Port Orford Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, this is Rusty. Let’s have a look at the surf ahead for the Port Orford area.

First thing you gotta know: the water temperature is sitting at 50°F right now, which is a staggering 7°F colder than normal for this time of year. That’s not just a little chilly — that’s *unusual*, even for the Oregon coast. Bring a thick hooded 5/4 and booties if you're paddling out.

We’re looking at a real dry spell to start. The first few days are basically a write-off. Friday the 24th and Saturday the 25th are all poor surf conditions with weird, mixed-up swell and onshore wind. Nothing to even bother suiting up for. Then Sunday the 26th starts to show some life. Sunday afternoon is the first real window worth talking about. We get a clean, cross-offshore breeze out of the WNW and a solid 4ft swell coming from the southwest with a long 19-second period. The combined energy is strong at 1263 — you can feel that pulse in the water. That’s the kind of groundswell that lines up better on the points or reefs than a straight beach break, so pick your spot wisely. It’s not huge, but it’ll be clean and shapely. Monday the 27th follows it up with more of the same — clean conditions, cross-offshore wind, and waist-high plus swell. That stretch from Sunday afternoon through Monday is your best call in the whole 16-day window.

After that, we hit another long lull. Tuesday the 28th through to the end of the first week of August is mostly poor surf with strong offshore winds and low energy. Sure, the wind is offshore and the water will look like glass, but the swell drops off to knee-high or less for days on end. There are patches with a bit more size, like Friday August 1st? No, that’s only 2ft with a long period — not enough push.

Wait, there is a little blip on Sunday August 2nd afternoon: 6ft of windswell out of the north, but the period is a short 6 seconds. That’s choppy, fat, and messy, even if the wind is offshore. Then another uptick at the very end of the forecast: Friday August 7th afternoon shows 6ft from the NW at 9 seconds with moderate energy (719), and Saturday August 8th pushes up to 8ft and 8ft from the NNW with short period. At 8ft, that’s expert territory only, and with a short 7-second period, it’s going to be a close-out washing machine at most beach breaks. The wind is still howling offshore at 18-22 mph, so it’ll look clean on the surface, but the waves themselves won’t have much shape.

The standout is without a doubt Sunday afternoon the 26th and Monday the 27th. That combo of a clean 4ft SW groundswell with a 19-18 second period and light cross-offshore winds is as good as it gets in this outlook. It’s not a bomb, but it’s clean, fun, and surfable. After that, you’re waiting over a week for anything else that’s even marginal.

Stay warm and paddle smart.

- Rusty

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