Port Orford Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, it's Rusty here.

Honestly, looking at the charts for the Port Orford stretch for the next couple of weeks, it’s a bit of a tough watch. We’ve got a long window of small, wonky surf ahead. The first real chance to even get wet comes Saturday, August 15th, and even then, it’s not pretty.

Saturday the 15th sees a weak 2ft W swell rolling in at 10 seconds, pushing a combined energy of only 142. Mixed with a cross-offshore breeze, it’s barely surfable. The afternoon cleans up a touch with a clean offshore wind, but the swell is still a messy 3ft from the NNW at a short 7 seconds. Honestly, you're not missing much.

We then hit a real dry spell. From Sunday the 16th right through to Tuesday the 18th, it’s all small stuff under 2ft and howling offshore winds. The water temp is feeling pretty average for this time of year, nothing wild. You might get a half-decent long-period pulse on Tuesday the 18th morning with a 1ft swell from the WNW at 15 seconds, but it’s so weak the energy is only 90 – that’s not enough to push you down the line.

Things start to look a little more interesting heading into the end of the week. Thursday the 20th afternoon is probably our first real standout. The wave energy bumps up to 431 (moderate), with a clean 3ft WNW swell at 11 seconds and a solid offshore wind. It’s clean and punchy, and for the first time all week, the conditions actually feel good. This is your best bet for a proper session, but remember, this spot is inconsistent and can be crowded often – so expect company.

After that, the wind gets cranking again. Friday the 21st sees a jump in size with a 5ft NNW swell, but it’s short-period slop at 7 seconds and being hammered by 18 mph winds. By Saturday the 22nd, the swell is up to 5ft, but with that strong north wind, it’s going to be a messy, blown-out mess. That kind of size and strong wind might be better suited for a kite than a paddleboard.

We then slide into another quiet stretch. From Sunday the 23rd of August all the way to Tuesday the 25th, it’s all small, long-period SW groundswells in the 1ft to 2ft range with periods over 17 seconds. The energy is moderate, but these long-period SW swells just don't work well here – they break too straight. The wind stays howling offshore, but there’s just no push.

The final few days of the month (26th to 30th August) are all over the shop. A couple of poor 5ft NNW pulses appear with the period stuck at 6-8 seconds, and the offshore wind stays fresh to strong. It’s going to be a frustrating mix of small, clean, but weak groundswells, and short-period, messy, and windy junk. For now, I’d circle Thursday the 20th afternoon as your only real window, and even then, don’t expect perfection.

Rusty.

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