Taft (Siltetz River) Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, listen up. We're staring down the next two weeks at the Siltetz River mouth at Taft. It's a river break, so it's got its own personality. The start of this forecast is a total drag. There's a long, long stretch of nothing worth paddling for before we finally see some life.

The water is absolutely freezing for this time of year, sitting at 50° and a whopping 10° colder than normal. You're going to want a thick wetsuit and hood.

The first week, from Sunday the 23rd all the way through the end of August, is a complete write-off. The swell is pathetic, mostly under 3ft, and the winds are constantly cross or cross-onshore, just wrecking any chance of a clean wave. The combined energy is weak, mostly in the low-to-mid 200s. It's flat and ugly. Monday the 24th, Tuesday the 25th, all of it – just forget it.

Turning the calendar to September doesn't change anything immediately. Tuesday the 1st and Wednesday the 2nd are still blown out and messy. We're looking at a solid week and a half of nada.

The real action begins Thursday, September 3rd, and carries into the first week of September. The energy finally shows up. The combined swell energy jumps to 518 on Thursday morning, climbing to 783 that afternoon, with swells building from 5ft to 6ft from the WNW. The period is still a mediocre 9-10 seconds, so it's not the cleanest groundswell, but there's finally some push. The problem is, that cross-shore wind sticks around, and the swell gets big.

Now, the one true standout, the only real gem in this whole forecast, is Monday, September 7th. Check it out: the morning shows a solid 4ft from the WNW with a 9-second period and strong combined energy of 538. But the wind? Glassy. Zero wind. It's a "slight air" reading, which is as close to perfect as you can get. The afternoon is even better, with 6ft from the WNW, a 10-second period, and combined energy of 714. And again, glassy. That's your moment. For a river mouth, having that kind of size with silky clean conditions is a gift.

One big heads up: Thursday afternoon, September 4th, the swell hits 7ft from the NW with a combined energy of 1054. That's a ton of water. The forecast even notes it's likely too big for this break. So while Monday the 7th is the pick, that earlier pulse might be a mess of current and whitewater.

Crowds at Taft can be a thing sometimes, so if you're planning on that glassy Monday, get there early to claim your spot.

So here's the hard truth: a long, flat, and windy start. Then a big, raw, and potentially overwhelming swell mid-week. But if you hold out for Monday, September 7th, you'll get clean, head-high-plus waves with perfect conditions. That's the one to chase.

Rusty.

Read more