Chadbourne Gulch Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what Chadbourne Gulch has up its sleeve over the next couple of weeks.

Straight up, the story for Chadbourne Gulch for the first week and a half is a bit of a flat spell with only small, marginal waves on offer. We’re looking at a lot of days where the surf is under 3 ft, and the energy is mostly weak, sitting under 1000 (934). The water temp anomaly is about average for the time of year, so nothing wild there. The set-up here is a beginner-friendly spot, exposed to the swell, and the optimum direction is from the WSW, so we want that. The first real standout comes later, so you’ll have to be patient.

From Saturday the 18th through to the end of the first week, it’s all small stuff. Mornings and afternoons are seeing knee-to-waist high waves (2 ft to 3 ft) with mostly offshore or light winds, which is nice for cleanliness, but the size just isn't there. The period is long (14 to 18 seconds), so it’s proper groundswell, but there’s not enough push behind it. The combined energy is in the range of 300 to 960 (weak). Tuesday afternoon the 21st sees a *glassy* window with clean 2 ft SSW swell, and the score says *very good surf conditions*, which for a beginner spot could be a fun little session if you’re just getting wet.

The first week of the second half starts to show some life. On Friday the 24th, the swell bumps up. The morning still shows a tiny 2 ft, but by the afternoon we see 3 ft from the SW with a massive 24-second period and the energy jumps to 1624 (strong). That’s a very long period groundswell, and at a beach setup it might break a bit straight, but the light WNW wind keeps it clean. Saturday the 25th keeps the same energy levels (1734-1871) with 3 ft to 4 ft SW swell, but the wind is cross-on, so it’s a bit bumpy.

Now, the true standout lies at the very end of the forecast period. Mark your calendars for the afternoon of Friday, 31st July. This is the one. We’ve got 8 ft swell from the NW, but the key here is the period has dropped to 8 seconds, so it’s short-period wind swell. The wind is glassy, and the score says *excellent surf conditions for experienced surfers*. The energy is strong at 1200 (moderate). At 8 ft, this is expert-only territory, and the short period at a beach break means it’s going to wall up and dump. If you’ve got the skills, this could be the best session of the month. Saturday the 1st of August keeps similar size (7 ft to 8 ft) from the NW but with cross-on winds, so the Friday afternoon is the clear winner.

There’s a long gap of quiet, small days through most of the first week and early second week. The run-up to that end-of-July swell is a bit of a wait, but when that NW pulse hits, it’ll be worth it for the crew who can handle it. Crowds are sometimes an issue here, so you might have company on that Friday, but when it’s that clean and that chunky, it’s hard to complain.

Stay tuned, check the charts, and I’ll see you out there.

Rusty

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