Taft (Siltetz River) Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's have a look at what's coming down the pipe for the next couple of weeks.

Right off the bat, I gotta be straight with you – this is a tough stretch. We’ve got a real narrow window of anything decent, and then it's mostly a long, frustrating grind. The good news is there’s one morning that looks like a gem, but you’ll have to be quick.

The only real standout is Wednesday morning, July 22nd, at Taft (Siltetz River). We’re looking at a small, clean little wave with swell from the SW at 2ft, with a nice long period of 14 seconds. That’s that groundswell energy, perfect for a river mouth setup. The wind is glassy – just a whisper from the WSW at 3 mph. That’s the kind of morning where you can have the place to yourself because the water is much colder than normal at 51°F. It’s over 7 degrees colder than it should be for this time of year, so you’ll want a thick suit and booties, but the trade-off is clean, lined-up waves. The combined energy is moderate at 395, and it’s the only session that’s actually rated as good. It’s a fairly consistent spot, but crowds are possible here, so get there early.

That afternoon on the 22nd, the wind shifts to a cross-on at 9 mph from the SSW, and it turns to junk. From there, it’s a disappointing run.

Thursday the 23rd has a bit more size, with a NW swell pushing 4ft, but the period drops to a short 9 seconds and the wind is messy. Friday the 24th is similar – small NW swell, onshore wind, and a marginal call. Nothing to get excited about.

The weekend of the 25th and 26th brings a jump in swell energy – we’re talking 432 and 796 on the combined energy scale by Saturday afternoon – but the wind is howling from the SSW at 12-16 mph with a cross-chop. It’s raw, bumpy, and poor. Not what you want for a paddle. This setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing.

We rinse and repeat through the end of July and into the first week of August. The wind stays stubbornly out of the NNW, blowing cross-shore at 9-16 mph, with small, weak SW and W swells. The swell energy drops from moderate into the weak range, dipping to 120 by the 4th of August. The period is all over the place, but the quality is consistently poor. There’s a long gap here with no real recommendations.

So, to sum it up: your one and only shot is Wednesday morning, July 22nd, at Taft. It’s a small, clean, cold-water solo session. After that, the forecast is a dry spell of onshore junk and cross-shore chop for nearly two weeks. It’s one of those stretches where you wait for a change in the pattern. Forecasts can shift, so keep an eye on it, but as it stands, that Wednesday morning is the only one worth paddling out for.

Rusty.

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