Chadbourne Gulch Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s cookin’ for Chadbourne Gulch.

Right off the bat, I gotta be straight with you – the first week of this forecast is a real grind. We’re lookin’ at a lot of lumpy, cross-onshore junk with wind ripples, and the scores are low. The only real standout, the one that’s got me a little excited, is Monday afternoon, the 3rd of August. That’s the one to pencil in.

The big issue for the first few days is the wind. It’s mostly cross-onshore from the NW, which is just chopping everything up. The swell is on the small side, around 3ft to 4ft, with that long period (15 to 16 seconds) from the SSW, but it’s just not clean. The water is a warm 60°, which is 4° warmer than average for this time of year – feels like a bath, honestly.

Wednesday the 29th and Thursday the 30th are just messy. Friday the 31st looks a little better with lighter winds, but the swell is still mixed up with a short-period NW windswell.

Then we hit Saturday the 1st of August. The swell pushes up to 7ft to 10ft, but it’s all from the NW with a short period of 7 to 8 seconds, and the wind is fresh and strong out of the NW at 18 mph. That’s a recipe for a washing machine. It’s too big and blown out for a good paddle, and honestly, this setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing.

Sunday the 2nd of August is still big and messy, with a 10ft NW swell, but the wind drops a little. Still, it’s too big for this break, according to the forecast.

The standout: Monday the 3rd of August. The afternoon is where it’s at. The wind drops to almost nothing – glassy conditions from the west. The swell is a solid 10ft from the NW, but the energy is massive (3108). That’s a lot of power. The problem is, the forecast says it’s too big for this break. So, unless you’re a real expert, this is a look-don’t-touch situation. The morning of the 3rd is smaller at 8ft, with lighter winds.

Tuesday the 4th of August is interesting. The morning has a 8ft NW swell with offshore winds from the WSW – that’s clean. The afternoon has glassy conditions and a 7ft NW swell. That’s a really good combo. The energy is moderate (1087 and 837), but the clean conditions are a major positive.

The rest of the week into the second week is a mixed bag. There are a few afternoons with glassy conditions, like Thursday the 6th, with a 7ft NW swell. But the consistency is only “fairly consistent,” and the crowds can show up sometimes. The swell direction from the NW is a good match for the break’s preferred WSW direction, so it’s a decent setup.

For the second week, things settle down. The swell drops back to 5ft to 8ft, mostly from the NW. The wind stays light, often offshore or glassy, which is good. The energy is moderate. There’s nothing huge, but it’s a more consistent, cleaner run of small-to-medium surf. The standout in the second week is a toss-up between Tuesday afternoon the 11th and Wednesday morning the 12th, but the swell is dropping. The 12th has a tiny 2ft swell from the SSW with a very long period of 18 seconds. That’s a groundswell, but it’s small. It’ll be clean, though.

Overall, the best bet is the Monday afternoon the 3rd for the big, powerful swell (if you’re an expert), or Tuesday the 4th for the clean, manageable waves. The second week is a steady, quiet run of fun, clean conditions.

Rusty.

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