Port Orford Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s break it down.

We’re looking at a pretty challenging stretch ahead for Port Orford. Honestly, the next week and a half is a bit of a grind. The water is running way colder than normal for this time of year, coming in at 52°F at Port Orford, that’s 5°F colder than usual, so you’ll want a thick suit and booties.

The first real chance you’ll want to paddle out doesn’t come until Wednesday morning the 5th of August. The swell is 6ft from the NW with a period of 8 seconds, and the wind is glassy – dead calm. That’s a rare treat for clean conditions, but the waves are pretty ordinary. It’s a sheltered spot, so don’t expect much energy. The combined swell energy is 377, so just moderate power. It’s small enough for all levels. Crowds are often a problem here straight away.

Wednesday afternoon drops to 4ft from the NNW with a cross-off breeze, still clean but very meh.

Thursday the 6th sees a moderate offshore wind from the NNW at 12 mph in the morning, clean lines on 5ft swell from the NNW. Still nothing to get excited about – just surfable. Afternoon gets a bit stronger wind at 16 mph from the N.

Friday the 7th through to about Monday the 11th of August is pretty much a write-off. The wind is howling from the N at 19 to 22 mph. The swell bumps up a bit – up to 7ft on Sunday afternoon and 8ft on Wednesday the 12th – but with that strong offshore wind, it’s going to be blown out and messy. For beach breaks, this setup would be more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing. The wave periods are short, 6 or 7 seconds, so it’s all wind-swell junk. Don’t bother.

From the 12th to the 15th, we see a bit more size – 7ft to 8ft from the NNW – but the wind stays fresh offshore, and conditions are marginal at best. The energy picks up into the 700s and 800s, so there’s power, but the quality isn’t there. This is only for experts due to the size.

There’s a slight pause on the 17th and 18th of August, with smaller 4ft to 1ft NW swell and light winds. The 18th Tuesday morning has a 14-second period from the WNW, which is proper long period groundswell, but the swell height is only 1ft so it’s barely breaking. Combined energy is 87 – very weak. A long period wave like that at a sheltered spot can be clean but gutless.

Now, here’s the one standout. Wednesday the 19th of August morning looks like it could be the best on offer. The swell jumps to 8ft from the W with a solid 12-second period. The combined energy is a massive 1488 – very strong. The wind is light onshore in the morning, so it will be lumpy, but the afternoon is looking promising with a 6ft W swell at 11 seconds, light cross-off wind at 3 mph, and a clean forecast. This has proper groundswell energy and direction. This one is definitely for experienced surfers only, as the size is over 5ft. The wind is light and the sets will have long gaps. It’s the one day to circle.

After that, the 20th drops back to 4ft from the WNW with moderate offshore winds – just ordinary again.

So, the overall pattern is a long, tough run of wind and poor quality until the 19th. That day is your real shot. Keep an eye on it.

Rusty.

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