Taft (Siltetz River) Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here, and I gotta be straight with you. This 16-day outlook for Taft (Siltetz River) is a tough one to write. We're looking at a long stretch of pretty average to poor conditions, so don't get your hopes up for anything epic.

The water is a real shocker, coming in at a very unusual 54° to start with, which is much colder than normal for this time of year. You'll want a thick suit and booties for sure.

We kick off Monday afternoon, July 6th, with a 6 ft NW swell, but the cross-onshore wind from the NNW at 9 mph is messing it up. The combined swell energy is moderate at 877, but the report calls it poor surf. That's the story for the first week, honestly. Tuesday the 7th, Wednesday the 8th, Thursday the 9th, and Friday the 10th all have the wind working against the swell. We get a mix of SW and WNW swells from 2 ft to 4 ft, but that persistent cross-onshore breeze keeps things choppy and junk. It's a real grind.

The following weekend and into the next week, from July 11th through July 17th, is more of the same. The swell sizes bob around 2 ft to 5 ft, and while the wind sometimes eases off to a light breeze, it's still cross-onshore. The combined energy dips into the low hundreds, and a couple of those 16 to 18 second SW groundswells on the 8th and 9th were tantalizing but wasted on the lousy winds. It's a long stretch of marginal surf.

The only flicker of something interesting comes on Saturday, July 18th. The report warns the swell is predicted to be too big for Taft, hitting 7 ft with a short 7-second period from the NNW and a moderate cross-shore wind. The combined energy is strong at 858. That kind of size and short-period punch isn't going to be doing us any favors on the river mouth. It's likely blown-out and messy, more of a kite surfing spectacle than a paddle surfing session.

Then we roll into the final days, July 19th through the 21st. We finally see some potential. On Sunday the 19th afternoon we get a 6 ft NW swell with a light offshore wind from the West, and that combination gets a higher score. Monday the 20th and Tuesday the 21st keep that 5 ft to 6 ft NW swell rolling with light cross-on or onshore winds. The combined swell energy stays solid in the 550 to 776 range. This is the best-looking stretch in the whole 16 days. It won't be world-class, but it should be the most rideable, cleanest surf we've seen. The Siltetz River is a river break, so the sets will be a bit inconsistent, but with that lighter wind, the shape should be a whole lot better.

So, to sum it up: there are no true standouts here. The run of poor surf stretches for about 10 days straight. If you have to paddle out, target the 19th to the 21st. The rest of the time, save your energy. The Siltetz has good setups, but this forecast is a real bummer.

Rusty.

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