Taft (Siltetz River) Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, let’s take a look at what’s on offer at Taft (Siltetz River).

Right now the water’s sitting at about 56°, a bit colder than average for this time of year, so you might want that extra neoprene.

Truth be told, we’ve got a patchy start. From Monday the 7th all the way through the middle of the month, things are pretty flat or just poor – mostly small swell with onshore or cross-shore winds messing up any real shape. There’s a stretch of days here where the best I can say is “marginal” and even then only a handful of windows. The morning of Saturday the 12th might catch your eye with 5ft from the NW and light airs, but that combined energy (701) is only moderate and the winds are cross-onshore, so it’s not punching above its weight.

Now, for the standout. Mark your calendars for Sunday the 20th of September morning. This is the one. We’ve got 6ft of WNW groundswell, period hanging around 11 seconds, and the wind goes glassy – offshore from the NW at just 3 mph. The combined energy hits a strong 1131, which tells you there’s proper push behind it. This is expert territory though, over 5ft, so if you’re not confident you might get worked. But for those who can handle it, the river mouth could set up smooth lines. That morning is clean, glassy, and about as good as this window gets.

Monday the 21st morning isn’t far behind – same size swell, 6ft from WNW, but the wind is a light cross-shore from the N, so a touch less polished. Still very much worth a look, with energy still strong at 1099.

Later on Tuesday the 22nd afternoon, the swell bumps to 7ft from the WNW with a nice long 13-second period, but the wind turns cross-shore and that gets a bit messy. Still, the energy is very strong at 1583 – this is big, powerful groundswell and would only be suitable for experienced surfers, ideally on a point or reef setup.

So bottom line: the first week and a half is a write-off. No good surf on offer until around the 19th, and even then it’s building. The real gem is Sunday the 20th morning – don’t sleep on it if you’ve got the skills.

Rusty.

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