Port Orford Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right, let’s have a look at what’s cooking in the water here at Port Orford. Honestly, it’s a pretty grim start to the outlook, and we’ve got a long wait ahead. The first week or so is a write-off—poor surf conditions rule the roost from Wednesday the 22nd right through to the end of July. The swell is small, messy, and the wind is all over the shop, mostly onshore or cross-onshore. You’re looking at weak, short-period NW swell around 2ft to 4ft, with combined energy barely cracking 179 (moderate energy at best) and often much lower. It’s just not worth paddling out for.

Now, there’s a glimmer of hope. Come Sunday, the 26th of July, the pattern shifts. A solid SW groundswell moves in, with a very long period of 19 seconds and combined energy jumping to 1142 (strong wave energy). The swell height sits around 4ft, which is a good, solid size for most surfers, not too big for beginners but meaty enough for intermediates. The real winner is the wind: Sunday afternoon it goes cross-offshore from the WNW at just 3 mph, and the water will be glassy clean. That’s when you want to be out. The stand-out session is Sunday afternoon, the 26th, at Port Orford, with that 4ft SW groundswell, 19-second period, and clean conditions. It’s the best on offer by a long shot. Monday morning the 27th also looks clean with cross-offshore NNW winds at 9 mph, and the swell is still hanging in there at 4ft, so that’s a solid backup.

Heads up, though: the water temperature is a whopping 50°F, which is a massive 7°F colder than average for this time of year. That’s very unusual, so you’ll want a thick wetsuit, booties, and probably a hood. It’s going to be a cold paddle.

After that Monday, the swell drops off quickly. The rest of the outlook from Tuesday the 28th onward is all small, weak NW windswell, with offshore winds but barely any height—mostly 1ft to 3ft. The combined energy plummets to two-digit numbers or low three-digits, which is weak. There’s no real stand-out in the second week. The wind stays fresh offshore from the north, but the waves just aren’t there. A few pulses of longer-period SW groundswell show up in early August, but the swell heights are tiny—1ft to 2ft—so it’s not going to break properly. The 6th of August morning has a 6ft N swell, but with a period of just 6 seconds, it’s going to be a messy, choppy mess, and the wind is a fresh 19 mph offshore. That’s more of a kite-surfing setup than a paddle-surfing one.

So, to sum it up: the only real window is Sunday afternoon the 26th and Monday morning the 27th. That’s it. The rest of the 16 days is a long, quiet stretch. Port Orford is an inconsistent, sheltered spot, so a blank run like this is pretty normal for the area. Don’t lose hope—forecasts change, but for now, mark that Sunday in your calendar and get your thickest rubber ready.

Rusty.

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