Rockaway Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, it's Rusty here. Let's have a look at what's on the menu for Rockaway over the next couple of weeks. I gotta be straight with you – the forecast is a bit of a mixed bag. For the first week and a half, we're looking at a whole lot of "meh" and not much rideable. The wind is mostly blowing onshore or cross-onshore with small, short-period swell, and that combo just churns things up. We’ll have to be patient.

Things start to show a pulse around Monday the 14th of September. We’ll see a bit of size bump up to about 6.9ft from the WNW, but the winds are still a problem – it’s a light cross-onshore with moderate energy in the morning that’ll be a bit bumpy, and it gets blown out again by afternoon.

The first real window of opportunity doesn’t open up until later. There’s a promising window on Saturday the 19th and into Sunday the 20th, with a good-sized swell of 6.9ft from the NW on Sunday morning. The combined energy is pretty strong, but at 6.9ft this is getting into more experienced territory, and the wind is a light cross-onshore. Not perfect, but it's something to watch.

Now, if you can hold out for the very end of the forecast, there’s a gem hiding in there. Wednesday the 23rd of September is the standout for the whole run. The morning is looking absolutely glassy, with a clean 4.6ft of long-period NW groundswell. The period is a juicy 11 seconds, and the energy is solid. This will deliver some proper, well-shaped lines. With zero wind and that long period, this is a prime day for a point break or a reef setup, though at a beach break it might be a little straight. The light cross-shore wind on Thursday the 24th morning (24/09) also keeps things clean with a 3.9ft swell and glassy conditions, but Wednesday is the one to circle on the calendar.

Rockaway is an exposed beach and reef setup, so it catches most swells. But with a lot of the wind being westerly, we’re often fighting an offshore wind that’s actually blowing straight onto us along the coast. The water temperature is a notable 62.8°F, which is about 4.1°F warmer than normal for the time of year, so you can get away with a slightly thinner suit.

For the main event on the 23rd, the water should still be comfortably warm. If you’re a beginner, be careful with the bigger days; anything over 5ft can be a handful, and by the time we see 6.9ft+ it’s really for the experts only. Crowds can be a thing here sometimes, so get out early for that glassy window. If the wind stays consistent with that westerly cross-onshore and the swell is messy, it would honestly look better for a kite surfer than a paddle surfer on a lot of those days.

Keep your eye on that Wednesday the 23rd. The rest of the run is mostly about waiting it out or being very, very selective with the tides. The long-range stuff like Sunday the 20th is promising but less certain. I'll see you in the water.

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