
Surf Forecasts:
Willow Creek surf forecast from 13 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Tuesday 15 Sep, 2AM (local time) - 8ft (2.4m), 9s period, NW swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Monday 14 Sep, 11PM (local time) - 8ft (2.5m), 8s period, NW swell with 943 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Sunday 13 Sep, 5AM (local time) - 5.5ft (1.7m), 7s period with NW swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Willow Creek this week:
The surf forecast for Willow Creek over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Sunday (Sep 13) at 5AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.7m and 7s period with a secondary swell of 0.9m and 6s. Another secondary swell of 0.6m and 14s is also forecast. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Willow Creek in the next 16 days are 2.5m 8s and forecast to arrive on Monday (Sep 14) at 11PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives.
| Wave Type | Time (PDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 5AM (Sun 13th Sep) | 5.5ft (1.7m) 7s |
| Best Surf | 2AM (Tue 15th Sep) | 8ft (2.4m) 9s |
| Most Powerful | 11PM (Mon 14th Sep) | 8ft (2.5m) 8s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Willow Creek over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, grab a coffee and let's get into it, folks. Rusty here with the full rundown on Willow Creek. We're looking at a stretch that's gonna have you playing the waiting game, but there's some real promise tucked away at the tail end.
The overall pattern is pretty quiet for the next week, with a lot of small, jumbly swell and messy cross-shore winds. It’s not a total write-off, but you’ll be scratching for anything rideable. We get a bump in size from the 20th, but the wind stays ugly. The real standout action doesn’t fire until late in the forecast period, starting around the 24th of September, where conditions finally come together for some proper sessions.
Willow Creek is your only break on the menu here. It’s a consistent reef break that’s good for beginners when it’s small, but when the size picks up, it gets more serious. The water temp is about average for this time of year.
Week 1 (13th – 20th September):
The early days are a grind. Sunday the 13th is a write-off with 15-18 mph cross-shore winds and junky, poor surf. Monday and Tuesday the 14th and 15th are marginal at best. You’ve got a 6ft NW swell on Monday, but the cross-wind just kills it. Tuesday morning has the most energy, with a combined swell energy of 1016, a 6ft NW swell, but the wind is cross-onshore. Not great. Wednesday the 16th has a brief window of onshore wind but only 4ft swell. For the rest of this week, it’s a lot of 2ft to 3ft SSW swell with long periods (15-19 seconds) and cross-shore winds. That long period stuff at a beach-reef setup will be lining up straight and tricky. The combined energy stays moderate, in the 400-800 range. This is not the time.
Week 2 (21st – 28th September):
Things start to look up. The morning of Tuesday the 22nd is a real highlight. We’ve got glassy conditions – that’s a major positive – with a light W wind, a clean 3ft SW swell, and a combined energy of 569. It’s small, but it will be clean and fun. A nice, quiet session. The crowds here are “sometimes”, so you might have it to yourself.
Then we get another excellent window. Thursday the 24th afternoon is absolute magic. The wind goes glassy again, with a 4ft NW swell (period 11 seconds) and combined energy of 500. Expect very good surf. This is the best call of the forecast. Clean, playful waves.
The final standout is Sunday the 27th of September afternoon. A clean, cross-offshore wind from the NNW meets a 7ft WNW swell. That’s a powerful, clean wave, and with a combined energy of 583, it’s got some punch. For experienced surfers, this will be the session of the trip. It’s pushing into the 6ft range, so it’s one for the guys who know what they’re doing, but the conditions will be spotless.
