Port Orford Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s on the menu for Port Orford over the next couple of weeks.

First up, we’re in for a long, quiet stretch. The water is sitting at 55°, which is a bit colder than what we’d normally expect for this time of year—about 3° cooler, so you’ll want that extra layer.

Right now and through the end of August, things are pretty flat and messy. We’ve got a very long-period groundswell from the southwest, but it’s tiny—only 2ft with a 17-second period. The combined swell energy is weak at 294, and with a cross-onshore wind, it’s going to be chopped up and not worth paddling out for. That continues for several days. From the 25th through to the 30th, the swell barely nudges above 3ft, and while we get a few windows of glassy or offshore wind, the wave quality is just too ordinary.

The standout window doesn’t show up until the second week. We get a proper pulse of northwest swell around Monday the 7th of September. That morning, Port Orford is looking at clean 6ft swell from the NNW, with a moderate offshore breeze and moderate wave energy (548). It’s still a bit on the smaller side, but the winds are right. Then that afternoon, it gets even better: 7ft from the NNW, period around 9 seconds, and glassy conditions. The combined energy jumps to 784—moderate but solid. That’s the best we’ve seen. The swell direction doesn’t match the optimum NW exactly, but close enough.

Port Orford can be inconsistent and it’s a sheltered spot, so it takes a decent swell to get it working. This one should have it pretty clean for a few sessions. The crowds here are often, so you might have company for that glassy afternoon.

Wednesday the 9th also looks excellent: 7ft from the NW, 10-second period, and clean with a moderate offshore wind. Wave energy is strong at 1264. That’s a real highlight—expert-level size but absolutely worth it if you’ve got the skills.

Everything before that first week of September is a write-off. That’s about 12 days of mostly poor or marginal surf. But the 7th and 9th? That’s our window. Don’t sleep on it.

Rusty.

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