Port Orford Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Gotta be honest with you, looking at this 16-day window for Port Orford, it’s a tough stretch. The first few days are a write-off, and we’ve got a long gap before anything worth paddling out for shows up.

We start off with nothing. Friday the 24th and Saturday the 25th are a total loss. The wind is junk, right on it or cross-on, and the surf is just messy. You’re looking at small, weak swell with a combined energy of only 480 (Friday morning) and 868 (Friday afternoon), just not doing anything for the shape. Then from Friday afternoon the 25th all the way through to the morning of Sunday the 26th, there’s a real dead zone with no recommendations at all.

Things finally perk up a bit on Sunday morning, July 26th. The wind swings to a light, clean cross-offshore from the WNW at 6 mph, and we get a decent pulse of SW groundswell at 4 ft. The period is a solid 19 seconds, which is a very long period groundswell. That kind of energy (1266 combined energy) will wrap in nicely and has the potential to line up well. The water temp is about average for the time of year, nothing wild. If you’re heading out, Port Orford can get crowded, so expect some company. This is the best window of the whole outlook. Monday the 27th holds similar promise with clean, cross-off winds and another 4 ft of that long-period SW groundswell (1088 energy), so the quality should carry over into the afternoon.

After that, it’s a long, slow decline. Tuesday morning the 28th is small and weak, barely a ripple. From Wednesday the 29th onward, the wind cranks up from the north, fresh and strong, blowing 15-22 mph. Even though it’s offshore, that much wind on a small, short-period swell (8-9 seconds, with energy between 107 and 221) just makes for a bumpy, blown-out mess. It’s not worth it. That strong north wind pattern locks in for days, and while the swell picks up a bit around Monday, August 3rd (6.6 ft from the NNW with a short 7-second period), it’s a steep, choppy, short-period windswell that’s only going to be messy and powerful. That’s expert territory, and with the wind, it’s more of a kite session than a surf session. The run of poor conditions stretches all the way through to the end of the forecast.

So, the standout is clearly Sunday, July 26th and Monday, July 27th. The long-period groundswell, clean conditions, and good energy make it the only real window to grab a wave. The rest? I’d be doing something else.

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