Otter Rock Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's talk about what's cookin' at Otter Rock. It's a bit of a mixed bag over the next couple of weeks, so let's not get too excited too quick.

The general picture is we're looking at a slow start with a lot of small, messy days. We've got a wait on our hands before any real juice shows up. The water temp is sitting at 57°F, which is about average for this time of year, so the wetsuit you're used to is the right call.

First real chance to get wet is this Friday morning, the 11th of September. That morning session is the standout of the first week. We've got a clean 6ft swell rolling in from the NW with that magic glassy wind. It's gonna be clean as a whistle, and with a moderate combined energy (761), there's enough push to have some fun on a point break like Otter Rock. The swell period is a short 7 seconds, so it'll be a bit crumbly and maybe not as grunty as a groundswell, but with those conditions, you'd be a fool not to paddle out. Keep in mind, this spot is fairly consistent, and with E winds being offshore, it should line up nicely for the optimum W swell.

The afternoon of that same day gets messy with a cross-onshore, so get your session in early. Saturday the 12th afternoon is another little window. The swell drops to 3ft from the SW, but it's glassy again with a decent 14-second period. That long period from the SW will wrap in nicely around the point, making for some clean, lined-up waves even at that smaller size. The energy is moderate (533).

Now, after the 13th, things go pretty quiet. We're looking at a real dry spell, with days of small, weak, and onshore junk. The surf pretty much shuts down from Sunday the 14th right through to the end of the following week. There’s a lot of days with poor surf conditions and cross-onshore wind. Not worth the paddle.

The second week holds a glimmer of hope, but it's a long way off. The only thing that catches my eye is the morning of Saturday the 19th of September. It's flat, a tiny 1ft, but it's glassy, calm, and that long 19-second period from the WSW will have some serious push for its size. The energy is low (245), so it's a longboard or a funboard kind of morning. After that, we get a bump in size but the wind stays cross or cross-on, ruining the shape.

Then, looking way out at the start of the final week, around Monday the 21st and Tuesday the 22nd of September, we see a serious spike in size. The combined energy jumps into four digits (1043-1176), which is strong wave energy. We're talking 7ft to 8ft from the NNW. The problem is, it's all accompanied by strong cross-shore and cross-onshore winds, with a short 7-8 second period. That much short-period swell with that wind will be a washing machine. It's only for experts, and honestly, the onshore wind might make it a better day for the kite surfers than us paddle guys.

In a nutshell: If you want a wave this week, be on the water Friday morning the 11th. Next weekend's early morning on the 19th is a longboard glass-off. The big stuff at the end of the period is promising but the wind looks like it'll kill it.

Rusty.

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