Port Orford Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's talk about what we've got on offer at Port Orford.

Right out of the gate, things are looking a bit grim. The surf is there, but it’s small and messy. We kick off Wednesday morning with 4.3ft of NW windswell, period a short 6 seconds. The wind is howling offshore at 16 mph, which will keep the face clean, but the wave quality is just ordinary. The combined energy is moderate at 165. It’s gonna be a battle to get a good one. The water temp is sitting about average for the time of year.

Wednesday afternoon picks up a touch to 4.9ft from the NNW, but the period is still a paltry 6 seconds and the wind gets up to a fresh 19 mph. The energy jumps significantly to 409, but it’s still just not a good look for a paddle. This is the kind of day that might be more fun for a kite surfer to get out and blast around.

Thursday morning (August 13th) drops back to 4.6ft from the NW with a better 7-second period, but the score is a flat zero. It’s poor. By the afternoon, the swell drops right off to 2.0ft from the SW, but look at the period jump to 16 seconds! That’s a proper long-period groundswell, and the energy is a solid 447. But with only two feet of swell, it’s marginal at best, likely just a slow, fat line.

The real standout in this 16-day window is the period starting the morning of August 19th. After a long stretch of tiny, poor waves, we finally get a little pulse of life. On Wednesday morning, August 19th, we see 2.6ft from the WNW with a decent 12-second period. The wind goes glassy – a major positive. This will result in clean, glassy conditions. The combined energy is 202. It’s small, but for a wave-starved stretch, this is the best we’ve seen in a while.

That little pulse continues through Thursday, August 20th. The swell holds at 3.3ft from the west with 11-12 second periods and a moderate offshore wind. The energy is up around 290-311. It’s not Puerto, but it’s clean, rideable, and the wind is cooperating. This is your best bet for a session that doesn't feel like a total chore.

The very end of the run, on August 26th, sees a spike in height with 5.6-5.9ft from the NNW, but it’s a junky 6-7 second windswell. That means a lot of close-out sections and chop, especially with the fresh 19-22 mph offshore wind. It’s gonna be a clean but bumpy mess, too big for beginners at over 4.9ft, and really only for the experts who just want to get pounded.

Overall, this is a bleak 16 days for quality surf at Port Orford. The one bright spot is that glassy morning on the 19th and the clean small waves on the 20th.

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