Otter Rock Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right folks, Rusty here. Lookin' at the charts for the next couple of weeks and, well, it's a bit of a grim one for this stretch of coast. The water is a chilly 52°F right now, which is a whopping 6°F colder than normal for this time of year – that's a seriously cold anomaly, so you'll be wanting a thick hood. The whole forecast period is plagued by cross-shore and cross-onshore winds, keeping things messy. Let's break it down.

We kick off Monday the 3rd of August with a 5ft NW swell, but it's a short period of 7 seconds and a stiff 9 mph cross-shore wind is already chopping it up. The wave energy is moderate at 290 (combined energy units). The afternoon sees the swell bump to 7ft, but the wind jumps to 19 mph, making it a lumpy mess. Forget about it.

Tuesday the 4th and Wednesday the 5th are more of the same – 5ft to 6ft NW swells, but with cross-onshore winds creating a fair bit of chop. The wave energy climbs into the 400s (combined energy units), but it's all for nothing with the wind.

Thursday the 6th is the first real hint of something. The swell drops to 5ft from the NW, and the wind is a light 6 mph. It's still cross-onshore, so it's not perfect, but it's the best we've seen. The forecast calls it marginal, and I'd agree. It's a small window of cleaner, if small, surf.

The rest of the first week and into the second is a real write-off. Friday the 7th through Sunday the 9th of August sees the swell drop right off and the wind stays nasty. The 9th and 10th see a tiny 1ft long-period groundswell from the SW, with periods of 15-16 seconds, but the energy is weak (113-209 combined energy units) and the wind ruins any chance of a rideable wave.

Then, on Tuesday the 11th of August, we get a bit of a pulse. A 5ft W swell with a 9-second period shows up. The wind is a light 6 mph cross-onshore, and the energy is moderate at 457 (combined energy units). It's still marginal, but it's the best offer in a long stretch of bad. The morning of Wednesday the 12th is similar, 4ft from the WNW with a light breeze, but it's fleeting.

The following weekend, the 14th to the 16th of August, the swell goes back to small, long-period groundswells from the WNW, with periods of 15-17 seconds. The energy picks up, hitting 608 (combined energy units) on the 15th, but the wind is blowing 12-19 mph. The swell is too straight and the wind is too strong. This setup is more interesting for the kite surfers than for paddle surfers.

The only real standout in this whole 16-day window, and it's a long-range one, is the morning of Tuesday the 18th of August. A 4ft W swell with a decent 13-second period rolls in, and the wind is a light 6 mph cross-onshore. The wave energy is moderate at 573 (combined energy units). It's still a little onshore, but for this area, that's a clean window. It's a promising but less certain call this far out. The whole period is a struggle, but that's the only one that looks like it might offer a couple of half-decent waves.

Rusty.

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