Salmon Creek Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s take a look at what’s on the menu for the next couple of weeks at Salmon Creek. I gotta be straight with you, the start of this outlook is a bit of a rough patch. We’re looking at a long stretch of days where the wind is just relentless, blowing straight onshore from the WNW. From the 28th of July right through the first week of August, the swell is there, but it’s getting torn up. The energy is moderate to strong (1372 to 1797 combined energy), with a big 10 ft NW swell on the 29th afternoon and an 12 ft monster on the 1st of August, but with that 18-22 mph onshore wind, it’s just a blown-out mess. That’s not for paddle surfing; that’s kite-surfing territory if you’re into that. The water temp is sitting at 58°F which is pretty normal for this time of year, so no surprises there.

Things start to look a little more interesting around the 4th of August. We get a bit of a reprieve from the wind. On Tuesday morning, the 4th, the wind swings light from the south, giving us a clean, cross-off breeze. The swell is a modest 4 ft from the WNW, with a weak energy (334 combined energy), but it’s clean. The morning of the 8th of August is another one to circle on the calendar. That Saturday morning, the wind goes light and cross-off from the south again, giving us clean conditions. The swell is 4 ft from the NW, with moderate energy (406 combined energy). It’s not big, but it’s your best shot at a clean, surfable wave in the whole run.

The real standout, if you can wait, is the morning of the 9th of August, which is a Sunday. The swell bumps up a touch to 5 ft from the NW, with a period of 10 seconds and moderate energy (660 combined energy). We’ve got light cross-shore wind from the SW, keeping it clean. 5 ft of NW groundswell with light wind is about as good as it gets in this forecast. The waves should have decent shape, and the sets will be a bit more spaced out. Just keep in mind that Salmon Creek is a very consistent, exposed spot, and it can get crowded sometimes, especially when it’s one of the only good windows in a long stretch.

After that, the 10th and 11th see the onshore wind coming back, and the swell gets messy again. There’s a small window on the 12th of August with a long-period 2 ft SW swell, but the wind is on it again, so it’s not worth chasing. So, for the whole 16-day window, the best of the best is that Sunday morning, the 9th of August. It’s a solid, clean option. The 4th and the 8th mornings are your backup plans, but the 9th is the one you want to plan for.

Rusty.

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