Taft (Siltetz River) Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s talk about what’s going on at Taft (Siltetz River). The overall picture for the next couple of weeks is a bit of a slow burner. We’ve got a solid window coming up, but there are plenty of flat or messy days to get through first.

This river mouth setup is exposed to the west, so it’s picking up that WNW groundswell. The water temp is sitting pretty average for the time of year, nothing wild to report there.

The pick of the entire forecast lands on Thursday morning, August 20th. The river will be glassy, with light offshore wind from the west at just 3 mph. Swell will be a clean 5ft from the WNW, with a period of 11 seconds. The combined energy is moderate at 656, and the conditions are expected to be excellent. This is your window to get a piece of it, but keep in mind this spot can sometimes get a few people around. It’s the standout, no question.

Friday, August 21st, sees a drop-off. Morning swell is down to 3ft from the WNW, with offshore wind, but the quality is only marginal. The afternoon goes even smaller with a long-period 2ft SSW swell at 14 seconds. Not much to write home about.

The weekend of the 22nd and 23rd is a write-off. Swell stays small and choppy, with cross-shore winds picking up. The combined energy is weak, in the 200s. By Sunday, a moderate breeze from the NNW at 12-15 mph is making a mess of things. The 5ft afternoon swell is plagued by short, 6-second period windswell. Forget about it.

We then hit a long, quiet stretch. From Monday, August 24th, right through to Saturday, August 30th, it's poor. Lots of small, weak swell with cross-onshore or cross winds. The energy values are low. Don’t bother paddling out.

After that gap, we get another flicker of hope. On Monday morning, August 31st, we get another glassy morning. This time the wind is from the west at 3 mph. The swell is a similar 4ft from the WNW, but with a longer 13-second period. Combined energy is a solid 849, indicating moderate to strong wave energy. It looks like another very good session, but it’s still two weeks out, so keep an eye on it but don't set your watch by it yet.

Tuesday, September 1st, holds some decent 5 to 5ft NW swell with light cross-shore winds, but the quality is only marginal. After that, the forecast turns ugly again with rain showers and strong southerly winds ramping up into the first week of September.

So, in short: get out there on Thursday morning, August 20th. If you can’t, keep your fingers crossed for Monday, August 31st. The rest is a whole lot of nothing.

Rusty

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