Salmon Creek Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G'day, it’s Rusty here.

Honestly, the next couple of weeks are looking pretty grim for Salmon Creek. We’ve got a long stretch of onshore slop and poor conditions that’ll have you checking your board for dust. There are a few brief windows of clean surf, but they’re short-lived and nothing to get too fired up about.

The weekend starts off weak. Saturday morning has a bit of swell, around 2ft, coming from the SSW with a long 18-second period, but the wind is cross-onshore and the energy is just moderate (411). It’s a marginal call at best, and the water temp is 58°F, which is pretty much average for this time of year. Saturday afternoon goes downhill fast with onshore wind and zero score.

Sunday brings a pulse of northwest windswell, picking up to 6ft on the morning, but it’s got a short 10-second period and the wind is on it. By the afternoon it’s 7ft but the period drops to 8 seconds, and with 20 km/h onshore wind, it’s just messy and poor. This is a write-off.

Monday and Tuesday are more of the same – 5ft of WNW swell, but the wind is cross-onshore, keeping things lumpy. The energy is moderate (around 547-610), but the quality is just not there.

Now, here’s the one standout in this entire run. Wednesday morning, the 12th of August, is the only time I’d genuinely consider paddling out. We’ve got 5ft of WNW swell, a light S cross-offshore wind, and the report says it’ll be clean. The energy is moderate (506), and while it’s not huge, it’s the cleanest we’ll see. This is the pick of the fortnight, and it’s a decent option for a few fun ones, especially for those who know the break.

Thursday the 13th has some clean morning conditions with a cross-off breeze, but the swell drops to 4ft and the energy fades. Friday sees the swell bottom out to 2ft with a long 15-second period, but there’s just not enough size.

From the 15th of August onwards, it’s a long, sad grind. The wind goes onshore or cross-onshore, and while there’s sometimes swell in the water, the conditions are persistently poor. The 19th of August has a stronger pulse of WNW swell, hitting 7ft in the afternoon with 12-second period, but the 20 km/h onshore wind makes it a complete mess. That’s not surf for paddling; that’s a day for the kiteboarders if anything. After that, it just remains poor all the way through to the end of the period. A few waves on the 23rd might have some size, but the wind is on it again.

So, bottom line: if you want clean waves, circle Wednesday the 12th. It’s the only real opportunity. Everything else is a battle against the wind, or just too small to matter.

Rusty.

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