Taft (Siltetz River) Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let’s get into it. Taft (Siltetz River) is a river mouth setup, so it’s a bit of a fickle beast. The overall pattern for the next 16 days is pretty uninspiring. We’ve got a solid run of marginal to poor conditions, with the wind being a constant problem – mostly cross or cross-onshore, and often a moderate breeze. The water temperature is a staggering 50°, which is a full 9° colder than usual for this time of year. That’s brutally cold, so a thick wetsuit is non-negotiable.

The first real chance at anything rideable is on Wednesday afternoon, July 8th. We’ve got a 4ft NW swell with a period of 9 seconds. The combined energy is moderate at 662. The wind is cross from the NNW at 16 mph, so it’s going to be a bit lumpy. It’s a marginal call, but it’s the best we’ve seen so far.

The highlight of the whole period, and it’s the only one worth getting excited about, is Thursday morning, July 9th. The swell drops to 3ft but it’s from the SW with a very long period of 16 seconds. That’s a proper groundswell, and combined energy is moderate at 910. The wind is a gentle cross breeze from the NNW at 9 mph, which will keep it reasonably clean. For a river mouth, a long-period SW swell can be a treat, offering some lined-up, shapey waves. This is the pick of the fortnight. The afternoon sees the same swell but with a stronger cross wind, so get in early.

After that, it’s a long slog of poor to marginal conditions. Friday, July 10th, is a write-off with cross-onshore winds. Saturday and Sunday, July 11th and 12th, see a bump in size to 4ft-5ft from the WNW, but the wind stays cross-onshore, making it choppy.

We get a brief window of clean-ish conditions very early on Tuesday morning, July 14th, with a light onshore wind from the W. The swell is only 4ft with a short 8-second period, so it’s still a marginal call, but it’s the cleanest wind we’ll see for a few days.

The second week is a mixed bag of moderate cross-shore winds and a lot of marginal surf. Wednesday, July 15th, offers a 4ft WNW swell with a 10-second period, and a gentle cross breeze, which is about as good as it gets in the second week. The weekend of July 19th-20th sees the swell bump up to 7ft-7ft, but it’s short-period windswell (6-7 seconds) and the wind is fresh or moderate, making it a messy, lumpy affair. That’s expert-only territory if you’re even thinking about it, and honestly, it looks more interesting for a kite session than a paddle.

The final few days, July 22nd and 23rd, just keep the trend of mediocre, marginal conditions going. No real standout. So, if you can, get on that Thursday morning, July 9th, for the best chance at a clean, long-period wave. Otherwise, keep your expectations low and your wetsuit thick.

Rusty.

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