Staying Home Sucks, home
Sunset - Salmon Creek Beach
Salmon Creek. Photo: Caitlin Childs, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

Salmon Creek

Surf spot · United States

Is it worth the trip?

65Good out of 100 for your dates

Home sucks

Best on Mon 9: 8 ft swell at 11 s

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Tue 3 · 74 out of 100

Swell
6 ft13 ssoft
Energy
1,234kJ
Wind
ESE 5 kn
Temp
15°C

Wed 4 · 52 out of 100

Swell
8 ft9 ssoft
Energy
1,049kJ
Wind
NNE 5 kn
Temp
18°C

Thu 5 · 46 out of 100

Swell
5 ft10 ssoft
Energy
407kJ
Wind
SSE 2 kn
Temp
19°C

Fri 6 · 69 out of 100

Swell
9 ft12 ssoft
Energy
1,971kJ
Wind
E 1 kn
Temp
20°C

Sat 7 · 17 out of 100

Swell
9 ft11 ssoft
Energy
1,914kJ
Wind
W 4 kn
Temp
20°C

Sun 8 · 70 out of 100

Swell
6 ft10 ssoft
Energy
776kJ
Wind
NNE 2 kn
Temp
20°C

Mon 9 · 77 out of 100

Swell
8 ft11 ssoft
Energy
1,278kJ
Wind
WSW 3 kn
Temp
18°C

Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast

Forecast: next 9 days

Full forecast
  1. Mon 267, good
  2. Tue 374, good
  3. Wed 452, fair
  4. Thu 546, fair
  5. Fri 669, good
  6. Sat 717, poor
  7. Sun 870, good
  8. Mon 977, good
  9. Tue 1051, fair

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.

Forecast and score for expert surfers at Salmon Creek, each day
DayScore for expertsSwellEnergyWindTemp
Mon 2Nov67, good7 ft15 scrumbling10 ft at break (est.)1,753kJwind from the west, 5 knots17°C
Tue 3Nov74, good6 ft13 ssoft9 ft at break (est.)1,234kJwind from the east-south-east, 5 knots, offshore15°C
Wed 4Nov52, fair8 ft9 ssoft10 ft at break (est.)1,049kJwind from the north-north-east, 5 knots18°C
Thu 5Nov46, fair5 ft10 ssoft6 ft at break (est.)407kJwind from the south-south-east, 2 knots19°C
Fri 6Nov69, good9 ft12 ssoft11 ft at break (est.)1,971kJwind from the east, 1 knot, offshore20°C
Sat 7Nov17, poor9 ft11 ssoft11 ft at break (est.)1,914kJwind from the west, 4 knots20°C
Sun 8Nov70, good6 ft10 ssoft8 ft at break (est.)776kJwind from the north-north-east, 2 knots20°C
Mon 9Nov77, good8 ft11 ssoft10 ft at break (est.)1,278kJwind from the west-south-west, 3 knots18°C
Tue 10Nov51, fair8 ft11 ssoft10 ft at break (est.)1,305kJwind from the south-south-east, 3 knots16°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

  • 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
  • Wed 4 NovLow 00:29 −0.8 mHigh 07:09 +0.7 mLow 13:24 −0.6 mHigh 19:18 +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.

Map

the spot, its town, photos

Each place wears its best day on these dates, a surf spot for experts: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.

The map needs JavaScript. Every place on it is listed on this page, and each place's page links to Google Maps.

One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Photos of Salmon Creek

Salmon Creek Lagoon kz1
Photo: Krzysztof Ziarnek, Kenraiz, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

More surf near here

5 places

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 
Rough cost per person for this trip
WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn MDW to OAK, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bagabout US$255–US$536
Hire car6 days, sharedabout US$154–US$255
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, sharedabout US$301–US$502
Food7 days eating outabout US$342–US$636
Board and wetsuit5 days, or about US$114 to fly your ownabout US$147–US$241
Totalabout 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

Ad Links marked Ad may pay us if you book. You pay the same, and they never change a score. How we earn

Closest

Bodega Bay

about 5 min by car · 15 places to stay

about US$114/nightcountry average

See 15 places to stay in Bodega Bay · Booking.com

About Bodega Bay its beds, food and every spot near it

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

An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.