Putsborough Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s coming up for Putsborough over the next couple of weeks.

Straight off the bat, I gotta be honest with you – this is a rough stretch. We’re looking at a real quiet spell for the next week and a half, with barely a ripple worth paddling for. The first hint of anything that even looks like surf doesn’t show up until late in the month, so you might be better off cleaning the wax off your board and taking a walk on the beach for a while.

The first few days are a total write-off. Tiny swell, mostly under 0.7 ft, and a lot of onshore or cross-off junk. The water temp is sitting at 64°F, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year, so at least the swim is nice. But the energy is pathetically weak (6 to 15), and the period is either short or way too long for the size. Nothing happening.

We go through the whole week with the same story. A few mornings look clean, with a light ENE breeze, but the swell is just a ghost. Even the Saturday morning on the 26th, where we get a bit more size at 3 ft and a clean cross-off wind, the energy is still only 51 – weak. The wind does swing offshore on the Sunday afternoon the 26th, which is a nice change, but the swell is still only 3 ft on a 6-second period. It’s a clean little wave for a log, but you’ll be fighting for every drop.

Now, the real interest – and I mean *real* interest – starts to show up around the 29th of July. The Wednesday morning has a 6 ft swell from the WSW, but with a 7-second period and onshore wind, it’s a lumpy mess. The energy is moderate (306), but it’s not going to be pretty. The Wednesday afternoon jumps to 10 ft out of the W with a 9-second period, and the energy is strong (1465). But the wind is onshore, and the report says it’s marginal. This is big, unruly, and messy.

Here’s the standout, and I’m saying this with a bit of excitement and a lot of caution: Thursday morning, the 30th of July. Putsborough is a beginner-friendly beach break, and it’s rated as such. On this morning, we’ve got a solid 12 ft swell from the W, a 9-second period, and a clean cross-off wind from the ENE. The energy is very strong (2163). The problem is, 12 ft is way over the head for a beginner break, and the report flat out says it’s too big for this spot. This is a day for experts only, and even then, the period is on the shorter side for a groundswell, so it might be a bit crumbly and fast. It’s a beast of a wave, but it’s not a friendly one. The Thursday afternoon drops to 10 ft with a cross-on wind, which chops it up.

After that, the swell fades quickly. The 31st of July has a 7 ft morning with a cross-off breeze, but the energy drops to 392 and the period is short (7 seconds). It’s a bit cleaner, but it’s not the same quality. By the 1st of August, we’re back to small, weak, cross-on junk.

So, the bottom line: if you’re a seasoned charger, that Thursday morning the 30th is your window. It’s big, it’s powerful, and it’s clean. But it’s dangerous for anyone else. The rest of the run is flat to marginal. Don’t expect much.

Rusty.

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