Otter Rock Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, let's get into it. Rusty here, looking at the next couple of weeks.

The immediate outlook is a bit of a mixed bag. We've got some clean, glassy waves coming in pretty consistently over the first few days, but the swell size is on the smaller side. Later in the forecast, we see a pulse of bigger, shorter-period swell that will need the right winds to clean up. Overall, it's a waiting game for the best conditions to line up.

We kick things off on Friday, September 4th at Otter Rock. This is a classic point break, and it looks excellent right out of the gate. Friday morning we've got a 5 ft WNW swell rolling in with a moderate combined wave energy (670). The wind is light and cross-offshore from the SE, which should set up some really clean lines. The water temp is about average for this time of year. This is the standout of the first week. The surf actually gets even cleaner in the afternoon as the wind drops to glassy calm, and the swell drops to 3 ft from the SW with a very long 18-second period. That long period groundswell will wrap perfectly around this point, providing super-shaped, powerful waves with nice long lulls between sets.

Saturday morning, September 5th, stays similar – glassy conditions with 3 ft of SW groundswell at a 16-second period. It will be a fun, smaller continuation, though the afternoon gets blown out by a strong 12 mph NNW cross-shore wind.

Sunday morning, September 6th, is another glassy session with 2 ft SW swell. The energy is dropping a little (428), but the clean conditions will make it worth a paddle out.

Things go quiet for a bit after Sunday afternoon. From midday Sunday through the middle of the following week, the wind turns onshore or cross-onshore, and the wave quality drops off. A new pulse of swell arrives on Thursday, September 10th, with a 3 ft WNW swell, but the conditions are messy with cross-shore winds.

A new period of interest starts on Saturday, September 12th. The morning is looking glassy again, with 3 ft of SW swell at a very clean 14-second period and solid energy (597). This is another window of quality surf at Otter Rock.

For the second week, the swell picks up but gets a bit unruly. Monday, September 14th, sees a bump in size to 5 ft from the NW, but the period drops to a short 7-8 seconds. That short-period wind swell makes it feel fat and choppy, especially with the cross-onshore winds.

The most promising day of the second week looks like Friday, September 18th, in the morning. The swell is a solid waist-to-chest high 5 ft from the WNW, but the real kicker is the glassy, calm wind. The combined energy is moderate (502), and with clean conditions, this could offer the best waves of the later period. It's still a couple of weeks out, so keep an eye on it, but the potential is there.

So, for the real standouts: Friday, September 4th morning at Otter Rock is the peak of the first week – solid swell, clean wind, and long-period quality. For the second week, target Friday morning, September 18th for the cleanest conditions on a building swell.

Rusty.

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