Rock Island Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right folks, Rusty here. We’ve got a bit of a slow starter on our hands at Rock Island, but once it kicks in, it’s going to be a solid few days for the experienced crew. The water’s sitting at a warm 82°, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year, so you might not need the thickest rubber.

The first few days are a write-off. Saturday morning and afternoon are flat with poor conditions, so leave the board in the car. Sunday the 2nd has some tiny, tiny waves, barely surfable, but the wind is cross-off and the wave energy is weak (112). You could get wet, but it’s hardly worth it. Come Monday the 3rd, the swell starts to build, but the conditions are still marginal. The energy is picking up, hitting 303 on Monday morning and 488 in the afternoon, but the wind is a moderate offshore at 15 mph, which cleans things up a bit. The swell is still under 3 ft though, so it’s a bit of a tease.

Now, Tuesday the 4th is where it starts to get interesting. The morning is clean with a fresh NNE offshore at 19 mph. The swell is 5 ft from the SE, with a very long period of 17 seconds. The energy is ramping up big time (1271). This is proper groundswell energy, but at this size, it’s getting into the intermediate zone. The afternoon sees it hit 6 ft.

Wednesday the 5th is the absolute standout. The morning has an 8 ft SSE swell with a 16-second period – that’s serious groundswell. The energy is enormous (3834), and the wind is a moderate offshore from the NNE at 16 mph. The conditions are excellent for experienced surfers. This is big, powerful, and clean. The afternoon is even bigger at 10 ft from the SSE, with energy hitting 4320 and lighter cross-off winds. This is expert-only territory. Thursday the 6th morning holds the size at 8 ft from the S, still clean with light cross-off winds and energy at 3588. This is another day for the advanced crew. Thursday afternoon though, the wind swings onshore, making it messy.

Friday the 7th morning is a glassy beauty with a 6 ft SSW swell and a 14-second period. The energy is still strong (1550), and with glassy conditions, the waves will be clean. It’s still a solid size for experienced surfers. The afternoon turns onshore and becomes a mess.

After that, it drops off. Saturday the 8th and Sunday the 9th have smaller, onshore swell, and the following week is a long stretch of tiny, weak waves with no real quality until the 16th of August. That Sunday the 16th morning sees a 6 ft SE swell return with a moderate offshore wind and energy at 1208, which looks promising. The afternoon has 5 ft with a clean offshore wind and a score for very good surf. That’s a solid option for the end of the outlook.

So, to call it: Wednesday the 5th and Thursday morning the 6th are the top of the heap. Big, powerful, clean groundswell for the experts. The 7th morning is a close second with glassy conditions. The mid-period stuff is a no-go, and the end of the outlook on the 16th is a promising but less certain bet.

Rusty.

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