Willow Creek Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Let’s run through what’s happening at Willow Creek.

The first real chance to paddle out is Friday morning, the 28th of August. We’ve got a clean 3ft SSW groundswell with a very long 18-second period, light cross-off wind from the NNW at about 9 mph. The water temperature is 60°, which is a bit cooler than average for this time of year – about a degree and a half off, nothing wild. The combined energy is 677 (moderate), and the wave comment is “expect very good surf conditions.” That Friday morning is the standout session. Willow Creek is a reef break, consistent, and best on a west swell – this SSW direction works well. Crowds are possible sometimes, so get in early.

Friday afternoon the wind goes cross and the surf turns marginal. Saturday and Sunday the 29th and 30th of August see the swell bump to 4ft, but stronger cross winds around 12 to 16 mph create a cross-chop. Combined energy hits 1014 and 1128 – strong – but the wind ruins the shape for a reef.

From Monday the 31st through the first week of September, swell drops below 3ft, period shortens, and wind stays cross or cross-on. Energy numbers fall to low hundreds – weak. Most days are listed as “marginal” or “poor.” A few light-wind mornings could be worth a look, but nothing special.

Thursday the 3rd of September has a 3ft south swell, 12-second period, light cross wind in the morning – still marginal. Friday the 4th of September morning brings a 3ft SSW swell at 17 seconds, light cross-on wind, energy at 1033 (strong), but again described as marginal.

The second week is hit and miss. Saturday the 5th to Monday the 7th of September holds waist-high SSW swell around 3ft, 15-second periods, and light cross winds each morning. Energy sits between 552 and 830 – moderate to strong – but the quality never locks in. After that, swell fades to 2ft to 3ft with more moderate cross-chop. Wednesday the 9th of September afternoon sees a 6ft WNW windswell with a 6-second period and 12 mph cross wind – more for kite-surfing than paddle-surfing. The rest of the outlook up to the 12th shows small, poor leftovers.

So: the clear winner is Friday morning the 28th of August. After that, it’s a lot of marginal and poor conditions with a few flickers of hope. It doesn’t usually stay bad forever around here, so keep an eye on the forecasts.

Rusty.

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