Gold Beach/South Park/Hunter Creek Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s be straight with you: the next couple of weeks are going to test your patience. The swell window is open, but the wind gods are not on our side for the most part. We’ve got waves coming, but a lot of it is going to be chopped up and messy. You’re gonna have to pick your moments.

We start off with a real whimper. Wednesday the 26th through the weekend is basically a write-off. We’re looking at tiny, weak surf around 2ft to 2ft with a long-period SW groundswell, but the onshore breeze just kills it. It’s cross-on and choppy, and the energy is weak (275-558). Not worth getting wet for, unless you just want to sit on your board and float. The water temp at Gold Beach/South Park/Hunter Creek is sitting at 58°F, which is about average for this time of year, so no surprises there.

The start of next week, Monday the 31st and Tuesday the 1st, sees the size stay small, but the wind lightens up a touch. Still, it’s cross-on and the surf is marginal. Tuesday afternoon brings a bump in size to 4ft but the period drops to a junky 9 seconds, and the energy picks up to a moderate 643. It’s still not clean, though.

Then we get a little window on Wednesday the 2nd. The afternoon goes glassy! The wind drops to nothing, and we have 3ft of WNW groundswell. It’s small, but it’ll be the cleanest surf we’ve seen all week. Not a standout, but a chance to get a few clean little ones.

After that, the ocean wakes up. Thursday the 3rd sees the swell jump to 5ft in the morning, building to 7ft by the afternoon. The period is a better 11 seconds, and the energy is strong (790-1313). This is real surf, but the wind is back on it. The cross-on breeze will have it pretty lumpy and challenging. This is getting into the size where beginners should sit it out, and the chop will make it tricky for everyone. Friday the 4th stays in that 5ft to 5ft range, but the wind is still up and the period drops, so it’s not going to be pretty.

The weekend of the 5th and 6th settles down a bit, back to 2ft to 3ft, with a longer period SW swell (15-16 seconds). The wind is lighter, but still cross-on. It’s marginal, but there might be a couple of fun ones if you’re not picky.

Now, here’s the one to circle on your calendar. Monday the 7th of September might be our best bet. It’s still small in the morning (2ft), but the wind goes light and offshore from the WSW. That’s the clean stuff. The afternoon sees a pulse of NW windswell, 5ft, but the period is a short 7 seconds, so it’ll be a bit crumbly. The morning is your window.

The second week is more of the same story. Tuesday the 8th is small and junky, Wednesday the 9th sees a jump to 6ft-6ft but with a fresh 30 km/h cross-on breeze, making it a total mess. That looks more like a kite-surfing day than a surfing day, to be honest. And Thursday the 10th is back to a similar story, with a 5ft pulse but short period and strong onshores.

So, there you have it. The standout moment is the glassy afternoon on Wednesday the 2nd for a clean, small-wave session. The other highlight is the morning of Monday the 7th, with a light offshore wind and some clean lines. The bigger swells are there, but they’re all getting hammered by the wind. For this stretch, you gotta be patient and pick your window.

This is Rusty, signing off. Keep an eye on the forecast, and don’t be afraid to wait for the good one.

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