Port Orford Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s get stuck into the outlook for the next couple of weeks in feet and miles per hour.

First off, we’re looking at Port Orford. The water temperature is running pretty average for this time of year, so nothing wild there on the thermal front. The start of the period ain't exactly firing. Tuesday the 14th and Wednesday the 15th are small and clean with offshore winds, but the wave heights are tiny, around 2 ft to 2 ft. The combined energy is weak to moderate (141 to 476), so you’re getting ankle-snappers at best. It’s surfable, but it’s a slow grind for not much reward.

Things start to perk up on Thursday the 16th. The swell ticks up a notch to 2 ft, with a very long period (18–19 seconds) from the WNW and a light breeze. The energy is moderate (361 to 543), and it’s clean as a whistle. The real standout window comes in on Friday the 17th. The morning session sees 3 ft of WNW groundswell with a period of 17 seconds and a combined energy of 1002 – that’s moderate to strong. Winds are offshore and moderate, making for some proper clean lines. Friday afternoon bumps up to 4 ft, but the wind gets a bit fresher.

Saturday the 18th starts clean with 3 ft, but the afternoon brings a spike: 8 ft of short-period NNW windswell (7 seconds) and a strong breeze offshore. The energy is very strong (1236), but that short period and the size mean it’s gonna be a bit of a mess – heaving, lumpy, and borderline out of control. Definitely expert territory only. That trend continues into Sunday the 19th with 8 ft from the NNW and short period (8 seconds), plus strong offshore winds. The energy is still very high (1126 to 1135), but these are hard-to-paddle-into, bowl-like waves. Not recommended for the average surfer. Monday the 20th drops back a bit but stays on the bigger side for the area, with 6 ft to 6 ft and a short period. The wind is still offshore but fresh. Conditions look more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing honestly, given the strength of the wind and the size.

After that, from Tuesday the 21st onward, we see a drop in size. The surf settles into the 3 ft to 5 ft range, with periods of 8–10 seconds. The winds are cross-offshore and light to gentle, so it stays clean, but the wave quality is ordinary to poor. The combined energy dips back into the weak to moderate range (113 to 288). Crowds can be often at Port Orford, so on these smaller days, it’s likely a bit of a wait for a mediocre wave.

The best on offer in this whole 16-day stretch is Friday the 17th, specifically the morning. That’s your standout: 3 ft of WNW groundswell with a 17-second period, clean offshore wind, and moderate to strong energy (1002). The swell direction is close to the optimum NW, and the long period will give you proper shaped waves and longer lulls between sets. It’s not huge, but it’s quality. The other call is Thursday the 16th – slightly smaller but also very clean with a very long period.

Late in the second week, around the 25th to the 29th, we see some pulses of long-period SW swell (16–21 seconds) but the size is small (3 ft to 5 ft) and the wind stays fresh offshore. The energy jumps up (518 to 1079), but the consistency is low and the break is inconsistent. These are promising but less certain this far out.

Overall, there are gaps of a few days where it’s really not worth paddling out, like the 14th–15th and 22nd–24th. But the first real quality shows up on the 16th, and Friday the 17th is the session to circle on the calendar.

Rusty.

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