Surf Forecasts:
Rockaway surf forecast from 18 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Wednesday 22 Jul, 11PM (local time) - 2ft (0.6m), 11s period, NW swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Friday 24 Jul, 2PM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.8m), 24s period, SW swell with 661 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Wednesday 22 Jul, 11PM (local time) - 2ft (0.6m), 11s period with NW swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Rockaway this week:
The surf forecast for Rockaway over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Jul 22) at 11PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.6m and 11s period. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Rockaway in the next 16 days are 0.8m 24s and forecast to arrive on Friday (Jul 24) at 2PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.5m 12s period and expected on Tuesday (Jul 21) at 11PM.
| Wave Type | Time (PDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 11PM (Wed 22nd Jul) | 2ft (0.6m) 11s |
| Best Surf | 11PM (Wed 22nd Jul) | 2ft (0.6m) 11s |
| Most Powerful | 2PM (Fri 24th Jul) | 2.5ft (0.8m) 24s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Rockaway over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s break it down.
We’ve got a long stretch ahead, but I’ll be honest – the first couple of weeks are looking pretty rough. The wind is mostly cross-on from the west, and the swell is weak and messy. The water temperature at Rockaway is 61°, which is a solid 5° warmer than usual for this time of year – that’s a notable difference, so you’ll feel like you’re surfing in a slightly warmer bathtub.
From Friday morning, July 17th, right through to the end of July, conditions are pretty bad. The swell is small, often under 3 ft, and the wind is consistently cross-on, making it choppy and bumpy. The combined wave energy is weak, often in the double digits or low triple digits (like 80 or 354), which tells you there’s just not enough power to push anything rideable. There are a few days where the swell picks up a little around the 24th and 25th of July, with combined energy hitting 684 and even 1019, but that’s still a cross-on wind and a messy, short-period swell (8 seconds). That’s not surfable, that’s just wind chop. For beginners, some of the swell on the 30th and 31st gets over 8 ft, but with a short 9-second period and cross-on wind, it’s just a washing machine – only for the experts, if anyone.
The one bright spot comes on August 1st, Saturday morning. Finally, we get a break in the wind. The breeze is light and cross-off from the SSW, and the swell is a solid 7 ft from the northwest. The combined energy is 853, which is moderate but with clean conditions. The wave comment says “expect very good surf conditions,” and that’s the standout. Rockaway is a beach-and-reef setup, so with a clean cross-off wind and a 10-second period, the sets should be lined up and punchy. The morning will be the best window. The afternoon gets a bit cross-on again, so don’t sleep in. This is your weekend winner.
So, to sum it up: you’ve got a long, dry run from July 17th through July 31st. A lot of nothing. But if you can wait, August 1st morning is the real deal. It’s a promise, not a maybe.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Very mild (max 16°C on Mon morning, min 11°C on Fri night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 20°C on Tue afternoon, min 14°C on Mon night). Wind will be generally light. | |||||||||||||||||||
Fri 17 | Saturday 18 | Sunday 19 | Monday 20 | Tuesday 21 | Wednesday 22 | Thursday 23 | ||||||||||||||
PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | |
Swell Height Map |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | |||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WNW 8 | WNW 16 | WNW 16 | SW 18 | WNW 16 | WNW 8 | SW 17 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | NW 8 | NW 8 | NW 8 | NW 8 | NW 8 | NW 11 | SW 14 | NW 10 | NW 10 |
Wave Graph  | ||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 315 | 273 | 269 | 318 | 256 | 224 | 297 | 267 | 203 | 299 | 239 | 80 | 69 | 40 | 31 | 21 | 101 | 0 | 82 | 64 |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | glassy | cross | cross | cross-off | cross | cross-on | cross-on |
High Tide | 2:27PM2.25m | 1:51AM2.28m | 3:09PM2.29m | 2:51AM2.04m | 3:51PM2.30m | 4:00AM1.82m | 4:34PM2.30m | 5:21AM1.68m | 5:18PM2.28m | 6:52AM1.62m | 6:04PM2.27m | 8:16AM1.65m | 6:52PM2.27m | |||||||
