Otter Rock Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s on offer for the next couple of weeks.

Otter Rock is a point break that gets a west swell, but honestly, looking at the whole 16-day window, I’m not stoked. We’ve got a run of marginal and poor surf conditions that just won’t seem to let up. The water is running real cold right now, 52°F, which is a whopping 6°F colder than normal for this time of year – that’s seriously unusual, so you’ll want a thick wetsuit if you’re even thinking about paddling out.

The first decent chance doesn’t even really show up until the end of the month. On Monday the 27th of July, we’ve got a small long-period groundswell rolling in, 3 ft from the SW with a period of 18 seconds. That long period means the wave energy is there (energy reading of 605), but it’s a cross-on wind from the WSW at 10 km/h, so it’s not going to be that clean. The waves will be a bit lumpy. It’s pretty marginal and the tide could be a problem. This is about as good as it gets for the first week, and that’s not saying much.

Tuesday the 28th and Wednesday the 29th offer similar small, long-period SW swells, but the wind stays cross-onshore, getting stronger on Wednesday with a 20 km/h NNW breeze that’ll put a chop on the surface. The moderate energy readings (around 554 to 742) tell you there’s some push, but the tide and wind will spoil it.

From Thursday the 30th of July right through to about the 3rd of August, conditions are just poor. The swell drops off into the 2 ft to 3 ft range, and we’ve got a constant cross-onshore wind. The wave energy drops into the low hundreds (187 to 298), indicating weak, unappealing surf. It’s a real flat spell.

Then around the 4th of August, the swell picks up a bit, but it’s a short-period, wind-driven swell from the NNW and NW. The heights get up to 7 ft, but the period is a terrible 6-8 seconds, which means weak, crumbly waves. The wind is strong and cross-shore, hitting 30 km/h on the 5th of August. The energy readings climb back into the moderate range (352 to 698), but the surf quality is still rated as poor. With that much wind and short-period chop, this setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing for most.

The run of poor conditions continues through the second week. We see a bit of a bump again on the 7th of August with a 7 ft NW swell, but the period is only 9 seconds and the wind is cross-shore at 25 km/h. It’s a lumpy mess. The 10th of August offers a slight chance with a 5 ft NW swell, but again, it’s a short 6-8 second period and cross-shore winds.

The only potential standout, and I’m using that term loosely, is the morning of the 7th of August. You’ll see a 7 ft NW swell (8-second period) with moderate energy (616) and a cross-shore wind. For an expert surfer at a point break, you might find a few bumpy, but rideable waves. For everyone else? It’s a miss. The period is too short for the point to really wrap in cleanly, and the wind won’t help.

So, the honest truth is there’s a big gap of poor conditions from the 28th of July through to the 9th of August. Nothing is a clear winner. If you’re desperate, the 27th of July morning offers the cleanest, but smallest, waves, but it’s still marginal. The best of the second week is the 7th of August for size, but it’s for experts only. Don’t get your hopes up.

Rusty.

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