Otter Rock Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, let's get into it. Otter Rock is calling the shots for this forecast and it's a bit of a mixed bag. Strap yourselves in.

The overall pattern for the next 16 days looks pretty grim to start, with a whole lot of nothing. Then, we get a little glimmer of hope towards the end. There's a big quiet patch right at the beginning.

We kick off on Monday, July 6th with a solid 6 ft swell from the NW, but it's a total write-off. The wind is a cross-on 12 mph from the NNW, making it a choppy mess. The water temperature is a notable 53°F, which is 5°F colder than average for this time of year, so you'll need a thick wetsuit. This isn't surfable.

This poor run goes on and on. We see a mix of small, short-period swells and longer-period groundswells, but the cross-on wind just ruins everything. On Wednesday, July 8th, we get a 2 ft swell from the SW with a long 18-second period, but it's still cross-on and choppy. The combined energy is moderate at 674, but it doesn't matter if it's messy.

The whole first week is a washout. I'm talking about day after day of poor surf conditions, with wind speeds between 9 and 15 mph from the NNW. It's not until the very end of the forecast that we see something promising.

Now, around July 19th and 20th, things start to look up. On Sunday, July 19th, we have a 6 ft swell from the NW with a short 8-second period. The wind finally drops to a slight 3 mph breeze from the NW, turning cross-on. The combined energy is moderate to strong (701 and 819). The conditions are *marginal* but this is the best we've seen. The Monday, July 20th, keeps it going with a 6 ft swell from the NW, and the wind is a light 6 mph from the SW, still cross-on. At this point, the swell is over 5 ft, so it's a bit much for beginners, but for the rest of us, it's something to watch.

The real standout, the only one worth getting excited about, is the morning of Sunday, July 19th. The wind is almost nothing at 3 mph from the NW. That's a hair's breadth from being glassy. For a point break, a 6 ft NW swell with light wind is a solid bet for clean, lined-up waves. However, that short period of 8 seconds means it will be a bit of a junky, less powerful wave. The crowd situation at Otter Rock can be "often" busy, so expect company.

The following Tuesday, July 21st, still has some 5 ft swell from the NW, but the magic is fading. The wind is light, but the quality is dropping.

So, to sum it up: for the first 12 days, there's nothing to recommend. Don't bother. The one real window is the weekend of July 19th and 20th. The morning of Sunday, July 19th, looks like the best chance for a decent wave, but it's a long-range call, so keep your fingers crossed. It's been a flat, windy stretch, so this is a welcome change.

Rusty.

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