
Surf Forecasts:
Redwood Creek surf forecast from 12 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Monday 14 Sep, 2AM (local time) - 5ft (1.6m), 9s period, NW swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Tuesday 15 Sep, 8PM (local time) - 8ft (2.5m), 8s period, NW swell with 865 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Saturday 12 Sep, 8PM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.7m), 14s period with SW swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Redwood Creek this week:
The surf forecast for Redwood Creek over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Saturday (Sep 12) at 8PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.7m and 14s period with a secondary swell of 0.9m and 10s. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Redwood Creek in the next 16 days are 2.5m 8s and forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Sep 15) at 8PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.4m 2s period and expected on Sunday (Sep 13) at 5AM.
| Wave Type | Time (PDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 8PM (Sat 12th Sep) | 2.5ft (0.7m) 14s |
| Best Surf | 2AM (Mon 14th Sep) | 5ft (1.6m) 9s |
| Most Powerful | 8PM (Tue 15th Sep) | 8ft (2.5m) 8s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Redwood Creek over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Gather ‘round, folks, it’s Rusty here. We’ve got the Redwood Creek forecast on the table, and I’ll be straight with you – this ain’t a great run for the next couple of weeks. Redwood Creek is a river break, and it's a fickle beast that rarely breaks, so we’re not expecting a classic period. The water's at 59°, which feels a touch warmer than normal for this time of year.
Alright, let's start with this Saturday the 12th. There’s some swell moving in from the SW, 2ft at 15 seconds, but the energy is weak and the wind is just cross-onshore. It’s going to be messy and pretty poor. Not worth paddling out.
Sunday the 13th sees a jump in size to 5ft from the WNW, period dropping to 9 seconds, with wind staying cross-onshore and choppy. It’s still marginal at best. That trend continues into Monday the 14th with 5ft to 7ft from the NW, but the period is short (7-8 seconds) and the wind is up to 12 mph cross-onshore. Honestly, it’s a mess.
We hit the first real shimmer of hope on Wednesday the 16th. Wednesday afternoon the wind goes glassy for a bit, and we get 6ft from the NW at 8 seconds. The energy is moderate. For this spot, that’s a rare clean window, but it's short-lived.
After that, it’s a whole lot of nothing. The days from the 17th through the 22nd are filled with small, weak swell and mostly cross-onshore winds. We’re looking at a real blank run.
Now, for the standout you’ve been waiting for. Mark your calendars for Wednesday the 23rd of September. Redwood Creek will have a solid 4ft swell from the WNW with a period of 12 seconds – that’s a nice groundswell. The real kicker is the wind goes glassy calm in the afternoon. The combined energy is moderate. The break is exposed to the west, and the optimum swell is W, so this WNW direction is close. This is your best bet. It’s clean, glassy, and has long-period energy. It’s a river break, so it's inconsistent, but when it lines up like this, it could be a beauty.
The next day, Thursday the 24th, keeps that glassy theme in the morning with a 3ft WNW swell at 11 seconds and a touch of clouds. Good conditions, but smaller.
Then on Saturday the 26th, we’re back to glassy conditions in the afternoon with a 5ft NW swell at 10 seconds. Energy is moderate. Another clean window, but the week-long gap of poor conditions before it is a bummer.
