Port Orford Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s cooking for Port Orford over the next couple of weeks. I’ll be straight with you – it’s a bit of a mixed bag, and we’ve got a slow start to work through.

Right now, we’re looking at a pretty grim opening. From Thursday the 23rd right through to Saturday the 25th, the surf is small and the wind is all wrong. We’ve got light cross-onshore breezes kicking up ripples, and the swell is messy and weak. The water is sitting at a chilly 50°F, which is a whopping 7° colder than normal for this time of year – that’s very unusual, so you’ll want a thick wetsuit. Honestly, for the first few days, it’s not worth paddling out.

Things start to look up on Sunday the 26th. That morning is our first real standout. We’ve got a nice 4ft swell rolling in from the southwest, with a long period of 19 seconds. That’s proper groundswell energy, and the combined energy is a solid 1263 (moderate-to-strong). The wind is a light cross-offshore breeze from the WNW, keeping the waves clean. This is the kind of morning that gets you out of bed early. The break is Port Orford, and it’s a sheltered spot, so it’ll handle that long-period swell nicely. Just keep in mind it’s inconsistent and crowds are often around, so you might have some company.

Monday the 27th is another good one. A clear sky, light cross-offshore winds, and a clean 4ft to 4ft swell from the southwest with an 18-second period. The combined energy sits around 1064 (moderate) in the afternoon. It’s a little smaller than Sunday, but the quality is still there.

After that, we hit a dry spell. From Tuesday the 28th right through to the end of the first week of August, the swell drops off and the wind picks up. We’re talking mostly 3ft to 3ft waves with short periods of 8 to 9 seconds. The wind goes fresh offshore, which sounds good, but the swell is just too weak and gutless to get excited about. The combined energy is mostly in the double digits or low triple digits (weak). There’s a bump on Tuesday the 4th of August with 8ft swell from the NNW, but the period is only 8 seconds and it’s blowing 30 km/h offshore – that’s a lot of wind for a short period swell, and it’s only really for the experts at that size.

So, the honest truth is: the best surf on offer is that Sunday the 26th morning, with Monday the 27th running a close second. After that, it’s a long stretch of small, wind-affected waves. The consistency isn’t there for most of the run, so if you’re itching for a wave, make the most of that first weekend.

Rusty.

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