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

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s talk about what’s cooking for Gold Beach/South Park/Hunter Creek.

First thing you’ll notice is it’s a pretty quiet start. The swell is there, but the wind is just not playing ball. For the first few days, we’ve got a steady cross to cross-onshore breeze that’s making a mess of things. The wave energy is moderate, sitting around 518 to 742, but the conditions are just poor. You’re looking at a long wait.

The first real glimmer of hope comes on Tuesday, July 21st in the afternoon. The wind drops right out, going glassy, and the swell is a clean 2ft from the SW with a very long period of 15 seconds. The combined energy is still moderate at 334, but with that glassy surface, it’s going to be the cleanest you’ll see all week. The water temp is about average for the time of year. This is a window for the patient surfer looking for a smooth, long-rolling groundswell at the beach-and-reef setup.

Wednesday, July 22nd and Thursday, July 23rd keep the swell going, still at that 2ft to 4ft range, but it’s marginal. The wind is light, but it’s onshore or cross-onshore, so it’s not going to be as clean as that Tuesday afternoon window.

The standout in this entire 16-day window is actually that Tuesday afternoon, July 21st. The glassy conditions are the big sell. The swell is small but with a long period, so the waves will have shape and energy, but it’s not a big-power day. It’s a session for a longboard or a funboard.

After that, it’s a long, dusty run. From Friday, July 24th all the way through Sunday, August 2nd, the wind cranks up again. We’re looking at moderate to fresh breezes, sometimes even strong, from the NNW. The swell height bumps up a bit, hitting 5ft on the 31st, but the wind is cross or cross-on, keeping it choppy and lumpy. The combined energy jumps into the strong range, hitting over 1000 on several days, but it’s all wind-slop. For a beach-and-reef spot, this is more of a kite-surfing show than a paddle session. The period on that late swell is short (7 seconds), which means it’ll be weak and messy.

So, the bottom line: if you can get out on Tuesday afternoon, July 21st, you’ll get the best of a very quiet period. The rest of the 16 days is a write-off for clean, paddle-friendly surf. The wind just doesn’t cooperate.

Rusty.

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