Taft (Siltetz River) Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let’s have a look at the forecast for Taft (Siltetz River). I’ll be straight with you – this is a tough stretch ahead. The next 16 days are looking pretty grim overall, with no real standout sessions to get excited about.

We start off on Tuesday, August 11th, with tiny, weak swell. The water is a staggering 51°F, which is a whopping 8° colder than usual for this time of year. That’s not just a little chilly, that’s a full-on ice bath. The wind is coming from the NNW at 9 mph, blowing cross-onshore, making the 1ft of swell from the SW messy and choppy. Combined swell energy is only 138, so there’s nothing to work with.

This pattern of poor surf and cross-onshore wind drags on for days. Wednesday the 12th sees a bit more energy, with combined energy hitting 280, but the swell is still only 1ft and the wind is still cross-onshore at 12 mph. It’s a frustrating mix of tiny, weak waves and chop.

We get a small bump on Thursday the 13th – the swell picks up to 3ft from the NW, but with a period of just 7 seconds. That’s short-period, weak windswell. It’s still cross-onshore, so expect poor quality. The combined energy is 233, but it’s all for nothing with the wind messing it up.

Friday the 14th is more of the same, with 4ft of 7-second windswell from the NW, combined energy of 253, but still cross-onshore wind. Just not clean.

The weekend, Saturday the 15th and Sunday the 16th, drops back to 2ft from the SW. The wind lightens up a bit, but it’s still cross-onshore, and the surf is described as marginal at best. The best score we see in this whole period is a 1 out of 10, and that’s for “marginal surf forecast or questionable tide conditions.” That’s not a recommendation, that’s a warning.

The following week, from Monday the 17th through to the end of the forecast on Wednesday the 26th, is a flat, choppy wasteland. Swell heights hover between 1ft and 3ft, with periods mostly under 12 seconds and cross-onshore or cross-shore wind. There’s a brief moment on Thursday the 20th in the morning where the wind shifts to light onshore from the W, and the combined energy spikes to 444, but the swell is only 3ft at 11 seconds. It’s still considered marginal, and the wind is onshore, not offshore.

The worst part is the consistency. This spot is “fairly consistent” according to the guide, but there’s nothing consistent about the quality here. For a solid 16 days, there’s no clean, rideable surf. It’s a blank run. When the swell is this weak and the wind is this persistent, it’s more of a kiteboarding or windsurfing setup than a paddle surfer’s dream. The best I can tell you is to keep an eye on the forecasts – things can change, but right now, it’s a write-off.

Rusty.

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