So, to wrap it up: the first ten days are mostly a no-go. Circle the 22nd for a glassy, small-wave morning, and lock in the 24th afternoon and the 27th afternoon as your absolute best bets. The 27th is the biggest and cleanest swell, but the 24th is the most user-friendly.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 20°C on Sun morning, min 17°C on Sat night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the NW on Sun afternoon, calm by Tue morning). | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Very mild (max 19°C on Fri morning, min 14°C on Wed morning). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||
Sunday 13 | Monday 14 | Tuesday 15 | Wednesday 16 | Thursday 17 | Friday 18 | ||||||||||||||
Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | |
Swell Height Map | |||||||||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NW 7 | SSW 13 | WNW 7 | NW 7 | NW 9 | WNW 9 | NW 9 | NW 9 | WNW 9 | WNW 8 | NW 9 | SSW 17 | WNW 9 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | SW 19 | SW 19 | NW 6 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||
321 | 120 | 431 | 408 | 471 | 475 | 885 | 586 | 217 | 134 | 194 | 267 | 146 | 288 | 176 | 167 | 236 | 236 | 219 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | cross | cross | cross-off | cross | cross | cross-off | cross-on | cross | cross | on | cross | glassy | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross-off |
High Tide | 00:04AM1.79m | 12:10PM2.01m | 00:57AM1.63m | 12:41PM1.99m | 1:57AM1.49m | 1:14PM1.94m | 3:13AM1.38m | 1:52PM1.87m | 5:02AM1.33m | 2:41PM1.81m | 7:15AM1.37m | 3:48PM1.76m | |||||||
Low Tide | 5:55AM0.71m | 6:47PM0.52m | 6:24AM0.88m | 7:38PM0.53m | 6:53AM1.04m | 8:35PM0.56m | 7:22AM1.18m | 9:41PM0.60m | 7:53AM1.28m | 10:57PM0.61m | 8:57AM1.36m | 00:09AM0.59m | |||||||
— | 6:46 | — | — | 6:47 | — | — | 6:48 | — | — | 6:48 | — | — | 6:48 | — | — | 6:50 | — | — | |
— | — | 7:15 | — | — | 7:14 | — | — | 7:13 | — | — | 7:12 | — | — | 7:09 | — | — | 7:08 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 18 | 20 | 20 | 18 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 19 | 18 | 16 | 17 | 17 | 16 | 18 | 18 | 17 | 19 | 19 | 18 |
Feels °C | 16 | 16 | 15 | 14 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 15 | 17 | 17 | 16 | 17 | 17 | 16 | 17 | 17 | 16 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NW 6 | SSW 13 | SW 13 | WNW 7 | WNW 9 | SW 18 | WNW 9 | WNW 9 | WNW 9 | WNW 8 | NW 9 | WNW 9 | WNW 9 | NW 8 | SSW 15 | WNW 8 | SSW 14 | SW 19 | WNW 6 |
85 | 120 | 87 | 154 | 267 | 108 | 426 | 280 | 217 | 134 | 194 | 157 | 119 | 70 | 176 | 73 | 165 | 236 | 60 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 14 | NW 10 | SW 19 | SW 13 | SW 18 | SW 13 | SW 17 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SSW 17 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | S 12 | SSW 15 | SW 19 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 |
158 | 26 | 58 | 85 | 108 | 41 | 107 | 127 | 88 | 87 | 122 | 267 | 146 | 288 | 44 | 167 | 236 | 108 | 101 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NW 11 | WSW 11 | WSW 11 | SW 19 | SW 13 | S 9 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SSW 21 | SSW 19 | SSW 18 | WNW 12 | NW 11 | SW 21 | SW 21 | S 11 | S 11 | S 10 | SW 19 |
30 | 24 | 12 | 92 | 44 | 2 | 23 | 23 | 85 | 74 | 108 | 14 | 64 | 117 | 117 | 58 | 35 | 16 | 183 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NW 7 | NW 6 | WNW 7 | NW 7 | NW 9 | WNW 9 | NW 9 | NW 9 | — | — | — | — | — | NW 8 | WNW 8 | NW 8 | WNW 4 | WNW 5 | NW 6 |
321 | 85 | 431 | 408 | 471 | 475 | 885 | 586 | — | — | — | — | — | 160 | 105 | 167 | 15 | 95 | 219 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 74 | 126 | 0 | 121 | 121 | 0 | 43 | 127 | 3 | 271 | 126 | 0 | 186 | 126 | 35 | 190 | 126 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Monterey | |||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United States | |||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the Willow Creek Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Willow Creek provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Willow Creek can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Willow Creek surf forecast is unique since it includes wave energy (power) that defines the real feel of the surf rather than just the height or the period. If you surf the same spot (Willow Creek) regularly then make a mental note of the wave energy from the surf forecast table each time you go. Very soon you may start to choose your surf days based on the wave energy alone combined with our forecast of favourable offshore wind conditions. Our star ratings will help here and of course you will also find the usual wave height and period predictions on our surf forecasts as well as a full break down of the swell components under our advanced users option (to reveal that, click the little Einstein character under the tide times).
Further information to help with frequently asked questions about our surf forecast for Willow Creek may be found under the help tab on the top menu and also by moving your mouse over the question marks on the surf forecast table itself. Please always bear in mind that the forecast is for near-shore open water and local factors at each surf break influence the actual breaking wave height, such as the beach / reef profile, water depths offshore and shelter.
Willow Creek is 60 km (37 miles) from Soledad. If you plan a vacation in Monterey, look for hotels and other accommodation in Soledad. Soledad has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.










