Chadbourne Gulch Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Hey crew, Rusty here. Looking at the next couple weeks, it’s a slow start but there’s some real juice waiting for us at the end of the month if you can hang on.

The spot we’re watching is Chadbourne Gulch. It’s a beginner-friendly, fairly consistent spot that catches the swell. Water temp is about 55°F right now, which is a bit colder than average for this time of year.

Saturday 15th August starts us off with a 3ft SSW groundswell with a very long 16-second period. Wave energy is moderate (575), but a cross-on wind is messing things up, making for choppy, ripply conditions. Not a great start.

Sunday 16th is similar. The morning looks best with a light offshore wind from the west at 3 mph on a 4ft SSW swell. That offshore breeze will keep the surface clean. Afternoon sees the wind turn cross-on again.

Monday 17th and Tuesday 18th are tiny, with swell around 3ft. But Tuesday afternoon is a highlight. The wind goes glassy on a 3ft SSW swell with a long 16-second period and decent energy (620). For a few hours, it’ll be clean and the long-period sets will have some push. That’s the best the first week has to offer, but it’s still small.

A shift happens Wednesday 19th. A short-period NW windswell arrives, pushing to 7ft but with a weak 7-second period. Energy jumps (958), but the cross-on wind and awful period make for a bumpy, lumpy mess. No good here.

From there, we hit a dry spell in quality until Wednesday 26th August. That’s a full six days of marginal, mostly small waves with light cross-on breezes. Saturday 22nd and Sunday 23rd have some NW size again, but the period stays under 8 seconds, keeping it junky.

Now for the real standout. The end of the month is where it’s at.

Thursday 27th August is the big red flag. A strong NW swell builds to 12ft with a 9-second period, and the combined energy is massive at 1997. The wind is a light cross-on. This is heavy, powerful, and dangerous. The report says the swell is predicted to be too big for the break. This is strictly for experts only.

Friday 28th August is the pick of the entire forecast if you’ve got the skill. The NW swell holds at 12ft with a 9-second period, and energy peaks at a whopping 2442. The wind remains a light cross-on. This is raw, powerful ocean energy. For the experienced surfers, it’s going to be a grunty, heavy day. Don’t even think about it if you’re not ready.

Saturday 29th drops to 7ft from the NW, but still packs a punch (1273 energy). The morning is cross-on, but the afternoon turns offshore. That could clean things up for a solid, powerful session.

Sunday 30th finishes off with a still-chunky 6ft NW swell and a 9-second period, but energy drops to around 900. The morning is cross-on, but the afternoon goes offshore again.

So the story is clear: a long quiet spell followed by a serious pulse of NW swell in the last few days. This is more of a paddle surfer’s setup than a kiter’s, but only for the brave.

Rusty.

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