Port Orford Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here with a look at what's shaping up for Port Orford over the next couple of weeks. Gotta be straight with you from the get-go: this is a tricky forecast. The first week and a half is pretty lackluster, but there might be a flash of something interesting way out there if you're patient.

We start off on Sunday the 5th of July, but don't get excited. There's a good 8ft to 8ft of swell from the NNW, but it’s short-period windswell at just 7 seconds, and the north wind is blowing a solid 19-22 mph. It's offshore, so it's clean, but the energy is in the moderate range. Still, the wave comment calls it marginal, and the rating is low. The water is sitting at 53°F, which is nearly three and a half degrees colder than usual for this time of year – a bit of a shock to the system. Monday the 6th is more of the same, dropping a little in size but still with that fresh north wind. Tuesday the 7th sees the swell drop right off to 3ft, and it stays small for days. From Tuesday the 7th right through to Sunday the 12th, we've got a big gap of nothing but poor or very ordinary surf conditions. There's a stretch of about 5-6 days where it's just not worth paddling out. The wind stays offshore and clean, but the swell is weak and the periods are all over the place.

Now, things start to look a bit more interesting mid-month. Monday the 13th and Tuesday the 14th are still small, but we get a pulse of very long period groundswell. On Monday afternoon, we see a 2ft swell from the west with a period of 15 seconds, and Tuesday has 2ft from the west with 14 seconds. The energy is still low, but it's clean with light breezes. For a spot that's often inconsistent like Port Orford, seeing those long period lines is notable, but it's tiny.

Wednesday the 15th of July is where the chart gets our attention. Morning session shows 3ft from the WNW with a 13-second period, and the combined energy jumps to moderate. The wave comment finally says "expect good surf conditions". The wind is a moderate 16 mph offshore, so it'll be clean. This is one of the two standouts in the whole run. The second standout is the morning of Saturday the 18th of July. That's over a week away, so take it with a grain of salt, but the data shows an 8ft swell from the NNW, but with a period of only 7 seconds. That's a lumpy, short-period windswell, and with 19 mph north winds, the energy is very strong. This will be a raw, powerful, and pretty unruly wave. For the experienced lads only at that size – over 8ft is expert territory. It might have more energy than the Wednesday morning session, but the quality won't be as refined.

So, my call for the best on offer: mark your calendar for the morning of Wednesday the 15th. It’s the most well-rounded window with reasonable size (3ft) and a proper long-period groundswell (13 seconds) from the WNW under a clean offshore breeze. It won’t be huge, but it’ll be the best shaped, most surfable waves in a long dry spell.

Stay frosty, keep an eye on the long-range for the 18th if you're a glutton for punishment, but for quality, the 15th is your day.

Rusty.

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