
Surf Forecasts:
Willow Creek surf forecast from 1 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Friday 31 Jul, 11PM (local time) - 8ft (2.5m), 8s period, NW swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Sunday 2 Aug, 8AM (local time) - 8ft (2.5m), 9s period, NW swell with 993 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Friday 31 Jul, 11PM (local time) - 8ft (2.5m), 8s 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 Friday (Jul 31) at 11PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 2.5m and 8s period with a secondary swell of 1.7m and 7s. Another secondary swell of 0.9m and 13s 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 9s and forecast to arrive on Sunday (Aug 02) at 8AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.5m 10s period and expected on Saturday (Aug 01) at 11AM.
| Wave Type | Time (PDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 11PM (Fri 31st Jul) | 8ft (2.5m) 8s |
| Best Surf | 11PM (Fri 31st Jul) | 8ft (2.5m) 8s |
| Most Powerful | 8AM (Sun 2nd Aug) | 8ft (2.5m) 9s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Willow Creek over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, let’s get into it. The next 16 days are a mixed bag for us here at Willow Creek. There’s a bit of a slow start, but we got some solid looking windows further out if you’re patient. First thing you gotta know: the water is sitting at 56.1° right now, which is 4.5° colder than usual for this time of year. That’s a serious chill, make sure you’ve got the right rubber on.
The opening days are pretty marginal. Friday afternoon, the 31st, we’re looking at a clean 3.3ft of south swell, but it’s a short-period thing at 14 seconds and the cross-shore NW breeze is going to put a bit of chop on it. The energy is moderate at best, 694, and it’s just not coming together. Honestly, it’s a look-and-see kind of session.
Then we hit a bit of a lull. The first week of August is pretty quiet. There’s some swell Saturday morning, 4.3ft from the WNW, but the period drops right off to 7 seconds. That’s just messy, short-period windswell – not worth getting too excited about. We see similar stuff through Sunday and Monday with waves around 5.6ft but the period is still short, 7-9 seconds, so the quality just isn’t there. The wind is cross-shore all weekend, which isn't helping. It’s gonna feel like a lot of work for not much reward.
Tuesday the 4th is interesting though. The swell drops a bit to 4.3ft, but the morning has that magic word: glassy. Wind is almost nothing, and that clear sky should make for clean lines. It’s still only a 10-second period, so it’s not a world-beater, but it’s the best we’ve seen in days. It’s a small, clean day – ideal for the beginners out there. Later that afternoon, the breeze picks up and it gets a little lumpy again, so you want to be out early. The swell energy is pretty weak then, only 397.
Wednesday and Thursday stay on the small side, with waves around 3ft to 3.9ft. Nothing doing there, just a bunch of cross-shore wind and not enough power. You’ll be scratching for the odd one. Then we see a pulse filling in for the end of the week. Friday the 7th afternoon, the swell jumps to 6.2ft out of the NW. The period is up to 10 seconds, and the energy really kicks in – it jumps to a strong 1388. The wind is still cross, but stronger at 15 km/h, which will put a real texture on it. It’s getting more serious, but the conditions are holding it back a bit.
That brings us to the real standout window. The morning of Saturday the 8th has the same 6.2ft of NW swell, with the energy maxing out at 1406. It’s powerful. The wind is lighter, 10 km/h cross-onshore, so it’s still a bit lumpy but clean enough. Then Sunday morning the 9th is an absolute gem. Swell holds at 6.2ft from the NW, energy is at 1420, and the wind turns to a very light offshore (SSW) at only 5 km/h. That’s the kind of morning that makes it all worth it – the surface is going to be clean, the waves will have some push, and it’ll be a proper session. The period is a solid 10 seconds, so the lines should be well-formed. This is your best bet of the whole run. That afternoon it backs off a touch to 4.3ft but it turns glassy again, so still a great wave.
After that, things start to wind down again for the second week. There’s a few days of smaller, mediocre surf from the 10th to the 12th. The swell drops, the wind gets a bit onshore, and it’s just not a whole lot of fun. The periods are a bit longer but the energy is far weaker.
However, don't write off the second weekend. The 14th and 15th look promising, but it’s a long way off so treat it with cautious optimism. Thursday the 14th afternoon has a small 1.6ft swell, but it’s a long-period, 19-second groundswell from the SSW. The energy is moderate (535), but the wind is forecast to be glassy. It’ll be small, but glassy and clean. And the 15th looks even better on paper. Saturday morning you’ve got 3ft from the SSW with a 17-second period, glassy wind. The energy is up to 631. It’s going to be small, but those long-period lines with a clean surface are going to be proper little peelers. That could be a really fun morning for a small-wave board. The caveat with these long-period swells is they can tend to close out at a beach break, but this place has a reef, so it should handle it well. Like I said, keep an eye on it, but it’s got some potential.
