Otter Rock Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Righto, let’s have a look at what’s on the table for Otter Rock. The next couple of weeks are a bit of a mixed bag, with a lot of marginal conditions and a few rare windows of decent surf. The water’s sitting at 56°F – a bit colder than usual for this time of year, so you’ll want a good steamer.

The forecast kicks off this Saturday, the 12th of September, with a small, weak 3ft SW swell at 15 seconds. Wind’s cross-on from the SSW though, so it’s choppy – only a 1 out of 10 for me. The combined energy is 602 (moderate), but the conditions just aren’t there. That sets the tone for a few days: Sunday and Monday see even smaller swell and persistent cross or cross-on winds, with the energy dropping into the 200s–300s. Not worth paddling out.

Now, a real standout. Wednesday the 16th of September morning – that’s the moment. The wind goes glassy from the north at only 3 mph, and we’ve got a clean 4ft NW swell. The period is short at 7 seconds, but those glassy conditions mean it’ll be smooth as butter. The combined energy is 260 (moderate), but with zero wind, this is your window. The break is a point, which handles short-period swell better than a beach.

Then Thursday the 17th of September morning is another gem – glassy again, this time dead calm, with a 5ft NW swell (8-second period) and a combined energy of 461 (moderate). That’s a touch bigger, so it’s more for intermediate to advanced surfers. The onshore wind picks up in the afternoon, so get on it early.

After that, we hit another quiet spell. Friday the 18th through to Tuesday the 22nd of September is all marginal with small swell and light cross or cross-on winds. The energy sits between 300 and 400 mostly – nothing exciting.

But then, from Wednesday the 23rd of September, the swell starts to build. Wednesday morning sees a 5ft WNW swell at 12 seconds – that’s a nice long period groundswell. Combined energy is 927 (strong). Wind is light cross from the north at 6 mph, so it’s pretty clean. That’s a solid option for the second week, but the long period means it’ll be better at the point (which Otter Rock is) than out in the bay. Thursday the 24th holds similar-sized swell but with a bit more onshore wind.

By Saturday the 26th of September, the swell pushes up to 6ft from the NW at 10 seconds, with a combined energy of 713 (strong), but the wind is a fresh cross-shore from the SSW at 19 mph – that’s choppy and lumpy, so not worth it. The final Sunday the 27th of September morning has a tiny 3ft NW swell, but the afternoon shows a 2ft WNW swell at a very long 20 seconds. That’s a real long-period groundswell – combined energy 599 (moderate) – and wind goes light onshore from the WSW. It could offer some clean, lined-up waves at the point if you’re patient for the sets.

So, the standout days are Wednesday the 16th of September morning and Thursday the 17th of September morning – glassy, clean, and just enough swell. For the second week, Wednesday the 23rd of September morning looks promising with that strong groundswell. Keep an eye on it.

Rusty.

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