Otter Rock Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here with a look at what Otter Rock has in store for us over the next couple of weeks. I gotta be straight with you, it’s a rough start. The first real chance of anything surfable doesn’t show up until Tuesday morning, July 7th, and even then, it’s only just barely worth a look.

The big picture is a whole lot of cross-shore and cross-onshore winds messing things up, and the swell just isn’t cooperating for a clean, rideable wave. We’ve got a proper stretch of poor conditions to sit through first.

Jumping into Tuesday morning, July 7th, we see a small 4ft swell from the NW, with a period around 10 seconds. The energy is moderate at best (615). The wind is a light cross-onshore, so it’s gonna be a bit choppy, but it’s the only thing that’s even close to rideable in the early part of the week. Don’t expect much. Wednesday morning, July 8th, is similar, with a 2ft swell from the SW and a very long 18-second period. The energy is moderate (621), but with light cross-onshore winds, it’s still just a marginal, questionable call for the point break. The long period should help the wave shape a bit at this point, but it’s tiny.

The pattern of small, messy, and choppy swell keeps dragging on through the following days. There’s nothing that gets my heart pumping. We get pulses of moderate wave energy, like on Thursday afternoon, July 9th (468), but it’s all under cross-shore winds and a messy surface. The water temp is sitting at 54°F, which is a solid 5°F colder than average for this time of year – a pretty notable chill, so bring the thick rubber.

We finally get a bit of a bump in size starting on Friday, July 17th, but with it comes a horrible, short-period, wind-affected mess. Saturday, July 18th, sees the swell jump to 8ft from the NW, with energy climbing into the strong range (1170). But it’s still cross-onshore and choppy, making it a tough paddle for not much reward.

Now, the one standout, and it’s a long way off, is Sunday, July 19th. We’re looking at a solid 8ft NW swell with a period of 10 seconds and very strong energy (over 1400). That’s big, powerful stuff. The catch is that the wind is a moderate to fresh cross-shore, which will put a lumpy chop on the face. For a point break like Otter Rock, with a decent period, it could have some grunt, but the wind is the enemy here. This is expert territory – over 8ft is no joke for the average surfer. It’s a promising sign for the second week, but way too far out to count on.

So, to sum it up: weather the rough early fortnight, and keep a very tentative eye on that July 19th date. That’s your best, most distant shot.

Rusty.

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