Otter Rock Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, I’m Rusty. Let’s have a look at what’s coming up at Otter Rock.

Right off the bat, the water’s running at 51°F, which is a solid 8°F colder than normal for this time of year – that’s seriously unusual, so you’re gonna want a thick suit and boots if you’re paddling out.

The next few days are a bit of a write-off, to be honest. We’ve got a long gap of small, weak, and messy conditions. Thursday the 20th of August afternoon sees a 5 ft swell from the WNW at 11 seconds, but it’s cross-on from a light NW breeze, and the combined energy is only moderate at 621 – it’s pretty marginal. Friday the 21st drops right off, with a tiny 2 ft SW swell, and the wind stays cross-on, making it chop city. Saturday the 22nd and most of the next week are the same story: small swell, poor surf, and onshore winds. There’s really nothing worth paddling out for until Sunday the 23rd, when the morning brings a bit of hope. The swell is only 4 ft from the WNW at a short 8 seconds, but the wind goes glassy – a light NW of just 3 mph – and conditions are clean. The combined energy is moderate (252), and for a beginner-friendly spot like Otter Rock, that’s about as good as it gets in this run. It’s fairly consistent here, and with the glassy setup, it’s your best bet for a few fun waves.

After that, it’s back to small, weak, and cross-on for over a week straight. Swell stays under 2 ft, periods are mostly long (14–18 seconds) but the energy is low (136–356), and the wind never really gets clean. It’s a long stretch of nothing. The only other flicker of life comes on Thursday the 3rd of September, when a 6 ft W swell at 10 seconds rolls in, with a combined energy of 712 (moderate to strong). The morning has a light NNW cross-shore, but it’s still a cross-shore, not offshore. By Friday the 4th, the swell hits 7 ft from the W at 10 seconds, with energy up to 1324 – that’s proper strong. But the wind is cross-on with a NNW breeze, and it’s too big for beginners, solidly in the expert zone. The period is short, so it’s gonna be a bit lumpy and messy, and with the wind, it’s not the cleanest. Still, if you’re an experienced local and you don’t mind a bit of a chop, that Friday morning might offer some grunt.

Overall, it’s a lean 16 days. The Sunday morning the 23rd of August is the standout for a clean, friendly session, and the early September pulse is for the big-wave crew only. Take it as it comes.

Rusty.

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