Rock Island Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Well folks, Rusty here. Let’s be straight with you – the next week and a half is going to test your patience. We're looking at a long, flat stretch of small, weak surf that just isn't worth suiting up for. The energy is just not there, and what's on offer is barely a ripple.

From Thursday the 10th all the way through to the morning of Friday the 18th, the surf at Rock Island is pretty much a write-off. We're talking ankle-biters in the 1ft to 3ft range, with periods mostly under 9 seconds. Swell energy is weak, reading between 19 and 147. The wind is mostly offshore and clean, which is the one saving grace, but there's simply no wave to push around. It's a real bummer.

The water temp is sitting at 82°, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year – a little tropical treat while you wait for something to happen. Rock Island is a reef break that’s fairly consistent, but for this whole stretch, it’s just not breaking with any kind of power. If you're desperate, bring the foil, because a surfboard is going to feel like a dead weight.

Then, things start to build. On the morning of Friday the 18th, we finally see a pulse of long-period groundswell. It jumps up to 3ft but with a 19-second period, and the energy reading jumps to 795 – that’s moderate energy. This is the first real promise we’ve seen. The wind is light and offshore, keeping things clean. It's still small, but there's a real quality to that movement.

From here, it gets seriously good. The standout window is Saturday the 19th through to Tuesday the 22nd. Saturday morning brings 6ft of SSE swell with a 15-second period and glassy conditions. The energy is strong at 1692. This is proper. The swell direction from the SSE matches up well with Rock Island’s optimum S direction.

Sunday the 20th morning is where my heart starts racing. We’ve got 7ft of S swell, a 15-second period, and – get this – it’s glassy. The energy is a very strong 2226. This is an excellent forecast for experienced surfers. It's a bigger, powerful groundswell, and with that long period, it’s going to be walled up and perfect for a reef like this. This is one of the true standouts of the whole run.

Monday the 21st is right up there with it. The swell holds at 8ft from the SSW with a 16-second period, and the wind is completely calm and glassy. Energy is off the charts at 3529. Again, this is expert territory with that size, but the quality will be phenomenal. This is serious, powerful surf.

Tuesday the 22nd morning is the big one, the one you tell your mates about. A solid 13ft of S swell with a 16-second period and a clean, slight cross-off wind. The energy reading hits 7994 – that’s very strong. This is an exceptional forecast for expert surfers only. A wave of this size and period at a reef break like this demands total respect. If you have to ask if you're ready, you're not.

However, Tuesday afternoon sees the swell jump to 16ft, which brings in a wall of water but the period drops to 11 seconds and the wind swings onshore. This will get messy and dangerous.

The good times get shut down hard on Wednesday the 23rd. A near-gale force onshore wind of 34 mph arrives with a risk of thunderstorms, and the swell gets chopped up and drops back down to 5ft. The energy is moderate again at 625, but the quality is gone.

After that, it's back to the doldrums for the rest of the week. Thursday the 24th and Friday the 25th are back to tiny, weak surf with poor conditions. The window has closed.

So, to sum it up: sit tight through the first week. If you can wait, the real deal is from Saturday the 19th through Tuesday the 22nd. Saturday and Monday are your best bets for clean, powerful, expert-level waves.

Stay salty.

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