Port Orford Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what we’ve got for Port Orford over the next couple of weeks. I gotta be straight with you – this is a tough period. There’s no real swell magic happening, and most of the chart is reading "marginal" or "poor." If you’re an advanced surfer who knows the spot, you might scratch out a session, but for most of us, the pickings are slim.

First up, Thursday afternoon the 2nd of July. It’s cloudy with a moderate offshore wind from the north at 16 mph. The swell is coming out of the NNW at 5 ft, with a short period of just 7 seconds. The combined wave energy is moderate at 446. The water is *much colder than normal* – coming in at 52°F with a big -5°F anomaly, so that’s well below average for this time of year. The surf is described as marginal, and given the short period and sheltering of the spot, it’s pretty uninspiring.

Moving into Friday the 3rd and Saturday the 4th of July, mornings see fresh offshore winds at 19 mph from the north. The swell drops right off Friday morning to a tiny 2 ft from the southwest with a long 15-second period, but energy is weak at 300. Saturday morning picks up to 5 ft out of the NNW, but still only 8-second period and the wave comment reads poor or marginal. Afternoons are worse, with the swell fading to 2 ft. Just not worth the paddle.

Sunday the 5th and Monday the 6th of July see the swell bump up – Sunday morning has 8 ft from the NNW, and Sunday afternoon hits 8 ft from the same direction. But that’s with a short 7-second period and strong offshore winds at 22 mph. The energy ramps up (675 to 912), but the wave quality is rated poor. For experts only, if you’re desperate, but the short period makes it choppy and dumpy. Monday afternoon the 6th sees a shift – 4 ft from the WNW with a much nicer 11-second period and moderate energy (564). That *could* be the pick of a bad bunch, but the comment still says marginal surf.

From Tuesday the 7th of July through to the following week, we’re stuck in a rut. Swell sizes range from 2 ft up to 6 ft, mostly from the NW or WNW. Winds are offshore but often fresh to strong. The standout in the long range might be Wednesday morning the 15th of July – a very long period groundswell of 19 seconds from the WNW, but the height is tiny at 2 ft to 2 ft. The energy is high (615) for such a small wave, which suggests it’s very lined up and powerful for its size, but on a beach setup at Port Orford, that long period might just make it close out. Then Thursday morning the 16th of July has another long period swell (17 seconds) at 3 ft, with energy at 824. The wind is strong offshore at 25 mph, so it’ll be clean but a battle to paddle into.

Right at the very end, Friday the 17th of July, we see some size again – 8 ft from the N and NNW, with a short 7-second period and massive energy (1402 and 1559). That’s a lot of water moving, but with that period and shape, this is only for the experts, and it’s still just marginal. Honestly, there’s no single day I’d call a standout. The best shot is maybe the afternoon of Monday the 6th of July if you want a longer period, or the early morning of the 15th for that rare very long period glassy look, but don’t expect any hero sessions. If you’re a kitesurfer, the strong, consistent offshore wind and short-period waves from the 5th to 9th of July might look better than paddling a surfboard.

Alright, stay patient. Sometimes it’s flat for a stretch, but Port Orford can surprise. Keep an eye on it.
Rusty

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