Rock Island Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s on offer at Rock Island for the next couple of weeks.

Well, I’ll be honest with you, the first week is a tough one to swallow. From Monday the 27th of July right through to Sunday the 2nd of August, it’s a flat spell. The swell is tiny, barely pushing 1ft to 1ft, and the period is short and weak. The wind is mostly onshore or cross-onshore, and combined wave energy is weak (values between 11 and 59). There’s a few glassy moments around Tuesday the 28th morning and Friday the 31st morning, but with no swell to work with, it’s just a flat, clean lake. Not a single worthwhile wave to be had those first six days.

Then we get a little flicker of life on Monday the 3rd of August. The morning shows a 2ft swell from the SE with a 15-second period. The combined energy jumps to 195 (moderate), and the wind is light cross-offshore. It’s surfable, but ordinary. The swell is still a bit weak for getting excited.

Now, here’s where it gets interesting. The real standout is Tuesday the 4th of August. The morning offers a 4ft swell from the SE with an 18-second period – that’s proper groundswell, very long period. The combined energy is a strong 1021. With a light cross-offshore breeze from the ENE at 6 mph, it’s clean. This is excellent surf for experienced surfers. The swell direction (SE) is a good match for the optimum. Because it’s a long period swell, Rock Island being a reef break will love it. Be aware this is for the experienced crew only; 4ft with that much energy will pack a punch.

Wednesday the 5th of August morning is also a cracker. We’re looking at 6ft from the SE at 18 seconds, with a combined energy of 2030. The wind is light cross-offshore again. This is another excellent window for experienced surfers. The afternoon gets a bit messier with a cross-on wind.

Thursday the 6th of August is for the big dog only. The morning sees a 8ft swell from the SE at 18 seconds, with a combined energy of 4160, and a fresh offshore wind from the NE at 19 mph. The afternoon gets even bigger at 10ft and 5902 energy. The wind is still fresh offshore. This is big, powerful, and clean. It's a serious session for experts only.

Friday the 7th of August is the biggest window of the whole forecast. The morning has a 13ft swell from the SSE at 18 seconds, with a massive combined energy of 10262. The wind is a strong offshore from the NNE at 28 mph. The afternoon is 15ft with 10573 energy. The text says "strong offshore and clean but hard to paddle into." That’s the reality of it. This is a massive, pumping, heavy swell with a strong offshore wind. It’s a world-class window for the truly elite, but for the rest of us, it’s a spectator event.

The weekend of the 8th and 9th of August goes completely nuts with the wind. The swell is still huge (10ft to 13ft), but the wind is a near gale to severe gale from the SE and ENE, with gusts up to 53 mph. The combined energy is still very high, but the conditions are completely blown out. This is more a kite surfing window than a paddle surfing one.

The final days from the 10th of August see the swell drop back down to 5ft and then 3ft, but the wind stays onshore or strong. Tuesday the 11th of August morning offers a 3ft swell with a light cross-offshore wind and clean conditions, but it’s a weak finish to the run.

So, the best on offer is undoubtedly the morning of Tuesday the 4th of August and the morning of Wednesday the 5th of August. These are the best windows for experienced surfers with solid, clean, long-period groundswell. The water temperature is 82°, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year.

Rusty out.

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