Redwood Creek Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright crew, Rusty here. Let’s get into what Redwood Creek is serving up.

To be honest, it’s going to be a slow start. The first few days are a bit of a mess with onshore wind and short-period swell. We’re looking at a string of marginal to poor conditions until we get towards the end of July.

Sunday the 19th kicks off with a 5ft NW swell, but the wind is blowing on it at 6 mph, so it’s not clean. The wave energy is moderate (694) with a short 8-second period. With onshore wind, you’re better off staying home. The water temp is about average for this time of year.

Monday the 20th morning is a bit better. The same 5ft NW swell drops to 5ft by the afternoon, and we get a light cross-offshore breeze. The energy is still moderate (650) and the wave comment says “expect very good surf conditions”, but with that 8-second period, it’s going to be fat and a bit weak. Still, Monday morning is your best early bet.

Then from Tuesday the 21st, it all falls apart. Swell sizes drop to 2ft to 3ft, with a long period but from the SW, and the wind stays cross-onshore. Energy drops right down (as low as 265). This is flat spell territory. There’s a big gap here with no real standouts until later.

The standout is from July 27th onwards. Monday the 27th afternoon sees a jump to 7ft NW swell, but the wind is cross-onshore at 9 mph, and the wave state is choppy. Not ideal. The energy is strong (1080), but it’s just not clean. This trend continues: solid NW swell pumping in, from 7ft to 10ft, but the wind is almost always cross-onshore from the NNW at 6-12 mph. Wave energy gets very strong, hitting 1838 on July 30th and 1633 on July 31st. The problem is the short 8-second period. This is a windswell, not a groundswell. With that size and short period, it’s going to be a bumpy, messy beast.

For experts only – once the swell gets over 8ft, which it does from July 30th afternoon through to the end, this is serious. July 31st afternoon has 10ft NW swell. That’s big. But the wind is still cross-onshore, so it will be a choppy, power-heavy challenge. If you’re a very good surfer with a big board, you might get some, but it won’t be pretty.

The very end of the run on August 2nd and 3rd keeps the size (7ft to 10ft), but the wind picks up to a moderate breeze, making the surface even worse.

At Redwood Creek, it’s an exposed river break, which means it’s rarely breaking anyway, and crowds can be an issue sometimes. For this forecast period, the setup really looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing, especially when the wind is up and the swell is big and short-period. It’s going to be a lot of chop and whitewater.

So the bottom line: there isn’t a single true standout day with glassy, perfect waves. Monday morning July 20th is your best crack at something clean but small. Everything else is either too small, too windy, or too big and raggedy. Keep an eye on the forecast – it tends not to stay this poor for long, but right now, it’s a bit of a write-off.

Rusty.

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