Surfing Pacific City is the most accessible surf on the central Oregon coast, and it comes with a bonus: you can watch dory boats launch straight through the break while you wait for a set. Cape Kiwanda blocks the north wind, the sand bottom is forgiving, and Pelican Brewing is 50 feet from the water. If you've ever wanted to try cold-water surfing, this is the place. Here's what to know.
The break
Cape Kiwanda is a beach break in the lee of the headland. Waves work best on a west or northwest swell in the 3-to-6-foot range with a mid-to-high incoming tide. The headland knocks down the typical afternoon north wind, so the water stays cleaner here than at more exposed beaches. Summer brings smaller, more consistent waves and warmer air; fall brings the best combination of swell and weather; winter is big, cold, and for experienced surfers only.
The peak shifts with the sandbars, but it generally sets up just south of the cape. Watch the locals for ten minutes and paddle out where they are, not where it looks empty.
The water is cold. Really.
Ocean temperature runs 48–55°F year-round. This is not a warm-water sport here. You need a 4/3mm wetsuit minimum, a 5/4 in winter, plus booties. A hood and gloves make a real difference from November through April. With the right suit, you can stay out for an hour or more. Without it, you'll last ten minutes and hate the experience.
Rentals solve this. Moment Surf Company in Pacific City rents full suits, boots, and boards, and their staff will tell you honestly whether today is a good day for a beginner.
Lessons and beginners
Moment Surf and a couple of other local outfits run lessons in summer and early fall. A two-hour group lesson typically includes the suit and a soft-top board. The instructors put you in the whitewater on the inside where the waves are knee-to-waist high and you can stand on the bottom between attempts. Most first-timers stand up at least once. Book ahead in July and August.
For unsupervised beginners: stay on the inside, use a soft-top, and go on a small day (waist-high or less). Never surf alone, and don't paddle out if you can't see where the rip currents run along the cape.
Bodyboarding
Underrated here. Cape Kiwanda's shore break is fun on a bodyboard and needs far less skill than a surfboard. Kids from around age eight love it in summer whitewater. You still need a wetsuit, and swim fins help a lot. Rentals are cheap and any surf shop has them. The rule for kids is the same as everywhere on the Oregon coast: an adult in the water with them, always, and out of the water if the surf is over head-high.
Logistics
- Parking — The Cape Kiwanda lot at the beach is paid in summer, free in winter, and fills by 11am on sunny weekends. The overflow lot by the Pelican is a short walk.
- Changing — There are restrooms at the lot but no showers. Bring a jug of warm water and a changing towel. Everyone does the parking-lot change.
- Dories — The flat-bottomed dory boats launch and land directly through the surf on the beach. Stay out of their lane, which is usually marked by the trucks and trailers on the sand.
- Tides — Check the Pacific City tide table. Mid-to-high incoming tide is best; a very low tide exposes rocks near the cape.
After the session
Pelican Brewing is on the sand and does not care that you're damp. Fish and chips, a Kiwanda Cream Ale, and a view of the wave you just rode. Stimulus Coffee next door for warming up. Then drive 15 minutes south to The Weekender in Neskowin and get in the hot tub. There's a wood-burning stove for drying booties and a deck for rinsing sand off the boards. Dogs are welcome, and there's a hose.
Neskowin's own beach doesn't have a surf break worth mentioning, which is why we point people to Pacific City. But for everything else, Neskowin is quieter and better: Proposal Rock, the Ghost Forest, and a beach with a tenth of the people. The Neskowin things-to-do page covers the rest.
If the surf is flat
Climb the Cape Kiwanda dune (stay behind the fences on the headland; the sandstone cliffs collapse), walk Bob Straub State Park's empty beach on the south spit, or go north to Tierra del Mar. Check Neskowin rentals for dates. The waves will come back tomorrow.
Cold-water surfing is a different sport from the tropical version. Fewer people, more gear, a bigger sense of accomplishment. Pacific City is where to find out if it's yours.