Willow Creek Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Hey folks, Rusty here. Let's talk about the next couple of weeks at Willow Creek.

Overall, it's a pretty quiet and drawn-out period. We're looking at small, clean surf for the most part, but nothing that's going to get your heart pounding too hard. The real standout is going to be a little window of opportunity this coming Saturday morning.

Wednesday, September 2nd kicks things off with tiny 2 ft to 2 ft swell from the SSW. The wind is cross and cross-on, so it's not great. The water's a bit colder than normal for this time of year at 59 °F. We're dealing with weak wave energy here (264-357), and the forecast is calling it marginal. Thursday and Friday are similar, with the swell slowly building. By Friday morning, we're up to 3 ft from the SSW and the energy is ramping up to 1430, but the wind is still cross, so it's a bit of a mess.

Now, Saturday, September 5th is the one to circle. The wind is forecast to be glassy in the morning, with a light 3 mph breeze from the west. That's a major positive. We'll have a clean 4 ft swell from the SSW with a long 16-second period, giving it some real push. The wave energy is decent at 868. The forecast is saying "expect very good surf conditions." This is our top pick. It's a reef break, so with that long period, it should set up nicely. The crowds are listed as "sometimes," so you might have a few others out, but it should be manageable. The afternoon sees the wind swing cross and the quality drops off.

The rest of the week into the second week is a slow slide. Sunday through Tuesday (September 6th-8th) we see a slight bump in size, hitting 5 ft on Monday morning from the S, but the wind is always cross-shore, keeping it choppy. The energy is moderate to strong (up to 1203). The long period does mean consistent waves, but the cross-chop is a persistent issue.

From Wednesday, September 9th onward, the swell drops back down to under 3 ft for a few days, and then we get a weird shift. On Sunday, September 13th, the swell direction swings to the WNW with a very short 6-second period. The size jumps to 6 ft, but the energy is low and the period is terrible. This is a junky, windswell. It's not good for a surfboard. This setup looks more interesting for kite surfing or foil surfing than paddle surfing.

Monday, September 14th and Tuesday, September 15th see a bigger, but still short-period, swell from the WNW and NW. We're looking at 7 ft to 8 ft, but with a period of 7-9 seconds, it's going to be a lumpy, close-out mess. The energy is strong (1152 on Tuesday morning), but the quality is poor. This is expert-only territory if you're determined, but honestly, avoid it.

The final days from Wednesday, September 16th through to Thursday, September 17th fade back down to 5 ft and smaller, with the wind staying cross-shore. The last session on Thursday afternoon sees a spike in period to 21 seconds, but the swell is only 2 ft, so it's a tease.

So, to wrap it up: the best bet on the whole 16-day outlook is the glassy, clean window on Saturday morning, September 5th. Everything else is either choppy, shifty, or just too small and messy to get excited about.

Rusty.

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