Taft (Siltetz River) Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s take a look at what’s on offer for Taft (Siltetz River) over the next couple of weeks.

Honestly, for the first ten days, it’s a real struggle. The river mouth is just not cooperating. There’s a lot of small, weak swell, mostly coming from the SW and NW, but the wind is nearly always a cross or cross-onshore mess, chopping everything up. You’ll see a few days from Monday the 12th through Thursday the 15th where the combined swell energy gets up to a moderate 245 to 364, but the poor surf conditions and the cross-chop will leave you frustrated. It’s not until the early morning of Monday the 17th that we finally get a break in the pattern. The wind swings to a light cross-offshore from the SSE, and the swell is a clean 2 ft from the SW with a long 14-second period. It’s a small but clean window, and the combined energy is a moderate 262. It’s worth a look if you’re desperate.

But the real standout here, the one that makes you set your alarm, is Wednesday the 19th of August. That morning, the river mouth goes glassy. Glassy. The wind is a light WSW at 3 mph, and the swell fills in at 4 ft from the WNW with an 11-second period. The combined energy jumps to a strong 516, and the forecast says "expect very good surf conditions." This is the best on offer by a long shot. The swell direction is WNW, which is a solid match for the optimum W direction, and the waves will have some real shape and power. The morning session is where it’s at. The afternoon sees the wind pick up and turn cross-onshore, so get it while it’s good.

The week after that is a bit of a mixed bag. Thursday the 20th and Friday the 21st have some decent 4 ft to 5 ft WNW swell, but the wind is back to cross or cross-onshore, making it marginal. The combined energy is still strong. The period drops to 10 seconds, so it’s a bit less powerful. The following weekend and into the next week, the swell drops back down to 2 ft to 2 ft with long periods, but the wind is never quite right. The morning of Monday the 24th has a chance with a 2 ft, 18-second SW groundswell and light cross-offshore wind, but it’s tiny.

So, to boil it down: the first ten days are a write-off. Wednesday the 19th of August morning is your golden ticket. After that, it’s a waiting game for the next clean glassy day, but it doesn’t look like it’s coming in this window.

Rusty.

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