Salmon Creek
Surf spot · United States
Is it worth the trip?
21Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Thu 5: 4 ft swell at 9 s
Mon 2 · 36 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft17 scrumbling
- Energy
- 1,209kJ
- Wind
- NE 1 kn
- Temp
- 16°C
Tue 3 · 0 out of 100
- Swell
- 6 ft13 ssoft
- Energy
- 1,234kJ
- Wind
- E 5 kn
- Temp
- 16°C
Wed 4 · 0 out of 100
- Swell
- 8 ft9 ssoft
- Energy
- 1,010kJ
- Wind
- NE 6 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Thu 5 · 70 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft9 ssoft
- Energy
- 271kJ
- Wind
- ESE 1 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Fri 6 · 0 out of 100
- Swell
- 9 ft12 ssoft
- Energy
- 2,110kJ
- Wind
- ESE 1 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Sat 7 · 0 out of 100
- Swell
- 9 ft12 ssoft
- Energy
- 2,075kJ
- Wind
- ESE 2 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Sun 8 · 0 out of 100
- Swell
- 6 ft10 ssoft
- Energy
- 745kJ
- Wind
- NNE 2 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 152, fair
- Mon 236, poor
- Tue 30, too big
- Wed 40, too big
- Thu 570, good
- Fri 60, too big
- Sat 70, too big
- Sun 80, too big
- Mon 90, too big
- Tue 100, too big
The spot in six facts
- Faces Wtakes swell from the W
- Offshore: Ewind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–9 ftof swell
- Water 13 °C4/3 wetsuit and boots
- Best Aug–Nov2 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.
| Day | Score for intermediates | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 52, fair | 3 ft12 scrumbling4 ft at break (est.) | 255kJ | wind from the north-west, 4 knots | 16°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 36, poor | 5 ft17 scrumbling8 ft at break (est.) | 1,209kJ | offshorewind from the north-east, 1 knot, offshore | 16°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 0, too big | 6 ft13 ssoft9 ft at break (est.) | 1,234kJ | wind from the east, 5 knots | 16°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 0, too big | 8 ft9 ssoft10 ft at break (est.) | 1,010kJ | wind from the north-east, 6 knots | 18°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 70, good | 4 ft9 ssoft6 ft at break (est.) | 271kJ | offshorewind from the east-south-east, 1 knot, offshore | 19°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 0, too big | 9 ft12 ssoft11 ft at break (est.) | 2,110kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 1 knot | 21°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 0, too big | 9 ft12 ssoft11 ft at break (est.) | 2,075kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 2 knots | 20°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 0, too big | 6 ft10 ssoft8 ft at break (est.) | 745kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 2 knots | 20°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 0, too big | 9 ft11 ssoft11 ft at break (est.) | 1,576kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 0 knots | 18°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 0, too big | 7 ft10 ssoft8 ft at break (est.) | 823kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 3 knots | 16°C |
Energy is the swell's power, in kJ per metre of wave. Wind is in knots, the arrow where it blows to; green is offshore. More
Tide
- Sun 1 NovHigh 04:50 +0.4 mLow 09:34 +0.0 mHigh 15:10 +0.7 mLow 22:35 −1.1 m
- Mon 2 NovHigh 05:43 +0.5 mLow 11:06 −0.1 mHigh 16:37 +0.6 mLow 23:34 −0.9 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 06:29 +0.6 mLow 12:22 −0.3 mHigh 18:02 +0.5 m
Local clock times; heights about mean sea level. On open coasts the times are usually within a quarter of an hour; in bays, estuaries and on the Gulf of Mexico they can be an hour or more out. Tide: EOT20 global ocean tide model, Hart-Davis et al. 2021, DGFI-TUM (doi:10.17882/79489), CC BY 4.0. Times and heights computed by us. A model, not a tide table: check a local table before you go.
Forecast updated . It refreshes every three hours. Forecast data: ECMWF, DWD, Météo-France and NOAA, served by Open-Meteo.com (CC BY 4.0). Changed by us. Generated using E.U. Copernicus Marine Service Information.
Best time to go
best Aug–Nov
Good days in a typical week, each month, for intermediate surfers, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).
- Jan1of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb1of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar1of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr1of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May0of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun0of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul1of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug2of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep2of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct2of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov2of 7: a trip from Mon 2 Nov
- Dec1of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Dec
Tap a month to see this spot for a trip then.
Typical, not a forecast.
Map
the spot, its town, photos
Salmon Creek on Google Maps · Directions
Each place wears its best day on these dates, a surf spot for intermediates: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.
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Photos of Salmon Creek
More surf near here
5 places
- Omar shereef 4.2 km away
- Doran Beach 4.6 km away
- Seal rock 6.2 km away
- Goat Rock 12.1 km away
- Russian Rivermouth 12.7 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Salmon Creek
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces W (258°), so it takes swell from the W. The wind blows offshore from the E (78°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–9 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 500 m out (1 in 49). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 11°C in March, its coldest month (4/3 or 5/4, boots and gloves), and 13°C in August, its warmest (4/3 wetsuit and boots). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually August, September, October and November, with about 2 good days in 7; in May and June, about 0. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Bodega Bay, 2.3 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 2 surf spots and 1 wind sports spot.
Water about 13°C: 4/3 wetsuit and boots. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.
The score is the conditions only: the journey, the price and the partners never change it (how we score, how we earn).
Rough cost (estimate): about US$1,200–US$2,170 each
about US$1,200–US$2,170 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, hire car, stay, food, board and wetsuit.
Our estimate from typical public prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book (where they come from). Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 30 October 2026.
How we worked it out
| What | How we worked it out | Each |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | return MDW to OAK, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bag | about US$255–US$536 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$154–US$255 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$301–US$502 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$342–US$636 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$147–US$241 |
| Total | about US$1,200–US$2,170 |
For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: 3 towns
4 min by car · 15 places to stay
about US$114/nightcountry average
About Bodega Bay its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Jenner on Booking.com
21 min by car · 4 places to stay
- Beds in Dillon Beach on Booking.com
24 min by car · 12 places to stay
About US$114 a night is our estimate of the country's average 2-star double room that month: not each town's price, and not a quote. Drives are estimates. Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 30 October 2026.
Getting there: about 8h 20m
About 8h 20m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → OAK, direct, then 2h 05m by road
Flights MDW → OAK on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.