Rock Island Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's break down what Rock Island is looking like for the next couple of weeks.

Right up front, it's a bit of a slow-burn forecast. There's an immediate gap of a few poor days before we even get a sniff of something ridable. The main event, and I mean the only real standout, is lining up for the afternoon of Wednesday, July 22nd. We've got a long wait, but it might be worth it.

Let's roll through it.

The first session that looks any good is on Wednesday morning, July 8th. Rock Island is a reef break, so it's got the structure for decent waves. The morning is clean with a light 6 mph cross-offshore ENE breeze. A 5ft swell from the SSE is coming in with a long period of 16 seconds. The water temp is 75°, which is average for this time of year. Wave energy is strong (1094). This is a session for experienced surfers; that 5ft on a reef isn't for learners, but the long periods mean the sets will be clean and the paddle-out easier. It's a solid start, but it's short-lived.

The afternoon of that same day falls apart with onshore winds. From there, it's a long stretch of poor conditions. Thursday the 9th through to the following Tuesday, we're dealing with strong onshore winds and lumpy seas. Saturday, July 11th sees the swell bump up to 7ft, but with a 19 mph onshore wind, it's a complete mess. Anything over 5ft with that wind is just a battle for experts only, and the quality is gone.

We then hit a proper drought from Tuesday, July 14th, through to Friday, July 18th. The swell drops to barely 2ft. Thursday the 16th morning has a clean light easterly breeze, but it's only a 2ft SE swell. It's surfable but very ordinary. Not worth the effort unless you're desperate for a wobbly leg.

The weekend of July 18th stays small. Saturday morning has clean offshore winds, but again only 2ft of swell. You could probably get a few on a longboard, but it's flat by any standard.

Now for the turnaround. Sunday, July 19th morning kicks off with a clean, moderate 12 mph offshore NE wind and a 2ft SE swell with a 12-second period. It's small, but the energy is starting to climb. The afternoon sees the swell build to 3ft with a long 16-second period from the SE, and it's clean. We're getting closer.

The absolute pick of the bunch is Wednesday, July 22nd afternoon. The forecast shows a solid 4ft S swell with a moderate 9 mph offshore NE breeze. The wave energy is moderate at 600, but the conditions are excellent. The long 14-second period will give it good shape, and that offshore wind will have it glassed off. The S swell is right on the money for this break. This is the one to wait for. The following morning, Thursday the 23rd, still looks clean with a 4ft swell and a stiff offshore wind, though the period drops a touch to 12 seconds.

So to sum it up, there's a huge gap. From the afternoon of July 10th all the way to the 19th, it's mostly poor. You've got to be patient. But if you can wait for that Wednesday the 22nd window, it should be the best session of the run by a long shot.

Rusty.

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