Log Cabins - surf spot statistics

Best Surf Season (October - March)

The North Pacific fires on all cylinders during these months, with a parade of strong extratropical lows tracking south of the Aleutians and slamming the coast with powerful, long-period NW and NNW swell. Average heights peak above 2.5m and periods often exceed 12s, providing the foundation for memorable sessions at Log Cabins. Offshore wind days are still relatively common (around 23-28% of the time), especially when high pressure builds over the interior and draws clean, light E to ESE flow. When the stars align—a solid 15s+ NW groundswell with dawn-offshore winds—you get the kind of glassy, bowling waves that define this stretch of coast.

Fair Surf Season (April & September)

These transition months offer a mixed bag. April sees the average swell height drop to 2.2m and the period shorten to 10.3s as the winter storm track weakens. However, the swell direction still contains some NW component (especially early in the month) and the wind remains offshore around 17% of the time. September begins to shake off the summer doldrums: the average height lifts back to 1.7m, the period climbs to 9.2s, and the percent of ideal wind jumps to 25%. Occasional early-season gales can send a taste of winter swell, but consistency is still lacking.

Low Surf Season (May - August)

This is the quietest period at Log Cabins. The dominant swell shifts to short-period, weak E and ENE windswell, rarely exceeding 1.5-2m and averaging below 1.8m. The average period hovers around 8-9 seconds, which is marginal for generating power on the WNW-facing beach. Worse, the wind is up to the high 80% of the time from the E/ENE quadrant—excellent for offshore conditions but unfortunately the swell is from the same direction, meaning it is severely shadowed and lacks fetch. Ideal offshore wind from the south/southwest quadrant drops to just 10-15% in July. The surf is tiny, weak, and often unsurfable unless a rare summer tropical system or southern hemi groundswell sneaks in.

May: The Summer Windswell Slide

By May, the surf settles into a summer pattern. The average swell height slips to 1.8m and the period drops to 9.2s—in the average, punchy range but lacking real power. The swell direction is overwhelmingly from the east: ENE (32.9%) and E (20.3%) plus NNE (11.2%) make up the majority. These swells are short-period windswell generated by the strong pressure gradient between the North Pacific High and the interior heat low. The wind itself is almost always from the east (ENE 34.9%, E 39%), which is offshore but also the same direction as the prevailing swell—meaning the waves are small and weak. Ideal wind from the south/southwest accounts for only 23% of the time. Surf is generally small and choppy, with rare pulses from a distant southern hemi swell or a lingering NW groundswell. A groveler's board is often the best choice.