Salmon Creek Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here, let’s get into it. Looks like Salmon Creek is the only game in town, so let’s see what it’s got for us over the next couple of weeks. We’re in for a bit of a patchy run, with some clean windows but also some slop to work through.

The opening of the period is a bit messy. Monday the 10th and Tuesday the 11th see a 5ft swell from the northwest, but the wind is cross and cross-onshore, so it’ll be a bit bumpy with wind ripples. The wave energy is moderate but the quality is just “marginal.” Not the best start, but it’s surfable for an advanced crew.

Things start to look up from Wednesday morning the 12th. The swell hangs around the 5ft mark from the WNW, and while the mornings are cross-shore with small ripples, the winds start to play ball. By Thursday the 13th, we’re seeing our first real standout. Thursday morning has 5ft of WNW swell and a light cross-offshore breeze from the SSE. That’s a clean setup, with moderate wave energy. This is the pick of the first week – nice and clean.

Then we get a drop in size. Friday the 14th morning is tiny at 2ft, but the wind is light and cross-offshore, so it’s glassy. The period jumps to 15 seconds, which is a long-period groundswell. That’s usually good for shape at points and reefs, but at a spot like Salmon Creek, that long period might make it a bit too straight for a beach break. It’s a clean wave, but small.

The weekend is the real highlight of the entire outlook. Saturday the 15th and Sunday the 16th mornings are where you want to be. We’ve got a solid 3ft of south-southwest swell, with a very long period of 17 seconds. The winds are light and cross-offshore, making for clean, glassy conditions. The wave energy is strong. These are the best windows. Expect clean, lined-up sets with that long-period energy. Crowds are “sometimes” here, so you might have a few out, but it won’t be a circus.

After Sunday, it fades. Monday the 17th drops off with smaller 3ft to 3ft swell and winds turning onshore. From Tuesday the 18th through to the end of the outlook on the 25th, it’s mostly small, messy, and onshore. We get a spike of energy on the 19th afternoon – a big 5ft WNW swell with strong energy – but the wind is howling onshore from the WNW at 15 mph. That’s a shallacked-out, blown-out mess. The rest of the second week is a long stretch of poor to marginal conditions, with tiny 1ft to 3ft swell and onshore winds. Not worth getting wet for.

Water temp is around 59°F, which is about average for the time of year.

So to sum it up: If you want a wave this week, your best bet is Thursday morning the 13th for a clean 5ft WNW swell. But the true standout, the one to really circle, is Saturday morning the 15th and Sunday morning the 16th. Clean, glassy conditions with a very long period 3ft south-southwest swell and strong energy. That’s the weekend you want to be at Salmon Creek.

Rusty.

Read more