Otter Rock Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s get into it. This forecast window looks pretty quiet overall, with a lot of average to poor sessions and only a couple of fleeting moments where it all comes together. Read on, but don’t expect anything world-class.

Right off the bat, the pattern we’re seeing at Otter Rock is a long stretch of less-than-ideal conditions. The first swell from the 7th into mid-September offers small surf with persistent cross and cross-onshore winds, giving us choppy, messy waves. The combined wave energy is weak to moderate, topping out at around (293) to (529) late in the first week. Early on, the water is sitting at 56°, which is a bit colder than normal for this time of year.

The morning of Wednesday the 9th offers a faint glimmer with 4 ft of swell from the NW, period of 7 seconds, it’s a short period wind-swell, clean but marginal, light cross-shore winds. That’s really the only session where it’s even bordering on rideable in the first few days.

Then, by Friday the 11th morning we see a bump in size: 6 ft from the NW, period of 9 seconds and wave energy of (815). The wind is a light cross-shore. That’s the best on offer early on. The swell is moderate in strength, small enough for intermediates, and the light breeze should keep it tidy. That Friday morning is the standout of the first week.

Thursday the 17th and Friday the 18th are worth a mention too. By Friday the 18th morning Otter Rock goes glassy. It’s only 1 ft from the SW with a very long period of 21 seconds and wave energy of (300). That period is long – it’s proper groundswell – and with glassy conditions the waves will be clean, but small. This kind of long period swell will wrap around the point well at Otter Rock, and with no wind, you might squeeze out a few long, lined-up runners. It’s not going to be big, but it’ll be nice. A true glass-off session.

Then on Sunday the 20th morning, the 2 ft SW groundswell with 18 seconds returns under glassy conditions again. The combined energy is (381). Clean, tidy, very long period. That’s the other standout.

The rest of the week falls back into mostly small, onshore chop. The set up looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing on most afternoons, especially when the wind picks up around 12 to 15 mph.

In the second week, the two glassy mornings – Friday 18th and Sunday 20th – are your best bets. Clean, small, and lined up, typical for a quiet autumn spell. The weekends see some breaks from the onshore wind, but expect the consistency to be low.

So bottom line: the best surf in this 16-day window is the Friday 11th morning for moderate size, and the glassy groundswell windows on Friday 18th morning and Sunday 20th morning for clean, long lines. Crowds are possible at Otter Rock as it’s a known point, but on these smaller days it’ll likely be mellow.

Rusty.

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