Port Orford Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s talk about the next couple of weeks around Port Orford. To be straight with you, it’s a quiet outlook with only a very narrow window of something worth paddling out for, and a whole lot of nothing otherwise.

We start off on Saturday the 25th with small, weak surf. Swell is a measly 2 ft from the NW with a short period of 8 seconds, and combined energy is a paltry 117. The water, at 49°, is much colder than normal for this time of year, which is a real kick in the guts. The wind is side-on, and conditions are just flat out poor. Not worth getting wet.

Sunday the 26th morning is your best bet of the entire 16 days. The swell jumps to a clean 4 ft out of the SW with a solid 19-second period that’s bringing some serious energy (1266). That is a proper groundswell, with long, waiting sets. The wind is light and cross-offshore, so the face should be clean. The wave comment flags very good surf conditions. This is the clear standout. Just keep in mind that this spot is inconsistent and often has crowds, so you’ll want to be early and ready to fight for your waves. For a point or reef setup, that long period will wrap in nicely, but at a beach break it might close out a bit.

Sunday afternoon drops off a little with cross-shore wind, and although the swell is still there, the conditions are marginal. Monday the 27th holds onto 4 ft to 4 ft SW swell with 18-second intervals and light cross-offshore winds, offering another good session, though the energy drops to around 965. Still clean and rideable.

From Tuesday the 28th onward, it’s a long dry spell. The swell drops to under 3 ft, the periods shorten, and the north winds start to howl. By Wednesday the 29th, we have 15 to 19 mph offshore winds, making it clean but blown out. You might get a small, junk wave, but it’s ordinary at best.

The first week of August sees the north wind ramp up to 22 to 25 mph. The swell climbs back up to 8 ft to 8 ft from the NNW on Sunday August 2nd and Monday August 3rd, but with a pitiful 7-second period and strong offshore winds, it’s just a bumpy, windy mess. The wave comments consistently say “poor surf conditions” or “marginal.” The energy is high—hitting 799 and 801—but it’s all wind-slop and closeouts, not real surf. That kind of setup is more interesting for kite-surfing than paddle surfing.

From Monday August 3rd to Wednesday August 6th, the swell stays over 7 ft with howling north winds. That’s expert-only territory if you’re brave, but honestly, the quality is terrible. After that, it drops back to tiny, weak leftovers, with a brief spike of 7 ft from the NNW on Saturday August 8th afternoon, but the period is only 6 seconds and the wind is a strong breeze. It’s all no-go.

Bottom line: the standout is Sunday July 26th morning. That’s your session. After that, there’s a gap of about two weeks where the surf is either too small, too windy, or too junky to bother with.

Stay frosty,
Rusty

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