Chadbourne Gulch Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let's get into it. We're looking at Chadbourne Gulch for the next 16 days. Right off the bat, I gotta be straight with you – this forecast is a real mixed bag, and we're in for a long wait before anything gets exciting. There's a gap here of several days where it's just not worth paddling out.

The water temp is sitting around 59°, which is pretty much what you'd expect for this time of year, nothing unusual there.

For the first week, from the 8th to the 13th of September, it's mostly small stuff and iffy conditions. Tuesday the 8th has a tiny 3ft south swell, but the energy is weak at 467, and it's described as marginal. The winds are light and variable, but it's just not enough to get excited about. Wednesday and Thursday are more of the same – small south-west swells, periods are long which is nice, but the heights are tiny, topping out at 3ft. Friday the 11th gets a bit of a spike in the afternoon with a 7ft north-west swell, but the period is a short 8 seconds and the wind is a messy cross-onshore. That same energy jumps up to 1056, but the quality is poor, so it's a pass.

We hit a real dry spell from Saturday the 12th through to Monday the 14th. Saturday and Sunday are a write-off, with poor surf conditions and scores at zero. Monday afternoon the 14th actually throws a proper 10ft north-west swell at us, with combined energy roaring to 1305, but the report says it's predicted to be too big for this break. That's a shame, because the wind is only a light cross-onshore, but for a beginner-friendly spot like this, 10ft waves are just too much. The period is only 8 seconds too, making for a fat, dumpy wave. It would be a wild, expert-only day, but honestly, given the short period, the setup might be more interesting for kite surfing than for a regular paddle.

After that, the middle of the week from the 15th to the 17th is back to marginal, small swell and choppy winds. Nothing to write home about.

Now, here's where it gets a little interesting for the patient ones. We have two standouts, both towards the end of the period. Mark your calendars for Friday the 18th of September. In the afternoon, we get a glassy 2ft south-west swell with a very long period of 19 seconds. That's some proper groundswell, and combined with glassy conditions, the quality is expected to be very good. That's the best we're going to see for a while.

Then, a couple of days later, Sunday the 20th of September also looks promising. Again, afternoon glassy conditions with a 3ft south-west swell, also with a very long 19 second period. The combined energy is a solid 669. For a beginner-friendly break like this, those small, clean, long-period swells are perfect for a cruisy session.

As for the absolute best on offer, I'm picking that Friday the 18th afternoon session. It's the cleanest conditions (glassy) and a long-period swell that will produce proper, groomed lines. The Sunday the 20th is a close second. Remember though, this far out, it's promising but we always keep an eye on the forecasts.

Alright, I'm signing off. Stay stoked, and don't get too frustrated with the flat spells.
Rusty

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