Rainbow Rocks Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let's have a look at what's on the menu for the next couple of weeks.

Right off the bat, I gotta be straight with you – the start of this forecast window is a bit of a struggle. We've got some swell, sure, but it's not doing us any favours. The wind is up, and the quality is pretty average. It's one of those stretches where you're better off waiting it out. We're looking at a solid gap of poor to marginal conditions from Friday the 7th through to at least the middle of the following week.

The real glimmer, the thing that's got me a little excited, is sitting out there on Saturday the 15th and Sunday the 16th. That's the standout period. The combined energy of all swells is moderate, hitting around 701 (kilojoules per square foot), and it's a long-period groundswell from the SSW, with period around 17 to 18 seconds. That's proper energy. Rainbow Rocks (beach and reef) is the only break on the cards, and while it's a beach-and-reef setup, that long-period SSW groundswell usually finds a way to wrap in and offer some nice lines. The wind is light and cross-offshore on Saturday, so the surface will be clean. Swell size is hanging around 3 ft, which is a fun, manageable size for the intermediate crew. Just keep in mind, with a long period like that, the sets will be a bit more spread out, so you've got time to breathe.

The week after that, from the 17th onward, we see a shift back to a more consistent NW windswell. The energy picks up again, with combined energy values climbing into the strong territory, like 1222 (kilojoules per square foot) on the 17th afternoon. The swell is coming from the NW, with a period of 7 to 8 seconds – that's short period, windswell. It'll be a bit more chunky and less refined. The wind stays mostly cross-off from the NW, so the surface will be clean, but the wave quality is only ever described as "marginal" or "questionable." The swell size will be pushing 8 ft to 10 ft by the afternoon of the 17th, which is expert territory, and the short period makes it a bit of a handful. On the 20th, we get a nice little window with a WNW groundswell at 11 seconds and 5 ft, and a clean cross-off breeze. The combined energy is moderate at 780 (kilojoules per square foot), and it's the best looking option in that second week. It's a long-range call, so keep an eye on it.

Water temperature here is about average for this time of year, nothing to write home about.

So, bottom line: this isn't a classic run. The early part is a washout unless you're a masochist. The standout is that Saturday the 15th and Sunday the 16th for the long-period SSW groundswell. After that, the 20th looks like your best bet for a clean, fun session on the NW windswell.

Rusty out.

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