Otter Rock Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s on the cards for Otter Rock.

To be straight with you, this stretch of forecast looks pretty grim. We’ve got a solid 16 days of data, and honestly, there’s barely a moment where it all comes together. The wind is mostly from the NNW and NW, and it stays cross-shore or cross-onshore for almost the entire window. That’s going to keep the surface messy more often than not. The swell direction is hanging around WNW to NNW, which is fine, but the quality just isn’t there.

The water temp is sitting at 55°F on the first morning, which is about 4°F colder than normal for this time of year – that’s notably chilly, so a thick wetsuit is mandatory. The combined swell energy on that first Saturday is 302 (moderate), but with that 8-second period and cross-onshore wind, you’re looking at choppy, weak little waves.

Otter Rock is a point break, beginner-friendly, and fairly consistent. It’s exposed to the swell, with the optimum direction coming from the west. The crowds can be heavy here at times, so that's something to keep in mind. The first half of August is just a run of "poor surf" flags and low scores. The swell hovers around 4ft to 6ft, but the wind never cleans it up. The mornings are often the slightest bit better with lighter breezes (9 mph), but it’s still cross-onshore and choppy. Afternoons pick up to 15-19 mph, making it lumpy.

There is no standout day. The best you can hope for is a “marginal” tag on a few mornings, like Tuesday 4 August morning with 6ft and a 394 energy reading, or Wednesday 5 August morning with 6ft and 538 energy. Even then, it’s cross-onshore with that 8-second period, so don’t expect much shape.

We do see a jump in size around the second week. By Monday 10 August, we’ve got 7ft swell from the NW with a 9-second period and 744 energy. That’s moderate energy, but the wind is cross-onshore and the surface is choppy. Still a “poor surf” call. The Saturday 15 August afternoon pushes up to 8ft with a massive 1198 energy reading – that’s strong energy – but again, cross-onshore wind at 16 mph, and the period is only 8 seconds. It’s going to be a mess out there. That size is pushing into expert-only territory given the conditions. For a point break, a longer period would be key, but we’re stuck with short-period wind swell.

The very end of the window, Sunday 16 August morning, shows 6ft from the NNW with a light breeze (6 mph) and 773 energy – that’s about the closest we get to a clean-ish window, but the forecast still calls it “marginal.”

Overall, this is a pretty blank run for Otter Rock. The wind never really swings offshore (east), and the conditions stay choppy or lumpy. There’s no classic Otter Rock session in this whole 16-day window. If you’re desperate, the mornings with the lighter wind are your best bet, but don’t get your hopes up.

Rusty.

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