So the biggest call is the morning of Sunday the 9th – get out there. It’s the biggest, cleanest, most powerful swell of the
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 24°C on Sat morning, min 18°C on Sun night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Very mild (max 19°C on Mon afternoon, min 15°C on Tue night). Wind will be generally light. | |||||||||||||||||||
Fri 31 | Saturday 1 | Sunday 2 | Monday 3 | Tuesday 4 | Wednesday 5 | Thursday 6 | ||||||||||||||
PM | 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) | S 14 | NW 7 | WNW 7 | WNW 7 | NW 8 | WNW 9 | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | WNW 9 | WNW 9 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 10 | WNW 9 | WNW 10 | WNW 10 |
Wave Graph | ||||||||||||||||||||
357 | 558 | 193 | 311 | 786 | 490 | 522 | 533 | 466 | 427 | 296 | 278 | 231 | 168 | 113 | 111 | 145 | 154 | 246 | 314 | |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross | cross-off | cross | cross | cross-off | cross | cross | cross-off | cross | cross-on | glassy | glassy | cross | cross | cross-on | cross | cross | cross-on | cross | cross |
High Tide | 11:51PM1.94m | 1:25PM1.70m | 00:32AM1.79m | 1:53PM1.77m | 1:21AM1.62m | 2:23PM1.83m | 2:23AM1.45m | 2:59PM1.90m | 3:49AM1.30m | 3:44PM1.97m | 5:45AM1.24m | 4:39PM2.04m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 6:01PM1.08m | 6:47AM0.40m | 6:50PM1.03m | 7:14AM0.53m | 7:46PM0.97m | 7:40AM0.67m | 8:50PM0.89m | 8:09AM0.83m | 10:04PM0.78m | 8:42AM0.97m | 11:24PM0.64m | 9:27AM1.11m | 00:38AM0.47m | |||||||
— | — | 6:13 | — | — | 6:13 | — | — | 6:13 | — | — | 6:15 | — | — | 6:16 | — | — | 6:16 | — | — | |
8:10 | — | — | 8:09 | — | — | 8:08 | — | — | 8:07 | — | — | 8:07 | — | — | 8:06 | — | — | 8:05 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 23 | 22 | 24 | 23 | 23 | 21 | 20 | 19 | 20 | 19 | 18 | 19 | 19 | 17 | 18 | 18 | 16 | 18 | 18 | 16 |
Feels °C | 21 | 19 | 21 | 21 | 20 | 19 | 18 | 18 | 20 | 18 | 18 | 19 | 19 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 15 | 17 | 17 | 15 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 14 | WNW 7 | S 13 | S 12 | WNW 8 | SSW 14 | SW 13 | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | WNW 9 | WNW 9 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 10 | WNW 9 | WNW 10 | WNW 10 |
357 | 180 | 121 | 150 | 339 | 76 | 46 | 533 | 466 | 427 | 296 | 278 | 231 | 168 | 113 | 111 | 145 | 154 | 246 | 314 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 15 | S 12 | S 10 | SW 14 | S 12 | SSW 13 | S 12 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 15 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 12 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SSW 18 |
54 | 240 | 53 | 97 | 146 | 55 | 48 | 68 | 67 | 42 | 37 | 82 | 57 | 99 | 71 | 72 | 37 | 61 | 84 | 124 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 21 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 19 | SW 14 | S 9 | SSW 9 | S 12 | S 12 | S 12 | SW 16 | SW 12 | SW 12 | S 11 | S 13 | SSW 13 | SW 14 | SSW 20 | SSW 20 | SW 13 |
9 | 102 | 103 | 15 | 52 | 28 | 16 | 45 | 25 | 23 | 40 | 37 | 37 | 9 | 31 | 33 | 54 | 75 | 76 | 60 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WNW 7 | NW 7 | WNW 7 | WNW 7 | NW 8 | WNW 9 | WNW 10 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
274 | 558 | 193 | 311 | 786 | 490 | 522 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 127 | 0 | 127 | 126 | 0 | 222 | 222 | 0 | 206 | 91 | 0 | 0 | 222 | 43 | 186 | 91 | 43 | 186 | 126 | 43 |
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.











