Salmon Creek Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let's take a look at what Salmon Creek has been cooking up for us.

Honestly, folks, it’s a bit of a tough stretch ahead. We’ve got a long gap of pretty poor conditions to start. The first real chance for a wave doesn’t come until Tuesday morning, July 21st, and even then, it’s only just a glimmer.

The pattern for most of the coming days is a lot of onshore wind, mainly from the WNW, which is just going to wreck the surface. We see a few days of light cross-onshore breezes early on, but the swell is tiny, around 2 ft to 3 ft, and the wave energy is weak, registering in the hundreds, not even cracking the 1000 mark most of the time. The water temp is sitting at a fairly normal 55°, so nothing unusual there.

The best bet, and I mean the only real standout, looks like that Tuesday morning, July 21st. The swell bumps up just a touch to 4 ft from the SSW with a period of 13 seconds, giving the water a bit of life. The wave energy is moderate at 581. We’ve got light cross-onshore winds from the W, which at least won’t be howling. It’s still going to be a modest day, but compared to what follows, it’s the pick of the litter.

After that Tuesday, we enter a long, bleak stretch. From Wednesday the 22nd right through to the end of the month, it’s a misery of strong onshore winds, often fresh breezes from the WNW. The swell gets bigger, sure, but it’s all short-period windswell from the NW, and the wind is howling onshore. Late July sees some big swell, over 8 ft, but it’s coming straight onshore with a nasty wind. That kind of setup is really more interesting for the kite surfers than a paddle surfer, honestly.

We then roll into the first week of August. Sunday the 2nd brings a bit of a reprieve with a light cross-onshore breeze and a small 4 ft swell from the south, but the energy is only moderate at 720. It’s the closest we get to another decent look, but the onshore winds are back by the afternoon.

So, there you have it. If you want a wave, focus on that Tuesday morning, July 21st. The rest of the 16-day outlook is a waiting game. It tends not to stay this poor for long, and forecasts can change, but right now, it’s a time to wax the board and stare at some swell charts.

Rusty.

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