Low Tide | 8:06PM1.06m | 8:29AM0.39m | 9:10PM1.00m | 9:10AM0.64m | 10:17PM0.93m | 9:52AM0.88m | 11:26PM0.84m | 10:37AM1.10m | 00:33AM0.75m | 11:29AM1.27m | 1:34AM0.64m | 12:29PM1.39m | 2:26AM0.55m | |||||||
 |  | | | | | | | | |  |  | | | | | | | | | |
 | — | — | 6:01 | — | — | 6:03 | — | — | 6:03 | — | — | 6:03 | — | — | 6:05 | — | — | 6:05 | — | — |
 | 8:30 | — | — | 8:29 | — | — | 8:28 | — | — | 8:28 | — | — | 8:27 | — | — | 8:25 | — | — | 8:25 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 13 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 16 | 16 | 14 | 18 | 20 | 18 | 19 | 19 | 17 | 18 | 18 | 16 |
Feels °C | 10 | 9 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 12 | 11 | 12 | 15 | 13 | 13 | 16 | 18 | 17 | 18 | 18 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 15 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WNW 17 | NW 7 | WNW 7 | WNW 16 | WNW 7 | WNW 8 | NW 8 | NW 8 | NW 8 | S 12 | S 12 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 11 | SSW 10 | SSW 8 | SSW 8 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SSW 13 |
| kJ | 315 | 194 | 173 | 263 | 168 | 198 | 196 | 180 | 138 | 306 | 225 | 299 | 569 | 363 | 193 | 184 | 99 | 206 | 191 | 156 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 14 | WNW 16 | WNW 16 | SW 18 | WNW 16 | WNW 16 | SW 17 | SW 16 | S 13 | NW 8 | NW 8 | S 12 | NW 8 | SW 15 | SW 16 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 7 | NW 10 | S 13 |
| kJ | 74 | 273 | 269 | 318 | 256 | 188 | 297 | 267 | 264 | 118 | 82 | 169 | 69 | 226 | 245 | 243 | 261 | 30 | 82 | 125 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 18 | SW 14 | SW 18 | NW 11 | WNW 10 | SW 17 | W 15 | W 14 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | NW 8 | S 10 | NW 8 | NW 8 | NW 8 | NW 11 | SSE 15 | S 14 | NW 10 |
| kJ | 52 | 103 | 246 | 30 | 42 | 224 | 165 | 106 | 203 | 299 | 239 | 80 | 68 | 40 | 31 | 21 | 101 | 72 | 103 | 60 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WNW 8 | — | — | WNW 7 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | S 3 | — | — | — | WNW 3 | NW 5 |
| kJ | 257 | — | — | 127 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | 3 | 64 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 84 | 22 | 22 | 84 | 22 | 22 | 61 | 22 | 22 | 301 | 2 | 22 | 37 | 1 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 61 | 22 |
Best forecast wave conditions in San Mateo | ||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United States | ||||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | ||||||||||||||||||||
- Map Icons:
Break
Live Wave Height (m)
Live Wind Speed (km/h)
Surf Rating (10 Max)
Ocean Swells (m)- Wind Speed (km/h)
FREE! Surf-Forecast.com widget for your website
The surf report / weather widget below is available to embed on third party websites free of charge and provides a summary of our Rockaway surf forecast. Simply grab the html code snippet that we provide and paste it into your own site. You can choose your preferred language and metric/imperial units for the surf forecast feed to suit users of your site. Click here to get the code.
Information about the Rockaway Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Rockaway provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Rockaway can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Rockaway surf forecast is unique since it includes wave energy (power) that defines the real feel of the surf rather than just the height or the period. If you surf the same spot (Rockaway) regularly then make a mental note of the wave energy from the surf forecast table each time you go. Very soon you may start to choose your surf days based on the wave energy alone combined with our forecast of favourable offshore wind conditions. Our star ratings will help here and of course you will also find the usual wave height and period predictions on our surf forecasts as well as a full break down of the swell components under our advanced users option (to reveal that, click the little Einstein character under the tide times).
Further information to help with frequently asked questions about our surf forecast for Rockaway may be found under the help tab on the top menu and also by moving your mouse over the question marks on the surf forecast table itself. Please always bear in mind that the forecast is for near-shore open water and local factors at each surf break influence the actual breaking wave height, such as the beach / reef profile, water depths offshore and shelter.
Rockaway is 1 km (1 miles) from Pacifica. If you plan a vacation in San Mateo, look for hotels and other accommodation in Pacifica. Pacifica has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.
Nearest