S. Oregon Coast's Shore Acres Is Slowly Ramping Up Its Wave Action

Published 10/22/24 at 6:25 a.m.
By Oregon Coast Beach Connection Staff

(Coos Bay, Oregon) – The wild 'n crazy show may have started for the year. (Photo Oregon King Tides / Ed Louie)

The south Oregon coast's Shore Acres State Park fired up into gear this past week – not quite high gear, though. Yet it seems to be getting there.

Then again, wild displays may be in the eye of the beholder.

Theses jagged, angular cliffs near Coos Bay are the most active on the entire Oregon coast when it comes to large waves, producing monsters that can tower 200 feet high or more – 200 feet above the cliffs.

The Facebook group Life on the Oregon Coast featured one set of stunning photos on October 14. You can see those here.

Indeed, the National Weather Service (NWS) issued a special beach hazards statement for that Monday, talking about westerly swells of 11 to 13 feet with long period timing. The latter can signal sneaker wave dangers.

Oregon King Tides / Vickie D

Whatever it did on the beaches, it provided a show at Shore Acres.

Janic Langlinais, head of Oregon's Adventure Coast – the tourism arm of the Charleston / Coos Bay / North Bend chamber – said this has only been a preview.

“We’ve had a few minor high surf events (less than 15 foot swells) that produced a few nice wave crashes but it really gets going - usually - in November,” she told Oregon Coast Beach Connection.

Shore Acres is the only spot on this coastline with a viewing building especially created for such wave action. It sits right in the path of the oceanic blasts, letting those massive waves wash over the construct. Inside, viewers are nice and dry with full windows to all the action.

Matt Cook / Oregon King Tides

About this time of year, wave action does pick up on the coastline, and with Shore Acres it doesn't take a lot for it to put on its wild face. You may not get the massive breakers that larger events create, such as over 20-foot swells. Then again, those are often accompanied by fierce winds where it's not so comfortable to watch.

The photos included here are from king tide events and provided by Oregon King Tides Project.

When are the Oregon Coast King Tides in 2024?

Steve Gallery / Oregon King Tides

November 15 - 17, 2024.

December 13 - 15, 2024

January 11 - 13, 2025.

How Shore Acres gets the tidal action it does is rather unique. See Why Shore Acres Tides Are So Big and How They Are Measured.

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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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