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

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's have a look at what's on the cards for the Gold Beach region.

To be honest, looking at the whole 16-day window, it's a bit of a struggle. We've got swell on the way, but the wind is going to be a constant problem, keeping things messy. The water is running much colder than normal for this time of year, clocking in at 52°F, which is a solid 5°F below average. That’s a big anomaly, so you’ll want a good thick wetsuit if you’re heading out.

We start off on Thursday, 23rd July, with some small swell of 2ft from the SW, but it's a light cross-onshore breeze making it bumpy. The combined energy is weak (343). It’s a real marginal call, nothing to get excited about.

Friday the 24th sees a spike in energy, with the combined energy hitting 454 in the morning and 774 in the afternoon, but the swell is still tiny (1ft to 2ft) and the wind is still cross-onshore. The period is a very long 24 to 26 seconds, which is a groundswell, but with such small height and onshore wind, it’s just not going to shape up.

The best chance for a wave in the first week looks like Saturday, 25th July. We’ve got the biggest swell so far at 3ft from the SW, with a combined energy of 941. The wind is a light cross-shore, so it won't be clean, but it's the least messy option. The period is a solid 21 seconds, so there’s some proper groundswell energy in the water. It’s still a marginal session, but it’s the closest thing to a goer we’ve got.

Sunday the 26th has a similar swell size (4ft), with a combined energy of 1070, but it’s a light cross-onshore, so it’s not quite offshore. The period drops to 19 seconds.

From Monday, 27th July, through to the end of the month, the wind really picks up from the NNW, getting into the 12 to 19 mph range. The swell holds around 3ft, but the wave quality is consistently poor. It’s choppy and lumpy, and not really worth paddling out for.

There’s a gap of poor conditions all the way through the first week of August. The swell does start to build again, with heights reaching 5ft to 6ft by the 4th and 6th of August, but the wind is just a mess. On the 2nd and 3rd, we’ve got strong breezes of 19 to 28 mph creating a lumpy cross-chop. The period is short, around 7 to 8 seconds, so it’s just windswell. The combined energy is moderate (up to 628), but it’s blown out. This setup is honestly looking more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing, especially with the bigger swell and strong cross-shore winds.

The only real standout, if you can call it that, is still the Saturday before last. Nothing else in the 16-day window offers a clean enough window to make it a top pick. The forecast is reliable for the near term, and it’s just not looking good.

Rusty, signing off.

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