Taft (Siltetz River) Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let's talk about what's coming down the line.

Honestly, it's a pretty grim start. For the first week and a half we are looking at a whole lot of nothing. It is going to be a long wait. From Saturday morning the 8th of August all the way through to Sunday the 17th, it is a write-off. We are looking at long period, weak SW groundswells that just don't have any push with messy cross-shore and cross-onshore winds. The water temperature at Taft (Siltetz River) is sitting at a very unusual 51.9°, which is nearly 7° colder than normal for this time of year. It’s all just one big grovel. The combined swell energy barely gets above 300 (moderate energy) and even when we get a little bump on the 13th and 14th, it's all short period, messy slop not worth paddling out for.

Now, hold onto your board. Things change in a big way on Tuesday the 18th. We have a solid pulse forecast. Tuesday morning is going to see a WNW groundswell around 6.2ft with a period of 14 seconds and the combined energy is jumping past 1490 (strong). The wind is a light cross-shore. That is a serious amount of water moving. Tuesday afternoon the swell builds even more to 6.8ft from the WNW with a similar period and energy over 1692. This is big, powerful surf. This kind of size is expert only territory. It is also possibly too big for the break.

The joy finally arrives on Wednesday the 19th. The swell drops back to a more manageable 4.0ft from the WNW, still with a nice 11 second period and moderate energy of 540. The real kicker? The wind goes glassy and light from the SSE in the afternoon. That is a major positive; it will be clean. This is the standout session on offer. It’s a brief window of clean, shoulder high surf before conditions turn choppy and fading again towards the end of the period.

So to wrap it up, the wait is long and painful, but the Wednesday afternoon, August 19th, at Taft is your true window. Get out there if you can.

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