Overall, there are only a couple of real moments here. Wednesday the 23rd afternoon and Saturday the 26th afternoon are the only times I’d say swing by. The rest of the period is light for this fickle spot.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Very mild (max 19°C on Mon morning, min 12°C on Sat night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 22°C on Thu morning, min 13°C on Tue night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Saturday 12 | Sunday 13 | Monday 14 | Tuesday 15 | Wednesday 16 | Thursday 17 | Friday 18 | |||||||||||||||
AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | |
Swell Height Map | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 15 | NW 10 | NW 10 | WNW 9 | WNW 9 | NW 9 | NW 8 | NW 7 | NW 8 | NW 8 | NW 8 | NW 8 | NW 8 | NW 8 | NW 8 | NW 8 | NW 8 | NW 8 | SW 19 | SW 19 | SW 19 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
209 | 203 | 216 | 346 | 389 | 371 | 275 | 485 | 424 | 393 | 794 | 435 | 403 | 361 | 324 | 233 | 216 | 171 | 184 | 184 | 184 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | on | cross-on | cross-off | on | cross-on | cross-off | cross-on | cross-on | glassy | cross-on | cross-on | glassy | on | glassy | glassy | cross-on | cross | glassy | cross-on | glassy | glassy |
High Tide | 1:04PM2.66m | 1:29AM2.44m | 1:35PM2.67m | 2:18AM2.28m | 2:07PM2.63m | 3:10AM2.13m | 2:40PM2.55m | 4:07AM1.98m | 3:16PM2.46m | 5:15AM1.87m | 3:59PM2.36m | 6:43AM1.81m | 4:53PM2.27m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 7:21PM0.59m | 7:24AM0.81m | 8:06PM0.55m | 7:57AM1.01m | 8:51PM0.56m | 8:31AM1.20m | 9:38PM0.61m | 9:06AM1.38m | 10:32PM0.70m | 9:45AM1.52m | 11:35PM0.77m | 10:38AM1.63m | 00:46AM0.80m | ||||||||
6:52 | — | — | 6:54 | — | — | 6:54 | — | — | 6:56 | — | — | 6:56 | — | — | 6:58 | — | — | 6:58 | — | — | |
— | 7:30 | — | — | 7:29 | — | — | 7:27 | — | — | 7:25 | — | — | 7:23 | — | — | 7:22 | — | — | 7:20 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 16 | 17 | 15 | 17 | 17 | 13 | 19 | 18 | 13 | 19 | 18 | 14 | 20 | 20 | 17 | 22 | 21 | 18 | 20 | 19 | 14 |
Feels °C | 15 | 15 | 13 | 15 | 15 | 11 | 16 | 15 | 11 | 17 | 15 | 13 | 19 | 19 | 17 | 21 | 20 | 17 | 19 | 19 | 15 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NW 9 | NW 10 | NW 10 | WNW 9 | WNW 9 | NW 9 | NW 8 | SW 13 | NW 8 | NW 8 | SW 16 | NW 8 | NW 8 | NW 8 | NW 8 | NW 8 | NW 8 | NW 8 | NW 8 | NW 8 | NW 8 |
114 | 192 | 216 | 346 | 389 | 371 | 275 | 61 | 424 | 393 | 64 | 435 | 403 | 361 | 324 | 233 | 216 | 171 | 156 | 138 | 118 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 17 | WSW 17 | SW 17 | WNW 12 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | WNW 11 | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | SW 19 | SW 19 | SW 19 |
209 | 203 | 162 | 147 | 113 | 85 | 85 | 75 | 117 | 75 | 31 | 62 | 64 | 63 | 23 | 65 | 56 | 38 | 184 | 184 | 184 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WNW 11 | WSW 13 | WSW 12 | WSW 20 | WSW 19 | SW 19 | SW 18 | WNW 15 | SW 12 | WNW 13 | SW 12 | WNW 12 | WNW 12 | WNW 11 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 13 |
103 | 35 | 14 | 38 | 36 | 92 | 78 | 42 | 23 | 59 | 23 | 28 | 27 | 24 | 50 | 52 | 54 | 54 | 74 | 73 | 28 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | SSE 2 | — | — | — | — | NW 7 | — | — | NW 8 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
— | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | 485 | — | — | 794 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 29 | 27 | 4 | 514 | 515 | 4 | 376 | 514 | 4 | 304 | 142 | 4 | 55 | 4 | 4 | 202 | 15 | 4 | 57 | 4 | 4 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Humboldt County | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United States | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the Redwood Creek Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Redwood Creek provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Redwood Creek can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Redwood Creek surf forecast is unique since it includes wave energy (power) that defines the real feel of the surf rather than just the height or the period. If you surf the same spot (Redwood Creek) regularly then make a mental note of the wave energy from the surf forecast table each time you go. Very soon you may start to choose your surf days based on the wave energy alone combined with our forecast of favourable offshore wind conditions. Our star ratings will help here and of course you will also find the usual wave height and period predictions on our surf forecasts as well as a full break down of the swell components under our advanced users option (to reveal that, click the little Einstein character under the tide times).
Further information to help with frequently asked questions about our surf forecast for Redwood Creek may be found under the help tab on the top menu and also by moving your mouse over the question marks on the surf forecast table itself. Please always bear in mind that the forecast is for near-shore open water and local factors at each surf break influence the actual breaking wave height, such as the beach / reef profile, water depths offshore and shelter.
Redwood Creek is 38 km (24 miles) from McKinleyville. If you plan a vacation in Humboldt County, look for hotels and other accommodation in McKinleyville. McKinleyville has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.










