Redwood Creek Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, I’m lookin’ at the same charts, but in feet and miles. It’s Rusty, and I gotta tell you, Redwood Creek is a river mouth that barely ever works, and this 16-day forecast is a real heartbreaker.

The whole window is a bust. The first shot at anything surfable is Thursday morning, July 30th, but it’s a tough sell. The only real daylight is on the 30th.

Thursday July 30th is your one and only chance to get a little wet. Morning has some clouds and a light breeze from the NW, which is an onshore wind. That’s a killer. The swell is a tiny 3ft from the SW, but the period is a long 16 seconds. That groundswell energy is moderate (458), but with that wind, it’s gonna be choppy. The water is a touch warmer than usual at 58°, which is a plus, but the conditions are poor. The afternoon clears up, but the wind switches to a cross-onshore NNW at 9 mph, keeping it messy. It’s a 2ft SW swell. Bottom line: it’s not good.

Friday August 1st gives a small glimmer in the morning. Swell is 3ft from the NW but with a short period of 9 seconds. The wind is light from the WNW, onshore, making it small and weak. The afternoon is cross-onshore. It’s marginal.

From Saturday August 2nd onward, the size comes up, but so does the ugliness. The swell builds through the weekend, hitting 7ft on Sunday morning and 10ft by Sunday afternoon. That’s expert territory, especially with a short period of 7-8 seconds. The wind is a constant cross-onshore, making it a choppy, lumpy mess. The combined energy gets strong, hitting 1285 on Sunday afternoon, but it’s all wind-affected junk. For a spot that needs a clean W swell, this NW windswell with onshore winds is a total loss. This setup looks way more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing.

The pattern holds all the way into the second week. Every day from August 4th to August 14th is a mix of cross-onshore winds and marginal surf. The swell runs from 5ft to 10ft, but the period is short, mostly 7-10 seconds, and the wind never truly cooperates. There are a few mornings with light onshore winds, like on August 6th, 7th, and 9th, but the conditions are still marginal. The energy is strong (over 1000 on some days like August 5th and 6th), but the quality isn’t there.

The only real standout, if you can even call it that, is Thursday August 8th. The morning shows an 8ft NW swell with a 10-second period and a light cross-onshore breeze. The energy is very strong (1296). It’s still cross-onshore, so it’s not perfect, but it’s the cleanest the bigger swell gets in the whole 16 days. The afternoon gets ruined by a stronger cross-onshore wind.

Saturday August 10th and Monday August 12th offer a change of pace with a SW swell and a very long period of 18 seconds, but it’s only 2ft. That’s barely breaking.

Bottom line: Redwood Creek rarely breaks, and when it does, the winds are all wrong. For a river mouth that needs a clean W swell and offshore winds, this forecast is a total dud. There are no good options. Don’t bother. The breaks are inconsistent, and the conditions are poor. It’s a blank run for the area.

Rusty.

Read more