Salt Creek Beach Park Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here, looking at the 16-day window for our little slice of the coast. It’s not going to be a classic run, but there are a couple of moments worth paddling out for.

The outlook starts on Tuesday the 21st of July with a pretty messy scene at Salt Creek Beach Park. We've got a reasonable 4ft SSW groundswell rolling in with a 16-second period, pushing the combined energy to 758 – that’s moderate wave energy (758). The problem is the wind. That cross-onshore breeze is going to chop things up, making for a fairly frustrating time. The water temp is about average for the time of year, nothing out of the ordinary. This is a beach and reef setup, so that long-period energy can be a bit tricky, but the wind is the real killer here.

Wednesday the 22nd doesn't get any better. The swell drops slightly and the wind picks up, making conditions choppier. We're looking at a couple of days of "poor surf conditions" through Wednesday afternoon. The swell does build a touch on Thursday the 23rd morning with a 4ft S swell, and the wind goes a bit lighter and more onshore, but the overall picture is still marginal. Friday the 24th and Saturday the 25th see the size drop off, with periods hitting 24 seconds on Friday morning – that’s very long-period groundswell. It’s only 2ft though, and the energy is high at 831 (moderate wave energy) for such a small wave, but the cross-onshore wind keeps it from being clean. Overall, these days are a washout for quality surfing.

The best chance of a decent wave in this whole run looks to be on Friday, the 31st of July. We see a jump in size to a 6ft S swell on the morning, growing to a solid 7ft S swell in the afternoon. The combined energy for the afternoon is huge at 1894 (strong wave energy). Now, 7ft is getting into expert territory, especially at a beach break where that strong energy with a 15-second period can close out. The wind is cross-onshore though, which is a real shame, meaning it’ll be choppy. It’s a powerful swell, but you’ll need to be on your game and it won't be polished. The morning of the 31st is a better bet with slightly smaller size and lighter onshore wind, still a big clean-up set could come through.

Following that, Saturday the 1st of August drops back to 5ft, and by Sunday the 2nd the swell is all but gone, fading into a flat, poor run of tiny, weak waves for the first week of August. From the 2nd of August onwards, it’s a bleak picture with very little energy and poor conditions.

So, if you’re looking for a paddle, keep your eye on the 31st of July. It’s the only day with any real power, but don't expect perfection. Everything else is pretty poor.

- Rusty

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