Rock Island Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let’s talk about Rock Island. It’s a reef break, fine for beginners, and it breaks pretty regularly. The water temperature is about bang on for this time of year, no big deal. The first bit of surf worth mentioning is Wednesday morning, July 29th. We’ve got a little 2ft SSW swell, glassy, but the energy is weak (55) and the period is short, so it’s just rideable, not exciting.

Thursday and Friday stay tiny, with a few clean moments but the swell is under 2ft and the energy is basically nothing. The whole weekend is a bust, with knee-high waves and onshore or cross-off winds. Sunday the 2nd has a tiny bump in energy (62) but still just surfable, not good.

Now, here’s where it gets good. The real action starts Monday morning, August 3rd. Offshore wind from the NE, a 3ft SE swell, but the period jumps to 17 seconds – that’s real groundswell. The energy is moderate (347) and the conditions are clean. Not huge, but a sign of things to come.

Tuesday, August 4th, is the one. Morning offshore NE wind at 15 mph, swell building to 5ft from the SE, still a very long period of 18 seconds. The energy is strong (1228). This is excellent for experienced surfers. The afternoon is a touch bigger at 5ft, still clean with offshore wind. The crowd factor is “sometimes” at Rock Island, so expect a few heads out, but that’s just part of it.

Wednesday, August 5th, gets bigger – 10ft to 12ft SE swell, but the wind is fresh offshore at 22 mph. That’s a lot of power (energy up to 6461) and it’s a reef break, so it’s getting serious. The period is still very long, so the sets will be well-spaced, but this is for experts only. Anything over 8ft is just for the crew.

Then, Thursday, August 6th, is the absolute standout. Morning session: 13ft of SSE swell, very long period of 16 seconds, and gentle offshore wind from the NNE. The combined energy is enormous (9144). The file says “exceptional surf conditions for expert surfers,” and that’s no lie. This is a major event. The afternoon turns cross-shore and choppier, so get it in the morning.

After that, the quality drops through Friday and into the weekend as the wind goes onshore and cross-onshore, with the swell dropping from 10ft down to 4ft by Sunday. The energy stays moderate to high, but the wind ruins it. From Monday, August 10th, there’s a long gap of nothing but small, onshore slop until Thursday, August 13th, when we get a 1ft SSW swell with a 12-second period, a light offshore, and clean conditions. It’s surfable, but nothing to get excited about.

So, to sum it up: the first week is a build-up, but Tuesday, August 4th, and Thursday morning, August 6th, are the real standouts. The Tuesday is clean, solid, and powerful for experienced surfers. The Thursday is a proper big-wave day for experts only. The rest of the window is mostly poor or flat. Get out there for the Tuesday and Thursday sessions if you’ve got the skills.

Rusty

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