Rockaway Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s happening for Rockaway over the next couple of weeks. I’ll be straight with you – it’s been a tough run for paddle surfing. The wind has been a persistent problem, blowing cross-on or cross-onshore for the vast majority of the period, and that’s kept the surface messy and choppy. The water is running at about 62° at the start, which is much warmer than average for this time of year, so at least you won’t need a thick suit.

The first recommendation doesn’t kick in until Wednesday morning, the 19th of August. That session is marginal, with a 5 ft NW swell and a short period of 7 seconds, winds are light and cross-shore from the WSW at 6 mph. The combined energy is moderate at 308, but the quality is still questionable due to tide. It’s a light wind day, so there’s a chance of a few lumpy ones if you’re keen.

The week grinds on with poor surf conditions. The wind stays mostly cross-on through Thursday and Friday, with swell heights around 4 ft to 5 ft, but the period is short – 6 to 8 seconds – and the energy is moderate (between 144 and 480). The water is still choppy and not clean. Saturday the 22nd and Sunday the 23rd offer no real improvement; the wind is still cross-on and the waves are a bit of a mess.

Then we hit a dry spell. Monday the 24th through Tuesday the 25th of August sees a drop in swell height to 1 ft to 2 ft, with a long period groundswell from the SW at 17-18 seconds. The energy is moderate (202 to 274), but the wind remains cross-on, and the wave comment is poor. You’re looking at a couple of days with barely any surfable waves.

The next real glimmer is on Wednesday morning, the 26th of August. The swell picks up to 4 ft from the WNW with an 8-second period, and the wind is light and cross-shore from the SW at 9 mph. The combined energy jumps to 433 (moderate). It’s still marked as marginal, but that light cross-shore wind is a major positive – it’s the cleanest we’ve seen in a while.

Thursday the 27th of August morning shows a 6 ft WNW swell with an 8-second period, and again light cross-shore wind from the SW at 9 mph. The energy is moderate at 498. That afternoon, the swell bumps up to 6 ft from the NW, but the wind turns cross-on from the W at 12 mph, and energy spikes to 1061 (strong). That’s a lot of power, but the wind is going to chop it up. For a beach and reef setup like Rockaway, this is more of a kite-surfing day than a clean paddle session.

Friday the 28th of August morning has a 6 ft WNW swell, but the period is still short at 9 seconds. The wind is light cross-on from the WSW at 6 mph, energy at 578 (moderate). It’s marginal, but the light wind is a plus. The afternoon gets messy again with 12 mph cross-on wind.

After that, from Saturday the 29th of August all the way through to the end of the period on Wednesday the 2nd of September, the surf fades. Swell heights drop to between 1 ft and 4 ft, with periods mostly short (8 seconds) or long (12-17 seconds from the SW). The wind stays cross-on or cross-shore, but the energy is low (85 to 294). The sea state is poor or marginal at best. The long period SW swells in early September are too weak to hold up against the wind.

The standout window: Honestly, the best on offer is the morning of Thursday the 27th of August. That 6 ft WNW swell with light cross-shore wind gives you a chance at a few cleanish, punchy waves, but it’s not a classic. If you’re desperate, Wednesday morning the 26th is a close second. The rest of the 16 days is a write-off for clean surf. The forecast is reliable for the near term, but the long-range stuff looks just as poor.

Rusty.

Read more