Port Orford Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, I’m Rusty. Let’s look at what’s in store for Port Orford over the next couple of weeks.

Right now, the surf is tiny and weak. For the first few days, we’ve got waves around 1ft to 2ft from the W and WNW, with combined energy barely cracking the low 40s to 150s. That’s just not enough push to get excited about, even though the wind is offshore. The water is a bone-chilling 50°, which is a whopping 7° colder than usual for this time of year – that’s very unusual, so you’ll want a thick wetsuit if you’re even thinking about paddling out.

After that, things start to pick up a little around Wednesday the 19th. The swell bumps up to 3ft to 3ft from the WNW, with moderate energy hitting around 400. The wind is offshore from the N, so it’ll be clean. The period on the morning is a lengthy 12 seconds – this is a real groundswell, which should make for some nice lines, but it’s still small. The afternoon wave comment isn’t great, so Wednesday morning is the pick of that day if you’re keen.

We hit a bit of a dry spell for honest quality until the end of the second week. There’s plenty of surfable days with 3ft to 5ft swell from the NW and NNW, all with offshore wind, but the energy is moderate at best (about 240-373) and the wave comments are just “surfable but ordinary.” The period drops to 7-8 seconds from the 21st onward, so you’re looking at weaker, short-period windswell that won’t have much shape.

Now, here’s the standout. Monday the 31st of August. We finally get some proper size – 6ft to 7ft of NNW swell, with strong wave energy of 686-635. That’s a solid size, maybe a bit much for beginners, but for experienced surfers it’ll be a good one. The wind is offshore from the N at 12-16 mph, keeping things clean. The only caveat is the period is only 8 seconds, so it’s a shorter-interval swell that might not have the power you’d hope for at that height. Still, this is the best window in the whole forecast. Port Orford can be inconsistent and it’s a sheltered spot, so a day like that is worth getting excited about.

Given the small, ordinary conditions for most of the run and only one clear standout near the end, I’d hold out for that last day of August. It’s the one worth marking on the calendar.

Rusty.

Read more