Otter Rock Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let’s get into it. This is Rusty.

First things first, right now we’ve got a bit of a flat and messy start for Otter Rock. The first real recommendation pops up on Thursday morning, September 12th, so we've got a few days of waiting to get through before anything decent shows itself.

Okay, for the majority of the first week, it’s a bit of a bust. We’ve got cross-shore winds and short-period chop making things look pretty average. The swell is hanging around the 3ft to 5ft mark, but with a period of just 6 to 7 seconds, it’s not giving us any real shape or power. There’s some water moving, just not in a surfable way.

The real standout in this entire 16-day window is shaping up to be Saturday morning, September 12th. This is the one to circle on the calendar. We’ve got a clean 3ft swell coming from the SW with a solid 15-second groundswell period. The wind is glassy – dead calm from the ESE – which will make for some absolutely clean, lined-up waves. This is a classic point break setup, and that long-period SW groundswell is exactly what this place needs. It’s going to be a treat for intermediates and up. Expect a bit of a crowd though, as Otter Rock does get its share of people when conditions are good.

That morning on the 12th is your best bet. The water temp is currently running a bit colder than normal, sitting at 57°F, which is about 2°F below the average for this time of year.

After that, things fade. We get a few marginal sessions, but nothing that screams go-time. A couple of glassy mornings pop up on the 18th and 19th of September, but the swell is tiny (1ft) with a 19-second period. That kind of super-long period swell on a point break like Otter Rock can actually be a bit of a challenge – it’ll be very slow and only give you the occasional clean little runner. Good for a longboard on a quiet morning, but not a standout.

Later in the second week, on Monday morning, September 21st, we see another morning of glassy conditions with a 2ft SW swell, 17-second period. It’ll be pretty again, but small.

Summary:
The window is mostly average to poor, with a whole lot of cross-shore chop and short-period slop to wade through. The only true standout is the Saturday morning of September 12th – glassy, long-period SW groundswell, clean lines at the point. Get on it if you can, just expect some company. The rest of the window is for checking the tide and being patient.

Rusty.

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