Redwood Creek Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s take a good hard look at what’s on the table for Redwood Creek over the next couple of weeks. I gotta be straight with you – this stretch of river mouth is going to serve up some serious frustration before we see anything worth paddling out for.

First up, the overall picture. We’ve got a long, slow grind of small, weak, and often messy surf. The first week is dominated by short-period windswell that’s just not cooperating. The water temp is sitting at 57°, which is about average for the time of year – nothing weird going on there.

The real heartbreak is that the first several days are a write-off. You’re looking at a gap of nearly a week where the surf just isn’t worth your time. From Wednesday the 12th through to around Monday the 24th, we’re stuck in a pattern of small to middling swell with constant cross-onshore winds or onshore breezes that are just churning it up. The wave energy is weak to moderate, mostly sitting in the 300s to low 600s, but it’s all short-period, crumbly stuff. The swell direction is predominantly from the NW, which isn’t ideal for this spot – it wants a solid W swell to really line up.

Let’s break it down day by day.

Wednesday 12th August (afternoon): The first day shows 7ft of NW windswell with a short 7-second period and 9 km/h cross-onshore winds. This is a classic “leave it” scenario – choppy, poor surf conditions, and way too much wind for that size. The water’s about average temp.

Thursday 13th to Sunday 23rd August: This stretch is seriously grim. We bounce between 2ft and 7ft, but the wind is almost always cross-onshore or onshore. The wave energy fluctuates from a low of 148 (very weak) up to 646 (moderate), but the period rarely breaks 8 seconds. You’ll see a few morning windows with lighter onshore wind, but the forecast is constantly marked “marginal” or “poor.” There are one or two moments where the wind goes light and onshore, like Thursday morning the 20th, with a 3ft WNW swell and 11-second period, but the wave energy is still moderate (404) and the conditions are described as “light cross-onshore with small wind ripples.” It’s not a total zero, but it’s not the kind of thing you’d drive for.

The standout – the best we’ve got. Honestly, this isn’t a strong window, but if I had to pick one moment it would be Monday the 24th of August. On Monday morning, we get a 6ft NW swell with an 8-second period and a glassy onshore wind from the WNW at just 3 km/h. The wave energy is strong at 641, and the wind is described as “slight air” – basically dead calm. That morning is going to be the cleanest and most powerful of the whole run. The afternoon holds similar with a 6ft NW swell and light 6 km/h onshore wind. This is when Redwood Creek might actually show some shape if the tide plays ball. The water is still normal temp.

The second half of the run (from the 24th onward): After that Monday peak, the energy holds in the moderate to strong range (325 to 880 in the combined energy readings) with swells from NW at 5ft to 6ft and periods slowly climbing to 9 seconds by the 27th. Winds stay light and onshore, which is promising for clean conditions. The morning of Thursday the 27th looks decent: a 6ft NW swell, 9-second period, light onshore wind, and the combined energy is a robust 775. It’s marginal, but for this break, it’s as good as it gets.

The catch: Redwood Creek rarely breaks, and even when it does, it’s an advanced spot. The crowds here are “often” an issue, so on the few decent days, expect company. The swell direction is mostly NW, when this river mouth really wants a clean W groundswell to line up properly. The 5ft to 7ft range might be a bit much for beginners, but for the experienced crew, it could be worth a look on the 24th and 27th mornings.

The long-range promise: The end of the run (27th) shows a 6ft NW swell with a 9-second period and light onshore wind. That’s promising but still a week and a half out, so keep an eye on it.

If the wind stays up and the quality stays poor, this setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing. The beach-and-reef nature of the break doesn’t help when it’s choppy.

Rusty.

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