How Westport Works
Washington, USA · part of the Westport spot guide
Westport is Washington’s most consistent and popular surf town, breaking in the lee of the Grays Harbor south jetty. The main beach — The Groins — throws both lefts and rights off a field of rock groins, while Half Moon Bay, tucked inside the harbour entrance, is a smaller, hollower, advanced shorebreak. It is cold-water surfing all year.
| Zone | Approx. depth | What happens here |
|---|---|---|
| Outer bar / approach | 12–25 ft | Where swell feels bottom and refracts around the jetty |
| Groins sandbar (main peak) | 4–10 ft | Groin-trapped sand forms the primary lefts and rights, shifting seasonally |
| Inside / shorebreak | 0–4 ft | Half Moon Bay’s steep drop makes a fast, hollow close-out; rocks near the groins |
| Jetty channel | 15–30 ft | The Grays Harbor entrance channel — strong tidal current, a hazard not a takeoff |
Westport sits on the south side of the Grays Harbor entrance, immediately in the lee of the south jetty, with a short series of rock groins that trap and hold sand and organise otherwise-messy Pacific beach-break energy into rideable peaks — the reason it is Washington’s most consistent surf town. The Groins is the main open-beach spot, best on a northwest swell with a south wind, while Half Moon Bay sits in the jetty’s direct lee, normally smaller and only breaking properly when the swell is big enough to wrap into the harbour in winter and spring, then jacking fast and hollow close to shore.
The nearest buoy, Grays Harbor (46211) about 11 km out, is a waves-only Waverider that reports no wind. The height it reads is open-ocean; The Groins and the sheltered Half Moon Bay run as two different size regimes on the same reading, and the face runs smaller than the raw number.
Westport wave mechanics — FAQ
Does the Westport buoy tell me if it is clean?
No. Buoy 46211 (Grays Harbor) is a waves-only Waverider — it gives you wave height, period and swell direction plus water temperature, but no wind. For wind you need a separate land station or forecast model, which is also why the alert keys only on waves.
The Groins versus Half Moon Bay — which do I surf?
The Groins, the open beach by the marina groins, is the main, more consistent spot — both lefts and rights, best on a northwest swell with a south wind. Half Moon Bay is tucked in the jetty’s lee: normally smaller and only really breaking when the swell is big enough to wrap into the harbour in winter and spring, then a fast, hollow, advanced-only shorebreak. Beginners: the open beach, well south of the jetty.
How cold is it and what do I wear?
Cold all year — water mostly in the 50s°F, dropping toward the mid-40s in deep winter. Wear a 4/3 to 5/4 hooded wetsuit with boots and gloves, going 5/4 or 6/5 hooded in mid-winter. There is no wetsuit-optional season here.