Salmon Creek Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, this is Rusty, and I’ve got a long look ahead for Salmon Creek. Let’s be straight with you – it’s a tough stretch for most of the next two weeks, but there’s a light at the end of the tunnel if you’ve got the patience.

We’re looking at a solid run of onshore wind and pretty average surf conditions right through the end of July and into the first few days of August. The swell is rolling in, but that persistent WNW wind is blowing straight onto the beach, making a mess of things. The water here is running at 58°F, which is pretty much normal for this time of year, nothing to write home about.

For the first week, from Friday the 24th of July all the way through to Monday the 3rd of August, it’s a real grind. The swell height bounces between 2ft and 4ft, with that long-period SW groundswell (24 seconds to 16 seconds) giving it some energy – you’ll see combined energy values around 732 to 1529, so there’s definitely power in the water. But that power is wasted with the wind howling onshore. The swell stays mostly small, but on Wednesday the 29th of July afternoon, we get a spike to 10ft from the WNW with a short period of 7 seconds – that’s a messy, choppy wall of whitewater. Way too big for beginners, and honestly, with that wind, it’s only going to be a washing machine. The following days see similar pulse: 7ft to 10ft, but always with an onshore wind. The setup here is a beach break, so with that much swell and strong wind, it’s starting to look more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing.

There’s a real gap of poor conditions until we finally get a break in the weather. The morning of Wednesday the 5th of August is where things start to turn. We’ve got a 5ft NW swell, period holding at 10 seconds, and the wind swings cleanly offshore from the south at 9 mph. That’s the kind of light, clean breeze that turns a beach break into something worth getting out of bed for. The combined energy drops to a moderate 477, but the quality makes up for it. This is the standout of the whole forecast.

Thursday the 6th of August morning is the absolute pick. The swell is still 5ft from the NW, 10-second period, and the wind is a light offshore from the south at 6 mph. They’re calling it “very good surf conditions” with a score of 3, and the waves will be clean, glassy, and rideable. The energy is moderate at 511, but it’s the cleanest we’ll see.

After that, the wind starts to shift back onshore by Thursday afternoon and into Friday, and the swell fades quickly. By Saturday the 8th of August, we’re back to 3ft to 3ft junk with onshore wind. So, the window is tight: Wednesday the 5th and Thursday the 6th of August are your best bets. The sets will be longer with that 10-second period, so paddling out won’t be a fight, and the waves will have shape. Just keep an eye on the crowds – Salmon Creek can get busy sometimes, especially when it’s clean.

Rusty.

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