South Oregon Coast Surf Advisory: Waves 23 Feet or More

Published 10/29/24 at 9:10 p.m.
By Oregon Coast Beach Connection Staff

(Coos Bay, Oregon) – Get ready for a bit of a wild ride on the south coast Thursday and Friday, as the National Weather Service (NWS) has issued a high surf advisory for those days. Areas like Coos Bay, Bandon, Gold Beach, Port Orford and Brookings will get "large breaking waves between 23 and 26 feet," according to the NWS. (Above: Oregon King Tides / Steven Gallery - at Shore Acres)

The advisory is in effect from 11 a.m. on Thursday to 5 a.m. on Friday, for Coos, Curry and Douglas Counties – which includes Reedsport and much of the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area.

The NWS urged extreme caution and to stay away from small beaches, especially those that are not broad and with quick access to higher ground.

“Large breaking waves will create hazardous conditions along and within the surf zone, and could inundate beaches and low lying shorelines,” the NWS said. “Beach erosion is possible, and exposed infrastructure may be damaged.”

Absolutely stay off all jetties.

The map for the hazard area can be found here https://www.wrh.noaa.gov/map/?wfo=mfr.

Oregon's south coast is where there will be more action than up north, certainly just offshore.

See Washington Coast Weather - Oregon Coast Weather - Inland Oregon Weather

“Seas will reach up to 15 feet Wednesday night before peaking at 22 feet Thursday evening,” the NWS said. “An upper ridge then builds in just off the coast by next weekend. This should result in another large swell around 14 to 16 feet moving in on Sunday evening.”

A variety of gale and small craft warnings have been issued for all waters off the Oregon coast, but only the southern portion gets the large waves. These won't be relevant for areas north of Florence, such as Newport, Lincoln City, Rockaway Beach or Seaside.

Swells off the north coast are expected to pass beyond 14 feet high on Thursday, which will create a nice show for areas like Yachats or Oceanside.

Down south, this will likely mean massive waves at Shore Acres near Coos Bay, and substantially large displays in and around Thursday.

When weather experts say “23-foot waves” it does not mean a wall of water 23 feet heading onshore. This refers to the height measured offshore just before it comes in. See the full story on how they measure wave height. 'Wave Height' Explained Along Oregon, Washington Coast: What It Means

MORE STORM PHOTOS BELOW

Oregon Coast Hotels for this event - South Coast Hotels - Oregon Coast Vacation Rentals - Where to eat - Maps - Virtual Tours

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Below: Oceanside - Oregon Coast Beach Connection

'Wave Height' Explained Along Oregon, Washington Coast: What It Means What does it mean when the NWS says '30-foot waves' are coming onshore?

Cape Disappointment, courtesy Long Beach Peninsula Visitors.

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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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