Willow Creek Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what Willow Creek is shaping up to be.

The outlook starts with a fair bit of nothing, so don’t be in a rush. The first couple of days, Monday 17th August and Tuesday 18th August, are poor to marginal at best. The swell is small, around 3ft to 3ft, coming from the SSW with a very long period of 15 to 16 seconds. That’s proper groundswell, and at a reef break like Willow Creek, that long period can actually help the shape, but the cross-shore wind (NW at 9–12 mph) is putting a cross-chop on it. Not worth paddling out.

Wednesday 19th and Thursday 20th August are similar—small SSW swell (3ft to 3ft), that same long period (14–16s), and still cross-shore winds. Some marginal windows could pop up, but the quality’s just not there.

The end of the first week, Friday 21st August, sees a shift. The swell jumps to 4ft in the morning and 6ft in the afternoon, but it’s from the WNW with a short period of only 7 seconds. That’s windswell, not groundswell. The wind is still cross-shore, and the surf conditions are poor. Saturday 22nd August drops off to 3ft and then 2ft with a switch back to SSW groundswell, but again, marginal.

There’s a bit of a gap here. From Sunday 23rd August through to the end of the month, the swell is inconsistent—bouncing between 2ft and 4ft, mostly from the S or SW with long periods (14–20s). The wind stays cross-shore. Nothing to get excited about.

Now, hang on. The end of the forecast window is where it gets interesting. On Sunday 30th August, the morning shows 4ft of SSW swell with a 16-second period, and the combined energy jumps to 1022—that’s strong energy. The wind is cross-shore from the WNW at 9 mph, but that’s a solid groundswell with real punch. Then Monday 31st August has a standout afternoon session: the wind goes glassy (0 mph from the WSW), and the swell hits 8ft from the WNW. The period is short, only 7 seconds, so it’s windswell, but with 987 combined energy and glassy conditions, the forecast says “expect very good surf conditions.” That’s the one to mark on your calendar. That 8ft is solid, so it’s more for intermediate to experienced surfers.

Tuesday 1st September has a fading 6ft NW swell with an 8-second period, offshores in the morning (SSW at 3 mph), so there’s a chance of clean waves.

Water temp is around 64°F, running a touch warmer than normal for this time of year.

Best call? Monday 31st August afternoon at Willow Creek. That glass-off with 8ft swell from the WNW is the standout. The direction isn’t the optimum W, but it’s close enough, and when the wind goes zero, that reef will be working clean. Second pick is Sunday 30th August morning for the strong SSW groundswell (4ft, 16s, 1022 energy), though the cross-shore wind will keep it from being perfect.

Stay on it,

Rusty.

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