Baby steps in Pacific City, OR

Went out to the coast this weekend and finally got my OK Big Game in the salt water!  We (wife and I) stayed in Lincoln City and made a day trip to Pacific City.  We did this about two weekends ago but due to surfer traffic I opted out of kayaking.  I'm basically building my skills / confidence to make a fishing trip out of it one of these days.

After my first experiences I can say I can surf launch with not much problem with 2-4 foot waves.  Surf landing on the other hand I ended with about 50% success rate (3 out of 6)!  Either way I had a blast playing in the surf.

I am now curious about how you gents figure out when to go out?  I've read several of your reports and it mentions going out when it is "smooth as glass" and then deciding to come in when you are in 2-4 feet swells.  Based on my paddle out to haystack rock in Pacific City I'd say I went out in that amount of swell.  Should I be aiming for slack tide to avoid so much swell or does it depend more on weather and winds?

I doubt I'll make it back out to the coast before it gets too cold, but I hope to be better prepared for next year.

Jim

Where you out yesterday?  Yesterday afternoon was perfect.  No clouds in the sky, no wind, and the ocean looked more like a small pond.  Saturday was still a nice day, but it looked more like 2-4 foot swells coming on fairly quickly.  Too bad I'm still without kayak at this point.

I'm really not sure how most people decide what is the right conditions for them.  Personally, I think the wave period (distance between waves) is more important then the size of the waves.  Though once you start getting up to 6 foot swells, I'd just avoid going out.

Cold generally isn't the problem with the water here.  In this general area, in the winter we tend to see the tide coming right into the cliffs leaving no beach to launch too, and generally large waves and heavy surf conditions.  A couple people died last winter when they went for a walk a bit south of here.  They were never found.  Coast Guard assumes they got stuck walking during high tide, and there was no beach for them to walk on, and they got swept out into the ocean.

Pacific City might have a beach or two that's not quite so effected.  But once I get my Kayak, I don't think I'll be launching into the ocean until next spring.  And I doubt I'll go into the bay if High Tide is near.  Coast Guard had to rescue a few kayakers a week or two back at the mouth of the bay in town, as they flipped their kayaks in the surf and couldn't get back in.  I think they were in shorter 8'-9' ones though.

Hey Jim, way to get out there on the big blue.

I look at wind first.  If it's forecasted anything below 15, I go.  If it's up to 20 I look for a window in the morning and don't go out too far.  Anything more and it's just not fun.

Swell is less of an issue unless the period is tight (as Phynix stated also).  You will hardly notice an 8 foot swell at 15 seconds, but an 8 by 8 will not be fun.

I tend to err to the side of conservatism.

-Allen

Hi Jim,

I'm an ocean kayak newbie as well but I've got plenty of experience in the surf.  That being said, if you keep an eye on swell and wind direction and choose your launch/landing site appropriately, you could conceiveably launch and land on a huge day without much effort.  Each spot will handle the swell and wind differently.
Not to contradict Allen, but an 8' swell, even at 15 sec will scare the crap out of you if you launch in the wrong place.  The longer the period, the faster the waves are moving when they terminate.  Think Hawaii 5-0. 
I'm looking forward to a few more go-outs before winter sets in but keep in mind that fall starts the big(er) wave season in Oregon.  The south winds will kick in soon, warming the ocean temps and grooming the surface to near glass.  Make sure you've checked the offshore buoys (250 nautical miles) on these days.  You don't want to get suckered out on a calm morning only to see the horizon turn black an hour later.

Not to contradict Allen, but an 8' swell, even at 15 sec will scare the crap out of you if you launch in the wrong place.  The longer the period, the faster the waves are moving when they terminate.  Think Hawaii 5-0. 

Not contradicting me at all.  I think I wasn't clear on my statement.  I was talking about offshore.  Of course you do need to get through the surf first.

-Allen