Port Orford Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Let’s break down what’s happening with the surf around Port Orford over the next couple of weeks.

The coming days are a mixed bag with a bit of size early, then a long run of small to tiny waves before a late-arriving pulse of bigger, choppier swell. The standout window is tight, so you’ve gotta pick your moment.

We kick off on Monday 6 July with a solid NW swell at 6ft, period a short 8 seconds, and clean offshore NNW winds at 12 mph. Wave energy is moderate at 407, and the surf is in good shape. This is the real deal for the near term—moderate offshore and clean, and the swell direction (NW) lines up nicely with the break’s optimum from the NW. It’s an advanced, inconsistent spot that’s often crowded, so expect company if you paddle out. Monday afternoon holds similar 6ft NW swell with a longer 11-second period and moderate wave energy of 738. Still clean. This is your best bet early on.

Tuesday 7 July starts with a smaller 5ft NW swell (10 sec, 400 energy) and moderate offshore wind, but it’s already teetering into marginal territory. By afternoon, drop to 3ft and fading energy (125), so not worth a mission.

From Wednesday 8 July right through to the end of Saturday 12 July, it’s mostly poor. Swell heights hover around 2ft to 4ft, with the exception of Saturday morning’s 5ft NW swell at 9 seconds (344 energy)—that one’s surfable but very ordinary, with cloudy skies and moderate offshore wind. The rest are tiny with fresh offshore winds. A big gap of poor-to-ordinary conditions.

There’s a bit of hope on Monday 13 July afternoon with a 2ft W swell but a very long 15-second period (184 energy). Surfable but very ordinary. Not a standout.

Now, Tuesday 14 July shapes up as the next true standout. Morning has 4ft WNW swell with a long 12-second period and moderate wave energy of 489. Offshore NNW wind at 12 mph. Clean. The afternoon stays solid with 4ft WNW swell at 11 seconds (485 energy) and light offshore N wind. The swell direction (WNW) isn’t perfect for the NW-optimum break, but the quality and conditions make it the pick of the second portion.

Wednesday 15 July morning coughs up a tiny 2ft swell but with an incredibly long 21-second period—groundswell energy at 695. Very long period swells like that tend to race past beach breaks and are best on points or reefs. Port Orford is a sheltered spot, so it might offer some clean, lined-up waves for those in the know. Moderate offshore wind, but that swell height is marginal. Not for everyone.

From Thursday 16 July through to the end of the forecast on Tuesday 21 July, we see a slow increase in swell size but with poor quality. Swells build from 2ft up to 8ft by Monday 20 July, but the period drops short (6 to 8 seconds). Wind stays fresh offshore from the N and NNW at 15–25 mph, so the surface will be clean but choppy and hard to paddle into. Wave energy climbs from 870 to 1203 (moderate to strong). By Sunday 19 July afternoon, it’s 8ft at 7 seconds with strong energy of 1139, and by Monday 20 July it’s 8ft at 8 seconds with 1203 energy. That size is expert-only territory, and the short-period windswell will be chunky and hard to handle. For a beach-and-reef setup, this late run looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing. Not a recommended paddle window.

Overall, the best on offer is Monday 6 July with that clean NW groundswell and offshore wind. The second standout—less certain but still promising—is Tuesday 14 July, with cleaner lines and decent energy. Everything else is either small, marginal, or too big and messy.

Rusty.

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