Taft (Siltetz River) Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright mate. Rusty here.

Gotta be straight with you – the next 16 days at Taft on the Siltetz River looks pretty ordinary. There’s a long stretch of tiny, weak, and messy conditions. The first day with any wave is Friday, July 24th, and even that’s a tough one.

Friday afternoon brings a 4ft swell from the NW, with a period of 9 seconds. The combined energy is moderate at 402. There’s a light breeze and some clouds, but the forecast flags it as marginal. You might find a rideable one, but only if you’re a patient intermediate surfer.

Then it goes properly flat. From Saturday the 25th through the end of July and into the first days of August, there’s very little worth mentioning. The swell drops to around 2ft, the wind is cross or cross-onshore, and wave energy falls off a cliff. Even when there’s a long 22-second groundswell on the 25th, it’s only 2ft and is ruined by a 20 km/h cross-shore wind. Most days score a 0 or 1 out of 10 for a reason.

That first week is basically a big gap with no real options.

Into the second week, the swell tries to pick up. On August 2nd, we get a 4ft swell, but the period drops to just 8 seconds, coming from the WNW with a cross-onshore breeze. It’s choppy and weak. The following days push the swell to between 6ft and 7ft, with the biggest being Thursday, August 6th – a 7ft NW swell, but still a short 8-second period and a stiff 25 km/h cross-shore wind. The wave energy is moderate at 645, but the quality is not there. This stretch looks more suited to a kite surfer than a paddle surfer, especially at this river mouth.

The best of a poor bunch is the morning of Saturday, August 8th. A 6ft NW swell, still with a short 8-second period, but the wind is a gentle 15 km/h cross-shore. It scores a 2 out of 10, which is the best you’ll get. The combined energy is strong at 615 (615). It won't be perfect, but on a river break, the short-period swell can offer a few fun walls if the tide cooperates. That’s the one session in the whole 16 days that might not be a total loss.

The water is absolutely freezing. On the 24th it’s 51°F, which is 8° colder than normal for July. That’s very unusual, so you’ll need a thick wetsuit and booties if you even think about getting in.

Hang in there, but forecasts can change. This run of small, messy surf is fairly normal for this area when it goes quiet.

Rusty.

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