Harbor Entrance at Eureka Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Alright, let’s be straight with it—this 16-day stretch for the Harbor Entrance at Eureka is a real tough nut to crack. We’ve got a solid run of mediocre to poor conditions ahead, with only a couple of very specific windows that might just make it worth paddling out. Don’t expect much for the first week and a bit; it’s a long wait for the good stuff.

The water temp is sitting at 57°, which is pretty much bang average for this time of year, so no surprises there.

The first few days are a write-off. From Saturday the 29th of August through to the end of the month, it’s a mess. Saturday morning has a tiny 2 ft SW swell with a light onshore breeze, and the wave energy is weak at only 200. It’s a no-go. Sunday the 30th sees the swell bump up to 6 ft and 7 ft from the NW, but it’s all cross-on wind, making it choppy and ugly. Monday the 31st and Tuesday the 1st of September are marginal at best—small, short-period stuff with light cross-shore winds that won't clean it up. The energy is moderate (326 max), but the quality just isn’t there.

Then we hit a real head-scratcher. On Wednesday the 2nd of September, the swell drops to tiny 2 ft and 2 ft from the SW, but with a long period of 16-18 seconds. The wind is a fresh 12-19 mph cross-shore, making it lumpy and hopeless for a paddle. The energy is moderate at 255, but with that much wind and such small waves, this setup looks way more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing.

Thursday the 3rd of September is where it gets interesting. There’s a standout morning session. The swell is small, only 3 ft from the SW, but it’s a groundswell with a very long 18-second period. The wind goes glassy—dead calm, 0 mph from the NE. The combined energy is strong at 941, so there’s plenty of push for that size. This is the best on offer for the whole run. The break itself is a beach/harbormouth, and with that long period, it might be a bit tricky and straight, but the glassy conditions will make it pristine. The crowd factor is “sometimes,” so you might have company. For experts, this is a golden window. The afternoon though, the wind swings onshore and chops it up.

After that, it’s back to the grind. Friday the 4th through to Tuesday the 8th of September is all cross-on winds and mediocre 2 ft to 5 ft NW swell. The energy is moderate (max 456), but the surf quality is poor, with light ripples and chop. Not worth the effort.

Now, mark your calendars for Wednesday the 9th of September. We’ve got another stand-out possibility. The swell jumps to 7 ft from the NW with a solid 12-second period, and the wind is light and onshore in the morning. The combined energy is very strong at 1491. That’s a proper swell. With that size, it is only for advanced to expert surfers. The afternoon sees it drop to 7 ft, still with a very long 12-second period, and light cross-on wind. It’s still marginal, but for the experienced crew, those bigger sets could be well-shaped. The energy remains very high at 1182.

Thursday the 10th of September is another promising day. The swell is 5 ft from the NW with an 11-second period, and the wind is light onshore. Energy is very strong at 1018. It’s marginal, but the power is there.

The following week winds down. From Friday the 11th through to Sunday the 13th of September, the swell gets smaller (3 ft to 3 ft) and shifts to the SW with long periods (13-16 seconds). The energy stays in the strong range (334 to 811), but the wind is mostly cross-on or onshore with light breezes. The last session on Sunday the 13th of September afternoon has a tiny 2 ft SW swell with a long 13-second period and glassy conditions. The energy is moderate at 218. That’s clean but tiny.

Honestly, the only two true standouts are the glassy Thursday morning of the 3rd of September and the bigger, powerful swell on Wednesday the 9th of September. Everything else is a bit of a slog.

Rusty.

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