Otter Rock Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, I’ve scanned the charts for Otter Rock over the next couple weeks, and I gotta be straight with ya – it ain’t looking flash. We’ve got a clear run from Sunday the 16th of August, but the wind and swell just aren't cooperating.

For the first ten days or so, it’s all cross-onshore wind out of the NNW, keeping the surface all chopped up and messy. The water is a freezing 54°F, and that’s about 5°F colder than average for this time of year – that’s very unusual, so you’ll need a thick suit.

We start off Sunday the 16th with tiny, weak 2-foot swell from the SW at a very long 16 seconds, but that NNW wind at 12 mph just messes it all up. Energy is weak at 313. That pattern sticks around – Monday and Tuesday both show small 2-foot waves and poor conditions. Wednesday the 19th bumps up slightly to 3 feet from the WNW, with moderate energy around 475-492, but that cross-onshore wind is still there, so it’s still choppy.

We get a slight flicker on Thursday morning the 20th. The swell pushes up to 5 feet from the WNW with an 11-second period, and the energy jumps to 688. The wind drops to a light breeze from the NW. It’s still cross-onshore, so it’s not clean, but it’s the least rough we’ve seen. It’s only a marginal call – questionable tide. Friday morning the 21st actually gives us some offshore wind, light from the WSW at 3 mph, but the swell drops back to 4 feet from the NW with a short 8-second period. Still only marginal.

From there it goes downhill. We see bigger swell on the 23rd (5 feet) but the wind cranks up to a fresh 19 mph cross-shore breeze, making it a lumpy, cross-chop mess. That’s kite-surfing weather, not paddle surfing. The period is super short at 7–8 seconds, so the waves will be weak and crumbly.

There’s a long gap of really poor, unrideable conditions through the 24th to the 29th. We finally get another mention of decent size on Monday the 31st – 5 feet from the NW with an 8-second period and moderate energy of 601-613. The morning shows a light cross-onshore breeze, but it’s still only a 2 out of 10 – marginal at best.

Honestly, if I had to pick the only real standout, it’s Thursday morning, August 20th. That 5-foot WNW swell with an 11-second period has the most energy of the near-term, and the light breeze makes it the least messy. It’s still not perfect, but it’s the closest we get to something worth paddling out for.

Apart from that, this is a real quiet stretch. Don't hold your breath.

Rusty.

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