Otter Rock Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s on offer at Otter Rock over the next couple of weeks. I’ll be straight with you – it’s a bit of a rough patch for the most part. We’ve got a lot of days where the wind and the swell just aren’t playing nice together. The dominant wind is from the NNW and NW, which is cross or cross-onshore at this point, so it’s pretty much always choppy or wind-affected. The water temp is about average for the time of year, so nothing to write home about on that front.

The first bit of surf that’s even worth a mention is the morning of Tuesday, August 4th. We’ve got a 5 ft swell from the NW, but the period is a short 7 seconds. The wind is a light breeze from the NNW, but it’s cross-onshore, so it’s already got a bit of a texture on it. The combined wave energy is a weak 255. It’s marginal at best, and you’d be splitting hairs to call it a recommendation. The afternoon gets worse as the wind picks up, so forget it.

We then hit a real dry spell. From Tuesday afternoon all the way through the morning of Wednesday, August 13th, there’s nothing but poor conditions. That’s a solid eight days of choppy, cross-shore junk with short-period swell. The wind is either a moderate or fresh breeze, and the wave comment is consistently “poor surf conditions.” Not a single standout in that stretch.

Now, things start to get a little more interesting around Thursday, August 13th. The morning is still a bit rough with a 6 ft NW swell at 8 seconds and 485 combined energy, but the wind is just a gentle breeze. It’s still cross-onshore, so it’s fairly choppy. The afternoon, however, sees the swell bump up to 7 ft (NW) with a period of 8 seconds and the combined energy jumps to 743. The wind is moderate and cross-shore, so it’s lumpy, but the size is there. It’s a marginal call, but if you’re an expert looking for some power, that afternoon might be your window. The morning of Friday, August 14th, is the best of the bunch in this whole forecast. We’ve got a 7 ft swell from the NW, 8 seconds, and with a light breeze from the NNW, it’s only cross-onshore with small ripples. The combined energy is 742. It’s still a little compromised, but it’s the cleanest you’ll see a 7 ft wave here. That’s the one to keep an eye on. For the experienced crew only, as 7 ft is getting into expert territory.

After that, Saturday the 15th and Sunday the 16th slide back into poor conditions. The morning of Sunday the 16th has a 2 ft swell from the WNW with a very long period of 17 seconds and 367 energy, but it’s cross-onshore, so it’s messy. That long-period groundswell will break straight at the point, so it’s not ideal. The best of that final week looks like Monday, August 17th, morning. The swell is 3 ft from the WNW at 14 seconds, with a light cross-onshore breeze. The combined energy is 592. It’s a marginal call, but it’s clean enough for a small wave board. The afternoon picks up to 5 ft at 13 seconds, but the wind is up and it’s choppy again.

So, to be honest, there’s no real classic day here. The standout is the morning of Friday, August 14th, for the biggest, cleanest swell of the window, but you’ll be sharing it with a cross-onshore wind. The rest is a lot of moving water with no real quality. Keep the wetsuit handy, but don’t hold your breath.

Rusty.

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