Redwood Creek Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s talk about what’s happening at Redwood Creek. This is a river mouth set-up, and it’s a tricky one. It rarely breaks at all, and when it does, it’s for advanced crew only. The water’s sitting at 54°, which is pretty much average for this time of year, so no worries there.

The next 16 days are a bit of a mixed bag, and honestly, there’s a big gap of nothing good to start. The first real chance of a wave comes Thursday morning, July 9th, but it’s barely a whisper. We’ve got a 6ft NW swell, period around 8 seconds, and the combined energy is weak (645). The wind is onshore from the WNW at 6 mph, so it’s messy. The forecast says it’s marginal, and I’m not calling it a goer.

The whole first week is a write-off. Friday and Saturday are all cross-on winds and choppy conditions. The swell dies right down to 2ft on Friday afternoon, and the period jumps to 15 seconds, but with a SW direction that doesn’t suit this spot at all. The combined energy drops to 366 – it’s flat, basically. Sunday through Tuesday of the first week just keep that same story: small, messy, and not worth paddling out.

Then we hit a dry spell. From Wednesday, July 15th, through to Thursday, July 16th, the swell starts to build, but the wind is a constant cross-onshore mess. The 16th afternoon sees a 10ft NW swell with a 9-second period and combined energy of 1731 – that’s a lot of power, but it’s all blown out by a 12 mph N-NW wind. That’s big, dirty, and only for the hardcore experts who don’t mind a beating.

The real standout comes on Saturday, July 18th. This is the best window. The morning shows a 3ft WNW swell with a 16-second period, combined energy of 960, but the afternoon is where it’s at. The swell bumps up to 6ft from the NW, period short at 8 seconds, but the wind goes glassy. The combined energy hits 1021 – strong. It’s glassy, clean, and the forecast says “excellent surf conditions for experienced surfers.” This is your moment. The swell direction is NW, which matches the optimum swell direction for this break. It’s a rare, inconsistent spot, so this is a real treat. Expect crowds possible here because it’s a good window.

Sunday, July 19th, and Monday, July 20th keep the swell going (7ft to 8ft from the NW), but the wind is onshore or light, so it’s not as clean as Saturday. Monday afternoon turns glassy again with a 7ft NW swell – that’s another very good session, but the wave height is over 8ft, so it’s expert territory.

The second week fades out. Tuesday, July 21st, has a glassy morning with 5ft NW swell, but it’s smaller. By Wednesday, July 22nd, the swell drops to 2ft from the SW with a long 14-second period, and combined energy of just 216 – that’s a flat spell. Thursday, July 23rd, picks up again to 6ft NW, but the wind is onshore again. The very end of the forecast, Friday, July 24th, shows an 8ft NW swell with 9-second period, cross-on wind, and combined energy of 1173 – it’s big, but messy.

Bottom line: For the whole 16-day window, there’s a long gap of poor surf for the first week and a half. The only true standout is Saturday, July 18th afternoon, with glassy conditions and a solid 6ft NW swell. Don’t sleep on it. After that, it’s expert-only or flat.

Rusty.

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