Rock Island Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s chew the fat on what Rock Island is serving up over the next couple of weeks.

Right, we’ve got a bit of a slow burner here. The opening days have some size, but the quality is a mixed bag. The standout action is definitely gonna be the Thursday and Friday mornings, with some solid, clean groundswell rolling in.

Wednesday the 5th kicks things off with a solid 7ft SSE groundswell, period a long 15 seconds. The energy is pumping, with a reading of 2348. But the morning wind is a moderate offshore from the NNE, so it’ll be clean. The afternoon glassed off a bit with a lighter ENE breeze, but it’s cross-off, so still clean. The surf report says it’s marginal, likely due to tide, but it’s rideable.

Now, Thursday morning the 6th is where it gets good. Swell drops a touch to 6ft, still from the SSE, period 13 seconds. The wind is a gentle offshore from the NE, making for clean, lined-up waves. The energy is still strong at 1111. This is for the experienced crew, as the wave state is described as excellent. Thursday afternoon turns a bit cross-on from the south, so it’ll get a little bumpy.

Friday morning the 7th is another banger. Swell is 7ft from the S, period 14 seconds, and the energy is back up to 2017. The wind is a light cross-off from the east, keeping it clean. Again, this is excellent for experienced surfers. Friday afternoon goes cross-on from the SSE and gets choppy, so it’s a morning mission.

Saturday the 8th morning still has a clean 5ft SSW swell with a 14-second period and a light cross-off breeze. It’s clean, but the energy is dropping to 1021. Still a good option for the experienced. Sunday the 9th morning offers a smaller 5ft SSW swell, but the wind is a moderate offshore from the NE, keeping it clean. The energy is 852. It’s good, but dropping.

After that, from Monday the 10th onwards, the swell just tanks. We’re looking at a long run of tiny, weak waves. The wind is off the charts strong at times – 25 mph offshore – making it glassy but impossible to paddle into. The energy drops to just a few hundred or less. We’re talking about a gap from the 10th right through to the 20th where there’s nothing worth getting wet for. The waves are too small and the wind is too strong, making it more of a kite session than a paddle surf. The water temp is about average for this time of year, so nothing unusual there.

So, the pick of the litter is Thursday morning 6th August and Friday morning 7th August at Rock Island. Both have solid 6ft to 7ft S/SSE groundswell with a long period, clean offshore winds, and strong energy. It’s a reef break, so expect longer, more powerful lines. It’s rated for experienced surfers, and the crowds can be around sometimes, so get there early. The rest of the window is a write-off until the 20th, and even then it’s just tiny, ordinary surf.

Rusty.

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