Redwood Creek Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's talk about the only game in town for this forecast: Redwood Creek. This spot is a river mouth setup, and it’s a fickle one—it rarely breaks, so when it does, you’ve gotta be on it. It’s exposed to the west, but the optimum swell direction is from the west. That’s a key detail. The water temp is sitting around 58°, which is about average for this time of year, so nothing wild there.

We’re looking at a pretty quiet start. The first solid recommendation isn’t until Saturday the 22nd of August. Saturday morning looks like the best bet of the early period. You’ve got a clean 2ft swell coming from the WNW with a long period of 10 seconds. The wind is glassy from the WNW at just 3 mph, so it’ll be clean. The combined energy is moderate at 173. It’s surfable but nothing to write home about. Saturday afternoon gets a cross-on wind, so it’ll be messy.

Sunday the 23rd is a write-off. The swell bumps up to 3ft and then 6ft, but that short period of 7 seconds and a cross-on breeze will make it choppy and poor. Not worth the paddle.

We then hit a long stretch of marginal to poor conditions. From Monday the 24th all the way through to Monday the 31st of August, it’s mostly small 2ft to 2ft swell with long periods (16-18 seconds) and cross-onshore winds. The combined energy is moderate, but the conditions just aren't there. There are a few moments of offshore wind, but they’re rare and the swell is tiny. This is a real lull.

Now, looking ahead, there’s a glimmer of hope for the start of September. Tuesday the 1st of September has a clean morning with a 4ft swell from the WNW, a 12-second period, and light offshore wind from the west at 3 mph. That’s a solid combination. The combined energy is strong at 490. It’s marginal according to the data, but that’s a clean 4ft on a rare-breaking river mouth. That could be the best session of the whole run.

The biggest swell of the forecast shows up later in the first week of September. Friday the 4th of September afternoon sees an 8ft NW swell with a very short 7-second period. That’s a lot of water moving, but the period is too short to be quality. The combined energy is very strong at 1111. That is going to be a powerful, choppy, and likely closed-out mess. It’s for experts only, and honestly, with that short period and cross-on wind, it looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing.

Saturday the 5th of September is the real standout for size, but not for quality. A 10ft NW swell with a 9-second period and offshore wind from the NW at 6 mph. The combined energy is extreme at 2251. This is a massive, powerful swell. It’s going to be huge and unruly. Only the most experienced surfers should even consider it, and even then, the quality is questionable. The same goes for Sunday the 6th of September with a 8ft NW swell and a longer 11-second period. The energy is still very strong at 1398.

So, to wrap it up: the only real window for a decent, clean wave is Saturday the 22nd of August morning for small, clean conditions, and then maybe Tuesday the 1st of September morning for a slightly bigger, clean swell. The big stuff at the end of the first week of September is for experts only and is likely to be a washing machine. For everyone else, it’s a waiting game.

Rusty.

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