Redwood Creek Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s on the cards for this stretch of coast.

To be straight with you, the first two weeks are a bit of a write-off. The swell is there, sure, but the wind and the way it’s hitting the bank means it’s mostly messy, choppy, or just plain poor quality. There are a lot of days where you’re looking at cross-onshore winds and crumbly, weak lines that just aren’t worth paddling out for. The combined energy of all swells directed here bounces between 242 and 1446, so there’s power in the water at times, but it’s just not coming together.

The only real standout I can see is a sneaky little window around Saturday the 18th and Sunday the 19th of July, which is more than a week away, so treat this as a promising but uncertain call.

Redwood Creek (river)

Right now, on the morning of Wednesday the 8th, we’ve got a 0.7m southwest swell with a very long 18-second period. That’s a proper groundswell, but it’s small, and the water’s sitting at 54° – about half a degree cooler than normal for this time of year, so nothing unusual. The wind is light offshore from the northwest, so it *could* be glassy, but the overall surf conditions are rated as poor, so don’t get your hopes up.

The next few days are a blur of choppy, cross-onshore slop. There’s a jump in size on Thursday the 9th (1.9m to 2.3m in the afternoon) with a short period of 7-8 seconds, meaning weak, bumpy windswell. Not your friend.

The first real glimmer of hope comes on Saturday the 18th. The morning starts with a 2.1m northwest swell (9-second period) and light cross-on wind from the west – still marginal. But then Saturday afternoon arrives and it’s pure magic: glassy conditions, a clean 2.2m northwest swell, same 9-second period, and the combined swell energy is strong at 1271. The report says excellent surf conditions for experienced surfers, and that’s because at over 2.5m it’s getting big, so this is only for the crew who know what they’re doing. This is the best window of the entire outlook. The swell direction is northwest, which matches the optimum direction for this break.

Sunday the 19th morning is still very good – glassy again, a slightly smaller 1.8m northwest swell with a combined energy of 870. That’s solid and clean, but the afternoon turns a bit more cross-onshore and drops off. Monday morning the 20th also offers a glassy start with a 1.5m northwest swell – a good smaller option for those who aren’t after the bigger stuff. That’s your window: the weekend into Monday. After that, the wind shifts and the quality fades again.

A few things to know about Redwood Creek: it’s a river break, it rarely breaks, and it’s for advanced surfers only. Crowds are often a factor here, especially when the conditions are this good, so expect company. The period on the main standouts is 9 seconds – that’s a moderate period, so the waves will have some shape but won’t be as drawn-out as a long-period groundswell. It’s not quite a point break or reef setup, so it should still peel alright for a river wave.

So to sum it up: save your energy. It’s a two-week wait for a few days of quality. That Saturday the 18th afternoon is the one to circle on the calendar. Glassy, solid, and powerful – that’s as good as it gets around here.

Rusty.

Read more