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Central Oregon Coast Town Suggests Best and Safest Stormwatch Spots
Published 01/20/2010
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| Newport's Nye Beach features Jump-Off Joe, where waves get really crazy. |
(Newport, Oregon) - Stormwatching on the Oregon coast has become a major attraction, but it’s not without its dangers. Every year, someone is injured or worse by goofing around the sands during these wild conditions.
Newport, like all state tourism entities, wants to remind the public about beach safety during this particularly dramatic time of year.
Out of that concern, the Newport Chamber and Visitors Center is announcing its suggestions for the best stormwatching spots in the area – those that provide not only the safest views but the best places to take in nature’s oceanic fury.
The first rule of stormwatching is staying safe. Keep off the beaches, officials say over and over. The second rule is that you’ll find even more spectacular wave action at a spot with rock structures near it. Broad sandy beaches still provide plenty of gargantuan waves to gawk at, but it’s the rocky chunks that make for the coolest sights.
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| Nye Beach and its Turnaround are fantastic spots for stormwatching |
Safe Yet Stunning Storm Watching Vantage Points:
Nye Beach, by the Turnaround or on the cliffs above, the beach keeps you away from the waves while allowing views of the oceanic monsters. There is also the gazebo at Don Davis Memorial Park that lets you hang out inside while winds and waves batter the beaches.
At the bottom of SW 11th, the parking lot above Jump-Off Joe provides not only complete safety but views of the waves whacking away at the small premonitory. They smash against this with particular zeal.
Just north of Newport is Otter Rock, where the Devil’s Punchbowl creates a boiling cauldron of maniacal wave action. It’s a sea cave where the top fell through ages ago, letting you peek inside. Because of rock structures surrounding this small headland, waves pick up lots of energy and become enormous, smashing into the rocks around the Punchbowl.
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| Just north of Newport (photo Guy DiTorrice) |
Less than a mile north of there is Cape Foulweather, and just north of that are several viewpoints with rocky areas that make for more spectacular wave energy and comfortable viewing from your car.
The north and south jetties are also especially pummeled, although you have stay clear of them. Luckily, the broad sandy areas on both sides of the bay mouth let you keep far from them but see all the action.
A few miles south of town, Seal Rock is chock full of large rocky structures that taunt the big waves, but parking spots above make for the world’s biggest HD TV screen – and you can check out the craziness in the comfort of your car.
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| Rocky ledges just north of Newport make for hefty waves. |
Beachcombing After a Storm
Once the storm has stopped – and you often don’t have to wait a whole day – numerous goodies will have either washed up or been left uncovered by sand being scoured out.
Agates are a huge find again in Newport, especially at Agate Beach and some spots near Seal Rock.
Storms can often leave oddities and treasures, like strange clumps of objects filled with stuff coughed up from the seafloor (which can sometimes include still-living creatures), or you may actually still find the coveted Japanese glass float.
For more information, see DiscoverNewport.com
More About Newport lodging.....
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