Rainbow Rocks Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, it’s Rusty here, and I’ve been staring at the charts for Rainbow Rocks. The next couple of weeks are a mixed bag, a real slow burn with a major pulse at the end.

The overall pattern is pretty quiet for the next week, with a lot of days where the swell is under 5 ft and the wind is cross or cross-on, which is not doing the waves any favours. We’ve got a long period groundswell from the SW that’s pushing some serious energy—the combined energy values are mostly in the three-digit range (between 637 and 1316) for the first few days—but the wind is messing with the shape. It’s a frustrating wait.

Sunday the 26th sees the best of the early action. Morning’s got a 4 ft SW swell with a very long period of 19 seconds, and the combined energy is a solid 1316. The wind is a light W breeze, but it’s cross-on, so it’ll be a bit bumpy. The afternoon drops to 4 ft from the same direction, but the wind switches to cross and stays light. It’s not epic, but it’s the most surfable day of the opening stretch.

Then from Monday the 27th through to Thursday the 31st, the swell gets smaller and the winds stay cross or cross-on, with the combined energy dropping from 1156 down to 214. The period drops from 18 seconds to 14 seconds. It’s just not happening. Friday the 31st afternoon is a write-off with a 6 ft NW windswell at a short 6 seconds and poor conditions.

Now, here’s where it gets interesting. After a gap of poor surf, on Saturday the 1st of August we get clean cross-off winds from the NW, but the swell is tiny at 2 ft. Sunday the 2nd of August afternoon is where we see the first real spike: a 12 ft NW swell at 7 seconds, with a combined energy of 1243. The wind is clean cross-off. This is for experts only; it’s going to be a lumpy, powerful mess. Monday the 3rd of August afternoon is the same story: 12 ft NW at 8 seconds, clean wind, and a combined energy of 1485. Still big and raw.

The standout, the one to circle on your calendar, is Thursday the 6th of August afternoon. The wind goes glassy—zero wind—and the swell is 8 ft from the NW, with a combined energy of 710. The forecast says “expect very good surf conditions,” and with those clean, glassy conditions, that’s the best window we’ve got. It’s still a decent size, so intermediate surfers should be wary, but for the experienced crew, that’s the session.

The week after that, from the 7th to the 10th of August, is consistent with solid NW swell, all over 7 ft, with clean cross-off winds. The combined energy is massive, hitting 1962 on the 9th of August. It’s all big, powerful, and for experts only. The periods are short, around 7 to 8 seconds, so it’ll be a bit choppy and top-heavy, but there will be plenty of energy.

The water temperature anomaly isn’t given, so I can’t tell you if it’s running warm or cold.

No crowds are mentioned for Rainbow Rocks, so it might be a bit of a local secret, but that’s a good thing.

Alright, I’m signing off. Keep your eyes on that Thursday the 6th session.

Rusty

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