Oregon / Washington Coast Surf Hazards This Week: Waves 20 Ft, Unwise Behavior, High Winds

Published 12/14/24 at 7:05 p.m.
By Oregon Coast Beach Connection Staff

(Port Orford, Oregon) - From the south Washington coast down through the southern Oregon coast, there are currently high surf advisories with waves up to 23 feet in place through late tonight, plus a high wind watch for the south Oregon coast and the possibility of thunderstorms. (Photo Experience Westport webcam / graphic from National Weather Service)

Extremely high wave height is making king tides even more dangerous, the National Weather Service (NWS) in Portland said.

“The risk is higher this morning on the incoming tide, which is a higher than normal King tide,” the agency said earlier on Saturday.

Various online sources have caught some rather unwise behavior during these events, while others have caught extremely dangerous waves on camera.

It's going to continue to be a dramatic week on the coastlines, with a good chance of more high surf issues, especially Sunday as king tides wind down.

See  Oregon Coast Weather (including tides) - Inland Oregon Weather

There is a high surf advisory in effect from Brookings up through at least Westport in Washington, expiring tonight at 10 p.m. Waves from 20 – 23 feet will be crashing onshore, creating erosion and substantial hazards to beachgoers.

“Current observations have seas around 20 to 24 ft with a period of 14-15 seconds,” the NWS said earlier on Saturday. “Expect seas to gradually subside towards the upper teens (17-19 ft) by early Sunday morning.”

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There is a high wind watch in effect for the southern Oregon coast, in effect from tonight through Monday. Sustained winds of 30 to 40 mp per hour and gusts up to 60 mph are possible.

The NWS noted one example of bad beach behavior during this event, showing a screen grab from the Experience Westport webcam where a couple of beachgoers were seen next to the seawall as high waves swamped over the sides (top photo).

Another online post showed massive waves sweeping over the concrete at a south Lincoln City beach access, creating abnormally dangerous conditions there.

This is not a time to fool around the beaches and test the tides.

Surf conditions calm down somewhat this week, but on the south coast they bump up again near the 20-foot range on Monday and Tuesday.

Some of the highest waves with king tides come again around noon Sunday, so experts say to beware around that time. Stay off beaches, jetties and rocky areas close to the surf. That means areas like Thor's Well near Yachats, the rocky ledges within Yachats' city limits or the seawall at Westport are a bad idea to hang around.

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On Monday and Tuesday, wave height along the north Oregon coast and south Washington shoreline gets as high as 14 to 16 feet at times, but the period between swells is is rather long at 15 seconds. That will make for a good possibility of sneaker waves and other dangers, so be prepared for surf warnings from the NWS on those two days.

The same goes for the south coast – especially south of Port Orford. There, Monday and Tuesday see wave height more than 18 feet at times.

Courtesy Oregon State Parks

Use extreme caution early in the week if you're heading to the coast. Conversely, it's a good idea to zip out to the beach towns and look for storm action – but do so at a distance.

Wednesday and Thursday see a lessening of wave height down to 10 to 14 feet, but there are times when the period timing is extremely long at 17 seconds. This, again, is a recipe for sneaker waves. Be prepared for messages from NWS on this.

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Andre' GW Hagestedt is editor, owner and primary photographer / videographer of Oregon Coast Beach Connection, an online publication that sees over 1 million pageviews per month. He is also author of several books about the coast.

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