Redwood Creek Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, let’s talk about Redwood Creek. This is a river mouth wave, and it’s a fickle one – it rarely breaks, and when it does, it’s for the advanced crew only. Water temp is about normal for this time of year, nothing wild.

Starting off Friday the 17th of July, we’ve got some small swell around 3 ft coming from the WNW with a long 16-17 second period. That’s real groundswell, which for a river mouth can actually work, but the wind is either on it or cross-on, so the surface is gonna be a bit messy. The energy is moderate (587-700). Not much to get excited about.

Saturday the 18th is more of the same: small 3 ft WNW swell, long period, but wind stays on it. Energy picks up to 895 in the afternoon, but it’s still marginal. Sunday the 19th we get a bump in size to 6 ft, but the period drops to a short 8 seconds – that’s windswell, choppy and weak. Energy is moderate at 799-810, but with cross-on wind and that short period, it’s just lumpy. Monday the 20th is that same windswell, 5-5 ft, short period, onshore wind. No good.

Now, here’s the little window. Tuesday the 21st of July, the swell drops to just 2 ft, but it switches to SW with a long 16-second period. The wind goes glassy – dead calm. Massive positive. The energy is low (437-377), but for a river break with those conditions, you could find a clean little wave. It’s inconsistent and rare, but that Tuesday morning session is the best on offer. Crowds can be a problem here, but with waves that small, you might have it quiet.

Wednesday the 22nd and Thursday the 23rd stay tiny, 2 ft, with that same SW groundswell. Thursday morning has glassy wind again, but the swell is tiny. The rest of that week into the weekend (24th-27th July) is the same: small SW groundswell, 2 ft to 3 ft, with on or cross-on wind. Energy hits 1001 on the 26th, but the wind isn’t playing nice.

Then things change on the 29th of July, Wednesday afternoon. The swell jumps to 8 ft from the NW with a short 8-second period. That’s a lot of water, energy is strong at 1009. But the wind is a moderate cross-on at 15 mph, so it’ll be choppy. At that size, it’s experts only. This setup looks way better for kite surfing than paddling. It stays big and messy through the 31st and into the 1st of August, with waves up to 8 ft from the NW, moderate cross-on wind, and strong energy (1275). The period stays short, so it’s a lumpy, powerful windswell. Not for clean surfing.

So, the standout is Tuesday the 21st of July with that glassy morning and long-period SW swell. It’s tiny, but it’s your cleanest bet. After that, it’s either too small with onshore wind, or too big and choppy. Not a great run for Redwood Creek, but that’s how it goes for a break that rarely shows.

Rusty.

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