Who's up in Portland/Seattle?

Emass,

I have property about 2-3 hours south of Seattle in a little town called Ocean Shores. I'm not there right now, but I will be there permanently at the end of the year. Here's some basics on the area near Portland / Seattle:

I don't know much about Oregon, but I have experience with Seaside. Yes, the point is world class. Yes, all the stories of localism are true. Surf at your own risk. Park at the cove and walk up, if you want to save your stuff. Rock up solo, not with 3 or more of your buddies. Actually, the Cove can get quite good when the point is firing and may be your best and safest bet. There are lots of good spots not far south, but I have no experience there.

Don't waste your time in Long Beach, WA. There's one little left beachbreak wedge that breaks below the lighthouse at Cape Disappointment, but it's an inconsistent long shot. Hint: it's named after a popular city on Hawaii's South Shore.

Westport, WA is *the* center for all surfing in WA. It has a consistent jetty break (rights), with some nice peaks away from the jetty. It is easily the most crowded spot in the state. Be ready for long painful paddles with lots of duck diving if it is over head high.

Inside the jetty is The Cove, mostly a shorebreak wave. But the paddles are easy and it sometimes has good shape and enough power to snap your board.

The last main break is The Groins, a series of small finger jetties. Needs a bigger swell because it breaks inside the harbor, loves south winds (typical around there), and *must* have a low tide. Medium to high tides, you'd think this place doesn't exist. Rips out to sea are strong. The jetty dance to get to the breaks are tough.

Ocean Shores? LOL. But all dogs have their day. Big souths / southwests will make a certain State Park go off with north winds, which blow offshore here. Hint: the park is maybe 2 miles inside the harbor, quite a ways from the coast. A long way to drive to get skunked. Also: the North Jetty can get OK once in a while, but mostly on small summer swells. The sheer amount of sea lions here can freak you out.

There's a lot of stuff between Ocean Shores and Neah Bay, but most are on Indian reservations and access is super limited. You've got to be dialed in and super-prepared.

Neah Bay has some decent spots that aren't too difficult to find. But this ain't OCMD, so you won't exactly be pulling the car up to any paved lots.

Lastly, there's the Strait. Getting there from Seattle either takes a buttload of driving, or a ferry or two between islands. But if the coast is out of control (which happens a lot during winter), it might be worth a drive. But (and this is a big *but*)...this place is super sensitive. There's only a couple of spots that you'll actually be able to see from the road. There's some places that I don't even like to whisper about, that you'll never see...unless you like climbing down sheer muddy cliffs in massive rain forests on privately owned land. You better know somebody. I'm lucky that I do.

Have fun, and bring a good 5/4 with all the goodies.

 

Wow.

I think you've said something about this before but could you go on about the locals?

 

Locals are what they are. Only a couple of spots where the lokes are kinda bat****crazy. Everywhere else is pretty chill.

If you plan on renting, there are plenty of shops. Don't expect the counter jockeys to give you any directions or help with certain spots, except maybe in Ocean Shores. The guy is cool, and nobody's breaking down the doors to surf the crap in OS, pretty lonely. The Surf Shop in Westport, North Coast SS in the Shores, and NXNW in Port Angeles. There's a couple shops in the Seattle area too, but I have no experience with them.

From what I understand, the Sticky Green Dank is some of the best...but I wouldn't personally know. Sharing goes a long way in these parts. Be mellow, be friendly and don't bring your Hyperflex Team Rider suit.

 

Nice breakdown kidrock.
My dad lives in Portland and he said it's like an hour and a half to the nearest beach. Its a hair ball drive on a hair ball road, particularly in winter. Being in Portland has put a hurting on his water time, but it's a cool city. He hikes his ass off to make up for it I guess. I was going to check out Portland this winter until the sh!t hit the fan.

 

Emass please at least give us a hint as to what you do that allows you to travel so frequently.

 

^^^^^^Ass didn't get censored!? I forgot to use $$. That's a naughty word, because sh!t comes from ass!

 

I was wondering the same thing

 

Emass was a nfl kicker now he installs flooring.

 

If you're hunting further south, Oswald West State park has a nice protected cove that can get pretty good any time of year. You can't check it from the highway though so you'll have to depend on the forecasts which are mediocre at best because the conditions change so fast. It's about 1.5 hours from Portland, maybe 15 minutes due south of Seaside. Park at the lot off the highway and hike in about 20 mins or so.

Speaking of Seaside- forget the Point. Seriously.

Seaside Cove is a decent break right inside of the Point though and the locals there are mostly old-fart longboaders that like to hoot and holler a lot but are pretty harmless. It's a good wave and consistent. Any wind out of the north kills it though.

Ecola State Park (between Cannon Beach and Seaside) can be decent but it's another crapshoot- can't check it until you've driven through a windy-a$$ single lane road through a Moon of Endor looking forest.

There's other places that break but you know... gotta know when where and how and thats not gonna happen on a short trip.

Good luck- 5/4, booties, hood, gloves and some balz and you'll have fun up here.

 

thanks for the aloha, Squid...good on ya, bro.

 

A fair amount of Pacific Northwest surf-related stuff in here: sharks, stinky wetsuits, localism...

http://outofstepnw.blogspot.com/

 

here's a cool resource, not giving away any secrets:

http://www.surfwater.org/surf-report/pacific-northwest/

 

Just moved out to Astoria, OR a few months ago and I can tell you the surfing here is incredible. But be warned, winter time means some very big, serious waves. Well overhead on most days this time of year, and double overhead sets are very common. A small winter day is chest to shoulder with overhead sets breaking outside. Not trying to discourage, just respect what you're getting into and know yourself well. Don't paddle into anything you can't swim back to shore from without a board...that is a very real possibility that your leash or board can break in the winter conditions out here.

That said, I'll start with Seaside. Yes, the Point's reputation is very real and not exaggerated in the least bit. Forget it. The Cove is somewhat more accepting, though the aggro comes out there as well sometimes. It's an easy paddle on small days, not so much when it's well overhead.

Ecola and Cannon Beach area have a lot of good spots. Short Sands is the Portland spot. You can tell by all the Subarus and Patagucci jackets. It's a much friendlier vibe but it can get crowded. There are peaks all over though.

If you're bold you can try the south jetty...good waves on the right day but notoriously sharky. I've hit it once and the abundance of marine life is unsettling. Seals = shark food.

Further south you can hit Pacific City, and the Pelican Brewpub is right there.

That's about all I know for the more famous spots around here. Take your pick. And again, be careful and respect the winter seas out here. I hope you get out though man, the waves and scenery are epic. You may never go back east

 

Thanks man. Yeah, I'd definitely recommend a little extra board for bigger conditions. There are definitely some chest to head high days in the season that aren't as intense, but they are few and far between. There are some protected spots that will have smaller waves on big days, but I they aren't the kinds of places you post about on the internet and require a good knowledge of the local geography and how swell directions and winds behave. Just keep an eye on the conditions. 4 ft at 15 seconds is a much different beast than 4 ft at 7 seconds.

 

I just picked up a used 6'2" FW Dominator that has served me well out here. Even holds up on head high to 1' overhead really well. Short, but it has a good bit of volume. Really depends on the conditions you are in and how well you can paddle. Getting into waves early is always better in big conditions. Dudes are riding logs in double OH conditions out here for that reason. Not too sure about rentals. Cleanline has been my go-to surf shop out here FWIW.

And don't sweat the cold out here. At 47F, it's a tropical paradise compared to RI.