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Oregon’s surf is cold, fickle and sharky. This primeval 360 mile long rugged coastline has stunning dense forests edging the frigid North Pacific waters and boasts an active, if not secretive and intolerant, surf scene. Like the North Atlantic coast of United States the water here is COLD, VERY COLD and the weather severe with massive swells, gale-force winds, more rain then you can imagine, wicked currents, logged clogged river- mouths and of course ever present Man in the Gray Suit (Great White shark) cruising for a tasty morsel. Then you have the local surfers, a pretty hardy bunch of surly watermen and women who covet their wild isolation.
Forget Oregon summer surfing. It’s foggy, cold, full of tourists and not much surf. Winters are brutal with the Pacific Northwest storm track playing havoc on Oregon’s vulnerable coastline with unbelievable amounts of rain, washouts, flooding and power outages. These winter storms generate giant storm surf that one would have to be insane to paddle out into.
Around April Fools Day things start to lighten-up but compared to California its still freezing arse with persistent bitter north winds battering the coastline wilderness. When the wild flowers bloom and nature starts to come back to life the local surfers start to appear but don’t expect any warm greetings or aloha here. This hardy bunch partake in a variety of surf activities from long boarding in small surf to tow-ins into giant (25’ plus) maulers.
This leaves Fall or at best an “Indian Summer” with lighter winds, glassy groundswells and warmer beach conditions. Still, pack lots of cold water wax, thick neoprene and a thicker skin to absorb the local attitude concerning “outsiders” especially if you’re sporting and SUV with California plates.
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