energy hits 695–942, but the quality is marginal at best. That setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing.
So, bottom line: get in the water Thursday afternoon if you can. After that, it’s a long wait.
Rusty
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Very mild (max 18°C on Sat afternoon, min 12°C on Thu night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Very mild (max 18°C on Mon morning, min 12°C on Tue night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Thursday 20 | Friday 21 | Saturday 22 | Sunday 23 | Monday 24 | Tuesday 25 | Wednesday 26 | |||||||||||||||
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) | WNW 11 | WNW 11 | WNW 11 | SW 14 | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | SW 16 | NW 7 | NW 8 | NW 8 | NW 8 | SW 18 | SW 16 | WSW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
217 | 206 | 153 | 112 | 108 | 78 | 74 | 74 | 68 | 253 | 446 | 463 | 276 | 246 | 165 | 181 | 130 | 124 | 124 | 122 | 151 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | glassy | glassy | glassy | glassy | cross-off | glassy | cross-on | cross-off | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off | cross-on | cross-on | glassy | on | cross | glassy |
High Tide | 5:45PM1.83m | 8:43AM1.31m | 6:49PM1.80m | 9:54AM1.38m | 7:57PM1.81m | 10:38AM1.45m | 8:57PM1.86m | 11:11AM1.51m | 9:48PM1.93m | 11:39AM1.59m | 10:32PM1.98m | 12:05PM1.67m | 11:12PM2.01m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 11:17AM1.06m | 1:29AM0.32m | 12:32PM1.16m | 2:37AM0.26m | 1:57PM1.18m | 3:33AM0.17m | 3:06PM1.12m | 4:19AM0.08m | 3:57PM1.02m | 4:57AM-0.00m | 4:40PM0.90m | 5:30AM-0.06m | 5:20PM0.77m | ||||||||
6:30 | — | — | 6:31 | — | — | 6:31 | — | — | 6:33 | — | — | 6:33 | — | — | 6:35 | — | — | 6:35 | — | — | |
— | 8:07 | — | — | 8:06 | — | — | 8:05 | — | — | 8:02 | — | — | 8:01 | — | — | 8:00 | — | — | 7:59 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 17 | 17 | 13 | 16 | 17 | 14 | 17 | 18 | 15 | 17 | 17 | 14 | 18 | 18 | 14 | 16 | 17 | 13 | 15 | 16 | 13 |
Feels °C | 16 | 17 | 13 | 16 | 16 | 14 | 17 | 17 | 14 | 16 | 15 | 13 | 17 | 17 | 15 | 15 | 17 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 12 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WNW 11 | WNW 11 | WNW 11 | WNW 10 | NW 8 | NW 8 | NNW 7 | NNW 8 | NW 7 | NW 7 | NW 8 | NW 8 | NW 8 | NW 7 | NW 7 | NW 6 | NW 6 | NW 6 | W 13 | SW 16 | SW 16 |
217 | 206 | 153 | 112 | 60 | 57 | 37 | 37 | 65 | 253 | 446 | 463 | 276 | 217 | 139 | 80 | 37 | 15 | 85 | 122 | 151 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NW 6 | NW 7 | NW 7 | NW 7 | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | WNW 9 | SW 19 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SW 16 | WSW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | WNW 7 | WNW 7 |
62 | 62 | 49 | 53 | 108 | 78 | 74 | 74 | 46 | 130 | 161 | 108 | 252 | 246 | 165 | 181 | 130 | 124 | 124 | 18 | 16 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 16 | W 11 | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | — | — | W 18 | W 16 | W 15 | WNW 8 | WNW 7 | W 13 | NNW 5 |
102 | 96 | 100 | 100 | 62 | 44 | 44 | 44 | 68 | 10 | 14 | 14 | — | — | 55 | 46 | 72 | 24 | 31 | 51 | 8 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | NNW 5 | — |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 11 | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 491 | 0 | 301 | 115 | 0 | 143 | 11 | 0 | 82 | 11 | 0 | 81 | 115 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Humboldt County | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United States | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the Camel Rock Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Camel Rock provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Camel Rock can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Camel Rock 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 (Camel Rock) 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 Camel Rock 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.
Camel Rock is 12 km (7 miles) from McKinleyville. If you plan a vacation in Humboldt County, look for hotels and other accommodation in McKinleyville. McKinleyville has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.











