Otter Rock Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Imperial Version

Alright, surf fans, Rusty here. Let’s be straight with you: the next couple of weeks are looking pretty slim pickings for most of us. The models are showing a lot of small, weak, and messy swell for Otter Rock, with the wind almost always coming at it from the wrong side. It’s one of those stretches where you’ve got to be stoked on a cold one and a good view, because the board is staying in the car for a while.

Looking at the first run of the forecast, from Friday, August 14th, we’ve got a bit of knee-high swell at Otter Rock (Oregon), maybe 2ft, coming from the southwest with a nice long 15-second period. The issue is the morning onshore wind is already making things a bit jumbled, and by the afternoon it's straight cross-onshore and choppy. Not worth suiting up for. That pattern holds through the weekend and into the start of next week. The swell is small, under 3ft, and the wind keeps swinging from the northwest, putting a constant cross-onshore chop on the water. The energy is weak. This is a classic “check the cam, shake your head, go back to bed” scenario.

We do get a bit of a bump around Wednesday the 19th and Thursday the 20th, with the swell building to 3ft then 5ft from the WNW. The period drops a bit to 11-12 seconds, which helps a little, but the wind is still not playing nice. The energy is starting to pick up, but it’s all a bit messy and cross-onshore. It’s bigger, but it’s not cleaner. There are a few mornings where it might be on the edge of okay, but the forecast is calling it marginal at best.

After that, we sink back into the doldrums for a few days. From the 21st to the 24th, it’s back to small, weak, and poor. The energy drops way back down, and the wind is still cross-onshore. There’s a little blip on the 23rd with a 19-second period swell from the WSW, but it’s only 1ft. That’s just a ghost.

Now, for the true standouts – you have to look a week and a half out. The forecast for Tuesday, August 25th and especially Wednesday, August 26th is showing something far more interesting. The swell is set to ramp up seriously, hitting 5ft and then 8ft from the NW. The energy number on the 26th is huge, which is strong to very strong. This is a proper groundswell, even if the period is only in the 9-second range for a lot of it.

The wind on the 26th is a light cross-shore in the morning and a light cross-onshore in the afternoon. That’s the best we’re going to see for Otter Rock. This is the one to watch. That 8ft of NW swell is a big jump, and it will be a serious step up in size. It’s not for the faint of heart, and given it’s over 8ft, it’s firmly in the expert-only realm. The current water temperature is sitting about average for this time of year. So, if you’re an experienced surfer, mark your calendar for Wednesday, August 26th. It looks like it could be the session of the fortnight, but remember, long-range forecasts like this are promising, not guaranteed. The wave period is short, around 9 seconds, which might make it a bit lumpy, but there should be plenty of power behind it.

The swell fades through the 27th and 28th, with 5ft to 6ft waves, but the wind starts to pick up again, creating poor conditions. By the 29th, we’re back down to knee-high mush.

This is a rough stretch, folks. For the most part, plan on doing something else. But keep your eyes on that Wednesday the 26th – it’s got some real potential to turn Otter Rock from a beachside park into a proper lineup.

Rusty, out.

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