Salmon Creek Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's have a look at what Salmon Creek has got cooking for us over the next couple of weeks. It's a bit of a slow start, and honestly, for a spot that's very consistent, we're in a bit of a flat spell to kick things off, so don't get your hopes up for the first few days.

We're looking at Saturday the 18th of July through to the end of the month. Early on, the swell is tiny, mostly around 2ft to 3ft with some decent period, but the winds are a mess. Saturday afternoon is a write-off with onshore wind, and Sunday's not much better. The combined swell energy is moderate in the 600-700 range, but it's not making up for the wind.

Now, Monday the 20th of July is where we need to focus. Morning time we've got glassy conditions, wind from the southwest at just 3 mph. The swell is still a small 2ft from the southwest, but with that glassy surface, it's going to be as clean as it gets around here. It's an advanced break, so you'll need to know what you're doing, but for a few of you who can read a line, it'll be worth the paddle. The water temp is about average for this time of year, no major anomaly to report. The combined energy is moderate at 456, but the quality of the wave from that clean face will be the real story.

The rest of that week is a bit of a grind. We get a little bump in swell around Wednesday the 22nd, with a 4ft swell from the SSW, but it's a short-period 10-second affair (combined energy 417), and the winds are side-shore. Not great. Thursday and Friday are downright poor, with strong onshore winds making a mess of things. Friday the 24th sees the swell jump up with a 3ft swell from the southwest carrying a very long 24-second period. That's a big energy jump to 938 and even 1146, but with Westerly winds over 12 mph, the surface will be blown out. That kind of long-period groundswell would be a dream here if the wind was right, but it's not.

Heading into the second week, the pattern is a bit clearer but still not friendly. From Saturday the 25th of July onward, the swell energy gets serious, hitting three and four-digit numbers (1536, 1355, 1627, and even 2124 by Tuesday the 28th). The swell heights climb to 4ft and 5ft. But here's the kicker: the wind is consistently onshore from the WNW at 9 to 16 mph. For an exposed spot like Salmon Creek that needs an offshore ESE wind, this is a tough run. The periods are long, 17 to 21 seconds, which is great for a reef or point, but at a beach break it can be a bit too straight. With those conditions, this setup starts looking more like a kite surfer's playground than a good day for a paddle surfer.

There's a slight reprieve on the 29th of July with a light cross-onshore breeze and a 4ft swell from the SW (16 seconds, combined energy 1164), but it's still only marginal. Then on the 31st of July, the swell picks up again with a 8ft, 8-second NW swell (combined energy 1091), but that's a short, fat, onshore mess. A note for the brave: on Saturday the 1st of August, the forecast has a 10ft swell, but the file explicitly says it's too big for the break, so that's a hard pass. Stick to the small, clean window on Monday the 20th if you want the best of what's on offer.

Stay safe out there.
Rusty

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