Willow Creek Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Let’s be straight with you—this stretch at Willow Creek is a real mixed bag, and for the first week or so, it’s pretty disappointing. We’ve got a solid run of cross-shore winds that are just chewing up the surface, making for a lumpy, messy lineup. The water is a bloody cold 55°, which is a whopping 5° colder than usual for this time of year—so you’ll be wanting a thick hood and gloves if you’re even thinking about paddling out.

The first real hope comes on Thursday, July 30th. The morning sees a light breeze, dropping to just 6 mph from the NW, with a 4 ft swell from the SSW at a long 16 seconds. It’s not perfect, but the combined energy is moderate (830), and the lighter wind means the surface will be way less messy than the days before. It’s still a cross-shore, so not glassy, but it’s the first window where you might actually get a few reasonable ones at Willow Creek.

Then, we get a dry spell. From Saturday, August 1st, through to Monday, August 3rd, the surf is tiny and weak, with combined energy dropping as low as 182. It’s a real flat patch. But hold on—Monday afternoon, August 3rd, things change. The wind swings to a glassy 3 mph from the W, and the swell pushes up to 5 ft from the WNW, but with a short period of 6 seconds. The combined energy is moderate (401), and the glassy conditions mean the surface will be clean. It’s a short-period swell, so the waves will be a bit fat and crumbly, but for a beginner-friendly reef like Willow Creek, that’s actually workable. This is the best on offer for the whole run.

Tuesday, August 4th, is also worth a look. The afternoon goes glassy again with a 5 ft, 10-second WNW swell, and the combined energy is moderate (528). The wind is a light 3 mph from the S, making it clean. The long period (10 seconds) means better-shaped waves, and for a reef break, that’s a good thing. However, it’s a cross-on wind, so not perfect, but still a solid option.

After that, the swell slowly fades and the wind turns more cross-onshore, taking the shine off. By Friday, August 7th, we’re back to small, weak surf with combined energy dropping to 230. This is a spot that’s got a few windows of fun, but the crowds are sometimes there, so you might have company. The bottom line: if you’re stuck for a wave, Monday afternoon and Tuesday afternoon are your best bets. Everything else is a struggle.

Rusty.

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