Rock Island Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s break down what’s coming for Rock Island.

Right off the bat, the next couple of weeks are looking flat and pretty boring. We’ve got a long stretch of tiny, weak, and messy conditions from the end of August all the way through the first week of September. The swell is small, mostly under 2ft, with short periods around 7-8 seconds and combined energy numbers barely cracking 30 – that’s weak soup. The wind is offshore or clean for a lot of those days, but when the swell is that small, it doesn’t matter. You’re not going anywhere.

This quiet spell runs right through to the morning of Monday, September 7th. That’s when we finally see a pulse of energy show up, with a 2ft S swell at 10 seconds and combined energy hitting 94. It’s still only a one-star deal, but it’s a step up. The wind is a gentle offshore from the NNE, so the morning session is clean, and the afternoon goes glassy with a light SSE breeze. You won’t be getting shacked, but it’s a paddle and a trim.

The real standout, and the best bet in this whole outlook, comes on the morning of Tuesday, September 8th. We’ve got a 3ft SE groundswell rolling in with a solid 12-second period. Combined energy jumps to 245 – that’s moderate, real energy. The wind is light from the NE, offshore, so the face will be clean. This is the window to get out there. Rock Island is a reef break, exposed to the south, and with this longer-period swell it should line up nicely. The water temperature is about average for the time of year, nothing unusual.

Now, a heads-up: that SE swell holds through Wednesday morning, September 9th, with similar size and period (3ft, 12s) and energy at 248, but the wind swings stronger from the NE, hitting 12 mph. It’s still side-offshore, so rideable, but not as clean as Tuesday. The combo swell energy is in the moderate range.

After that, things get messy again. By Thursday, September 10th, the wind cranks offshore from the north at 28 mph, making the surface clean but the paddle-out a battle. The swell is only 3ft, so it’s more of a windsurfing or kite day than a surf day.

Then, from Friday, September 11th onward, the swell actually builds – but the wind and weather turn nasty. By Saturday, September 12th, we’re looking at a 5ft SSW swell with a 15-second period, but a gale-force SSE cross-onshore wind at 40 mph. That’s a blown-out mess. The combined energy is 1071 – strong – but it’s unsurfable. Sunday, September 13th, still has 6ft SSW swell with a 15-second period, but onshore southerly wind and storm risk. That’s expert-only territory and even then, it’s marginal.

The very last entry, Monday morning, September 14th, shows a glimmer: 4ft SSW swell with a 12-second period, light offshore NNE wind, and combined energy at 374. That could be a good, clean session if the forecast holds – but it’s a long way out.

So, to sum it up: the whole first week is a write-off. The only real standout is Tuesday, September 8th morning at Rock Island – clean, 3ft SE groundswell, good energy. Get on it if you can. The second week has more size but more wind and weather, so keep your expectations low.

Rusty out.

Read more