Chadbourne Gulch Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s talk about what’s on offer around Chadbourne Gulch. Don’t get too excited too fast, because the next week and a half is a bit of a mixed bag of small, wonky surf. The water is sitting at 59° right now, which is about average for the time of year.

We kick things off on Saturday, August 29. There’s some swell in the water, but the wind is a bit of a letdown. The morning has a 4ft SSW swell with a very long 18-second period, carrying a ton of energy, but the wind is cross-on and it’s making things choppy. The afternoon gets worse with stronger wind. It’s a marginal call at best.

Sunday, August 30 looks a touch better. The morning is the pick of the early days. The swell drops a little to 4ft from the SSW, but the wind turns onshore from the WNW at a light 6 mph, and there’s still decent energy. It’s not world-class, but it’s the most surfable session we’ve got. The afternoon is similar, just a bit smaller.

From Monday, September 1 through to the middle of the week, the swell fades. We’re looking at waist-high dribble at best, with energy dropping off. The wind is light and variable, but the waves are just too small to get excited about. Wednesday afternoon, September 2, the wind goes glassy, but the swell is only 2ft – good for a log, but nothing to race down for.

Now, here’s where it gets interesting. Thursday, September 3, the morning glass-off. The wind is dead calm, and we’ve got a 3ft swell from the SW with a very long 19-second period. That energy is solid. It’s clean, glassy, and that long period means the waves will have some shape on the Gulch’s exposed setup. This is the sleeper session of the early run. The afternoon gets ruined by a cross-on wind shift, so hit the morning.

The rest of the first week is a write-off – wind and chop messing up the 3ft to 6ft swells.

Fast forward to Wednesday, September 9. This is your standout. The afternoon session is the real deal. We’ve got a 6ft swell from the NW, period of 12 seconds, and it’s dead glassy. The energy is pumping. This is a proper wave for experienced surfers – anything over 5ft can be a handful out there, and that NW swell direction is a good match for the break. This is the best wave of the whole forecast.

Thursday, September 10 also has a glassy morning with a 3ft, 17-second SSW groundswell. It’s clean, long lines, perfect for a longboard or a fish. The afternoon turns a bit bumpy, but the morning is a gem.

The last week of the forecast fades back into smaller, inconsistent surf, with one last mention of a 6ft, very short-period (6 seconds) swell on Sunday, September 13. That short period is a bit of a mess, but it’s glassy, so if you’re desperate for a push, you might find a few lumpy ones.

Overall, the best call is the Wednesday afternoon, September 9, for the experienced crew, and the Thursday morning, September 10, for a clean, long-period glass-off. The rest is mostly a waiting game.

Rusty.

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