Otter Rock Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Yo, Rusty here. Gotta be straight with you—this 16-day window for Otter Rock is a tough one. We’re looking at a long stretch of mostly poor surf quality, with a lot of cross-onshore wind and choppy conditions. The water temp is a staggering 51°, which is *much colder than normal* for this time of year—that’s a big anomaly, so bring a thick hood and booties. There’s a real gap in any real surf until Friday morning, the 17th, but even that’s only marginal.

The standout here is Friday morning, July 17th. That’s the best we’ve got. Swell is 3ft from the WNW at 17 seconds, which is a nice long-period groundswell, and it’s pushing moderate wave energy (696). The wind is light from the NW, a cross-on breeze, with small wind ripples, so it’s not perfect but it’s the cleanest we’ll see. The period is over 15 seconds, so expect long lulls between sets with better-shaped waves, but it tends to break a bit straight at a beach break—Otter Rock is a point, so that’s actually a good match. Crowds are often here, so expect company.

After that, Saturday the 18th morning is still riding 3ft with similar period, but the wind picks up, making it choppy. By Saturday afternoon, the swell jumps to 5ft but with a short period of 9 seconds and a cross-shore wind, making it messy.

Sunday the 19th has 6ft to 7ft, but it’s a short-period, wind-affected mess. Monday the 20th is marginal with 6ft, but still cross-on. The whole second week is a grind—swell stays around 4ft to 7ft, but it’s constant cross-onshore wind or cross-shore, keeping the surf choppy and poor.

The final weekend (July 26th-27th) sees some longer-period SW groundswell (16-20 seconds) with light winds, but the swell is small (2ft-3ft) and the break is still cross-on, so it’s marginal at best. Overall, this is a bleak run for Otter Rock—only Friday the 17th morning is worth a paddle, and even then, it’s a gamble. Stay optimistic, though; it never stays this poor for long.

Rusty.

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