Willow Creek Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Righto, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s cooking for Willow Creek over the next couple of weeks. Straight up, this isn’t one for the glossy mags. The forecast is a long stretch of so-so conditions, with only a few moments where things might line up for a decent paddle. We’ve got a bit of a wait before anything really worth getting excited about shows up.

The first few days, from Saturday the 5th through to Wednesday morning the 9th, are pretty average. You’re looking at waist to chest-high swell from the SSW, mostly around the 3.3 ft to 4.3 ft mark, but the wind is cross or cross-on, putting a bit of a ruffle on the surface. The wave energy is moderate, sitting in the 500 to 1000 range, but the ride quality is just not there. It’s a bit of a grind, honestly.

The first real standout is Tuesday morning, the 8th. The wind goes glassy, absolute perfection. You’ve got a solid 4.6 ft swell rolling in from the south, with a 12-second period. That’s a decent groundswell, and with the glassy conditions, the surface will be like a mirror. The combined energy is a moderate 730, but the clean face will make up for it. This is the pick of the first week, hands down. Willow Creek is a reef break, so that longer-period swell should wrap in nicely. Keep in mind, though, the crowds can be an issue here, so get in early.

After that, things get messy again. From Wednesday afternoon the 9th through to the middle of the second week, it’s mostly cross-shore winds and small, weak swell. The combined energy dips down to the 200s and 300s, and the swell height drops to less than 3.3 ft. There’s a short, choppy window on Saturday the 12th where the swell bumps up to 5.9 ft, but it’s a 6-second wind swell with strong cross winds. That’s more of a kite-surfing setup than a paddle session.

Looking into the second week, the swell direction shifts to the WNW, and while there’s a few pulses of 5.9 ft to 6.9 ft, the period is short—around 6 to 7 seconds. That’s wind swell, not groundswell. The winds are mostly cross or cross-on, so it’s going to be lumpy. For instance, on Sunday the 13th, we see a 6.9 ft swell with a 7-second period and a light cross-onshore breeze. Not ideal for clean, rippable waves. The water is about average for the time of year, around 60.3°F.

The later part of the second week, from the 17th to the 20th, sees some bigger pulses again—up to 7.9 ft on Thursday the 17th afternoon—but it’s still that short-period wind swell. The energy ramps up to 818, which is strong, but with 12 mph cross winds, it’ll be a battle. Again, more interesting for a kite than a shortboard.

In summary, the standout is Tuesday morning the 8th with glassy conditions. If you can, be there. Otherwise, it’s a long wait for clean, quality surf. Forecasts can change, but right now, it’s a waiting game.

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