Beachbreak fronting Oregon's most visited coastal town, Cannon Beach delivers consistent but mostly soft peaks across nine miles of sand from Ecola Creek south to Falcon Cove. SW to WNW combo swells are the move, with an easterly offshore cleaning things up at low angles. Mid to high tide is preferred as the beach steepens and waves find more shape. Works waist-high to overhead, but honest days above head-high tend to get sloppy fast. Beginners and intermediate surfers will find this manageable, advanced surfers should calibrate expectations or keep driving. Bottom: sand. Season: June through October. Consistency: high but quality is variable. Dawn patrol in summer when the fog lifts and the E wind holds gives you the best shot at something clean before the tourist foot traffic begins.
Lineup vibe is welcoming and the crowd is usually thin in the water despite heavy beach tourism. Summer weekends can bring more surfers, but the stretch of beach is long enough that you can find your own peak without much issue. Locals and rangers are approachable. Mellow unless you cross a shark.
Exit Highway 101 at the signed Cannon Beach off-ramp. Tolovana Beach Wayside is an easy beach access point. Free parking is available widely. No surf-specific facilities at the beach itself but the town has shops, food, and rentals. The Ecola Creek area and estuary carry some pollution signal, so be aware after heavy rain. Shark presence has been documented here, more than once.
When Cannon Beach is maxed out or too sloppy, Seaside Point to the north offers the Pacific Northwest's most well-known left-hander on the right swell. Indian Beach inside Ecola State Park can shape up better on the same swell window. Oswald West and Short Sands to the south are worth the half-mile walk for a more sheltered cove setup.
Forecast by Windy.app
