hey guys im going out to ocean shore's washington for a week. I'm gonna be right on the water and my aunt already said she would let me rent a board and surf the whole week while we weren't doing anything. Stoked! i was just wondering any advice/comments/info y'all have or had through experience surfing up there. I'm bringing my wetsuits, booties, and gloves for sure. The forecast looks pretty decent too. some thoughts about past experiences would be great. thanks guys!
It's cold and the waves are actually pretty nice. Make sure you have at least a 4/3 glued and blindstitched and yeah hold onto those gloves and booties.
yea my 4/3 has holes in it but im bringing my 5/4. it will definitely keep me toasty. i just looked at the forecast closest to where im gonna be staying. its not gonna be under chest high haha.
Ha... was just planning on starting a similar thread. I'm gonna be out there next week for work and have a couple days to do whatever and was hoping to get some surf in. Looks like there might be some places to go if the wind gets iffy. Anyone deal with any of the shops out there? Think any of them rent anything other than 8' foam boards?
yea somebody else told me about the seals and sharks relationship. smart little guys. But yea i will definitely keep my eyes peeled. its gonna be spooky the first half hour haha. and i think they have some decent boards for rent. my mom was out there last year and she said they had full on surf shops. but thats from my mom a non-surfer. im gonnna try to call ahead as well
You won't find much surf in Ocean Shores, I have property there. If there is a big south or southwest swell, it will throw swell down the mouth of Grey's Harbor and end up about 2 miles from the ocean and break on a long sandspit called Damon Point. It can get pretty darn good, especially when north or NW winds blow offshore there. There is a short jetty at the Shores that can get OK on smallish swells with slack wind....kind of a funky setup though. Tons of seals. Sharks? The last reported attack was 20 miles north of the Shores in Moclips in the 70's. The rest of the beach in the Shores is nothing but sketchy sandbars for miles and miles. North Coast Surf Shop is easy to find, and the guys who run the shop are super friendly. It's not like people are beating down the door to surf in Ocean Shores. Different story on the other side of Grey's Harbor, in Westport....which is Surf Central in Washington. Westport has good decent surf on a regular basis, much better than the Shores. The Jetty in Westport is usually very crowded, and has a long, well-shaped right that occasionally has power and often has size. Consequently, it also has a pretty large contingent of surly locals on days that are average or better than average. There are usually a few good peaks south of the jetty, where it is a bit more opened up. Just north of the Westport Jetty is a crescent-shaped wedge of beach called Half Moon Bay. It is usually shorebreak, but sometimes offers quick and powerful well-shaped peaks that close out pretty quickly. It is well protected from winds. The last break north of Westport Jetty is a series of small finger jetties called The Groins. The Groins can get very good, pretty long and well shaped lefts breaking towards Grey's Harbor. Can be surfed on any swell over 3 feet; but it MUST be low tide. You can pull up at medium or high tides and won't even see a bump. Come back a couple hours later after the tide drops and it will fire. The Groins point almost due north, so any winds from the south will blow offshore here. The main hazards at The Groins are: it's a beeotch getting over the boulders and into the water, you're not gonna just rock up here in the parking lot and paddle out from the sand. The other hazard is the current. I'm not ****ting you when I tell you that this place has the strongest currents I've ever paddled out in. They suck you towards the Harbor and straight out to sea. If you have a ride and a big swell (over 10 ft) swings in, you might want to check out the Strait. That's all I'm gonna tell you about that place. You won't need a 5/4 here until late October. Have fun and good luck.
Here's a link to the Westport Cam and Ocean Shores Cam....enjoy!!!! Feel free to PM me if you have any questions. http://www.westportcam.com/ http://www.osgov.com/webcam.html
tons of surf out there just have to explore the coastline a bit to find a suitable spot. tons and tons of nooks and crannies. if you have a chance to rent a vehicle make your way down to northern Oregon. Theres some outstanding pointbreaks etc etc etc and natural coves that generate some fun peaks. I lived out in northern Oregon for 3 years surfing and snowboarding. Also there is some marine activity and harbor seals always try to follow you on your paddle out to try to divert sharks to snack on you. Always keep your head up and be alert. Nice little town Seaside that has rideable waves most of the year. Also if you get a chance try to go up to Mt. Hood or somewhere in Cascades and do some summer snowboarding half the day and surf the other half. Best way to experience the Pacific Northwest.
Thanks bro, mahalo. Trying to help out as much as possible without sounding like a fkn surf report. Everybody in Seattle drives 3+ hours to go there, so it's not like I'm giving away any secrets. Chinook has a good point also; however, I would personally not recommend Seaside unless I was given a personal invitation. The loc's at Seaside make Westport locals look tame in comparison. Make no mistake: if the waves are decent there, you WILL get vibed, HARD. Also, do not pull up in the lot closest to the Point. Pull up in the lot at the Cove instead. The loc's at the Point are easily in the Top 5 Worst In The World, and I happen to know 1 of them personally. He's a good guy, but they are protective of their spot (for good reason). That's all I'm gonna say about that. Way more sharky in Oregon. Right up there with the Red Triangle and Western Australia. But if we were all afraid of sharks, there'd be a shortage of surfers, right? Here's another cool link, enjoy!!!! http://www.surfwater.org/surf-report/pacific-northwest/
damn, thanks kidrock! haha that's pretty much what i was looking for. Yea plus ill probably stick out like a sore thumb too, really tan and extremely blonde hair. o well. hopefully i can go check out westport. the forecast looks really promising. wish i had time to go check out Oregon. i'll only be there for a week and my aunt has a bunch of stuff lined up to do anyway. Id really love to surf my brains out over there but i dont wanna piss my aunt off haha. it'll be a great experience nonetheless. thanks again kidrock. hope you score some good waves
totally agree. when conditions align: dp in the morning, strip off the rubber, skin up (sorry, i use fat tele boards) your favorite snowy peak, make some perfect sloppy corny turns, and then collapse face first into a large jar of local brew in the trailhead parking lot while your dogs curl up exhausted in the back of the truck. and the sun isn't even thinking about setting yet. life is GOOD!
Thanks again to kidrock for the advice. Ended up surfing in Westport this past friday and saturday. Not enough swell to hit the cove or the groins, but it was fun enough by the jetty. Knee-thigh with occasional waist, so nothing special. The winds were always on-shore, but not strong enough to make it choppy. Would've been nice to hit it with some better waves. TONS of beginners out there. Soft-top funboards probably made up the majority of the boards. But, everyone out in the water was SO stoked to be out there, you couldn't help but have fun. I was able to rent a 5'10 Bic fish from the Westport surf shop (nice people there too). To be sure, it's a crummy board, but I always appreciate a shop that carriers more than just beginner boards. If anyone else goes to westport -- there are plenty of warning signs about it, but know that they seem to be strict about traffic laws. Every time I drove through the middle of town, there was always a speed trap or two.
