Rock Wave Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, surfers, Rusty here. Let’s break down what we’ve got coming up at Rock Wave. It’s going to be a bit of a mixed bag, with a fair chunk of the 16-day window being a write-off, so we need to be patient. We’re looking at a long stretch where the wind and the swell just aren't playing ball together.

First up, the water temp is sitting at about 65°, a touch colder than we'd normally expect for this time of year in these parts.

Right out of the gate, from Wednesday the 12th through to the morning of Saturday the 15th, it’s pretty grim. We’ve got a series of cross and cross-on winds, mostly from the ENE and NE, creating choppy, poor conditions. The swell does show some size, peaking around 6 ft on the Friday afternoon, but with that wind, it’s just going to be a mess. Not worth paddling out for.

Then, on Saturday morning, August 15th, we finally get a bright spot. The wind goes completely glassy at 0 km/h, and we’ve got a clean 4 ft easterly swell with a short 8-second period. It’s small, but it’s clean. The combined wave energy is moderate at 243. If you’re desperate for a glide, that’s your window. The afternoon still has some light cross-offshore wind messing it up a little.

After that, Sunday the 16th through Monday the 19th are mostly poor or marginal, with bumpy cross-shore winds and average swell. Not worth getting excited about.

We then get a standout that is worth circling on the calendar. Friday afternoon, August 21st, the wind drops to glassy again, and a 6 ft southerly swell rolls in. Expect very good surf conditions. It’s a shorter period (8 seconds), so it won’t have that groundswell punch, but with glassy conditions, the shape will be there. The energy is moderate (599). This is your best bet in this forecast.

Looking further out, the following week has some potential, but it’s less certain. Sunday the 23rd shows a building swell, with a 8 ft southerly groundswell hitting on the afternoon with a very long-period of 17 seconds. This is serious energy (2977) but the cross-onshore wind might mess it up. Then Monday the 24th holds a 7 ft south swell with a 16-second period, but again, the onshore wind is a factor. This setup will likely be better for experts, and that long-period swell could break a bit too straight on the reef, but it’s got a lot of juice. Keep an eye on this one, but don’t book the day off work just yet.

To wrap it up, the one true standout is Friday afternoon, August 21st for the glassy conditions and clean 6 ft swell. Saturday morning the 15th is the consolation prize for a small, clean wave. The long-range stuff on the 23rd and 24th is promising but needs the wind to play nice.

Stay patient, keep your eyes on that 21st.

- Rusty

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