Port Orford Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here, checkin' in with the outlook for Port Orford. Gotta be straight with you – it's a tricky stretch ahead.

Right off the bat, the water is unusually cold for this time of year, sittin' at 51°F with an anomaly that's over 7°F below normal. That's seriously chilly, so you'll be wantin' the thickest rubber you've got.

We're lookin' at a real slow start. Nothin' worth paddlin' out for on Tuesday the 11th or Wednesday the 12th. The swell's tiny and short period on the 12th, with a combined energy of only 153, so you're just rockin' in the boat.

Thursday the 13th stays poor, though the afternoon teases a jump in energy to 450 but with only 2ft of swell. The wind is blowin' fresh and offshore, but there's just not enough push.

Friday the 14th is where things start to look a little more interesting. The morning has a 5ft NW swell with moderate offshore winds, but the period is a snappy 7 seconds, keepin' things a bit messy. The afternoon is the real standout of this first week. We get a clean 4ft swell from the NNW with a 7-second period and combined energy of 410. The wind is a solid moderate offshore, and the forecast says "expect good surf conditions." It won't be the wave of the year, but it's the best we've got for a while. It's a beach break, and it's "inconsistent" here, so you'll be workin' for 'em but the clean lines will be there.

From Saturday the 15th through to Tuesday the 19th, we hit another flat spell with barely any rideable energy. The swell drops right off, with combined energy numbers like 96 and 43. The glassy conditions on the morning of Tuesday the 18th are cruel – perfect conditions with absolutely no waves.

Things start to breathe again on Wednesday the 19th. Pulses of WNW groundswell show up with a 13-second period and combined energy of 212. The direction is good, and with moderate offshore wind, these could be some clean, lined-up waves, even if they're not big.

The next real highlight is Friday the 21st of August. Afternoon brings a 6ft swell from the N, period of 6 seconds, and combined energy of 417. That's a lot of water moving, and again the wind is offshore. It's chunky and a bit raw, but it's a solid step up in size. The morning of Saturday the 22nd is similar, a touch smaller at 5ft.

But the real session to circle on the calendar – if you're comfortable with a bit of size – is Monday the 24th. The afternoon sees a solid 7ft swell from the N, with a combined energy of 565. That's a serious amount of juice. The period is still short at 6 seconds, making it a bit lumpy, and with fresh offshore winds, it'll be clean but powerful. That size is pushing into expert-only territory. It's a beach break, so those short-period N swells can close out, but for a strong paddler, there's fun to be had.

For the rest of the second week, the wind stays crankin' offshore, but the swell mix gets weird with lots of long-period SW groundswell and weak short-period N energy. There's a glimmer of hope on the 23rd and 25th afternoons with that SW groundswell (17 and 19 seconds) which, combined with a change of direction, could make it interesting for the more sheltered corners, but it's not a lock.

Overall, keep your expectations in check. The best bets are the afternoon of Friday the 14th and that bigger session on Monday the 24th.

Rusty.

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