Rockaway Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Gotta be straight with you – the next couple of weeks at Rockaway are looking pretty grim for a proper paddle. We’ve got a real dry spell on our hands.

The first few days are a write-off. Sunday the 19th to the end of the week, we’re looking at weak, short-period windswell, mostly from the SW and NW, with a constant cross-onshore wind messing everything up. The wave energy is barely there (619) on Sunday, and it just gets worse. It’s choppy, it’s small, and it’s poor. You’d be better off doing something else.

We do see a bit of a pulse of energy coming in from the SW around Friday the 24th and into the weekend, with the combined swell energy hitting 866 and then 1147. The swell height is still only around 3ft to 3ft, but the period stretches out to 21 seconds – that’s proper groundswell. This kind of long-period swell loves a point or a reef, but at a beach-and-reef setup like Rockaway, it can break a bit too straight and fat. The real killer is the wind: it’s light on the morning of Sunday the 26th, but still cross-on, so the surf will be a bit messy.

The best chance in the whole outlook, and I mean the only real standout, is the morning of Monday the 27th. The wind is actually forecast to be *onshore* (WNW) at a gentle 9 mph, which is a bit of a bummer, but the swell is a solid 4ft from the SW with a 19-second period. The combined energy is pumping hard at 1412. It’s the cleanest the window gets, but the wind direction is not ideal. Could be some fun, long-walled walls if you pick your bank.

By the end of the first week of August, the energy drops right off again. The morning of Sunday the 2nd of August is... interesting. The wind goes light offshore (SW) at 6 mph, and the water will be clean, but the swell is only 3ft from the NW with a short 8-second period. Honestly, it’s surfable but very ordinary.

The water is a talking point, though. It’s a toasty 60°F, which is about 4°F warmer than usual for this time of year. You’ll be fine in a shorty.

Bottom line: it’s a tough call. Nothing is firing. If you’re desperate, stake out the morning of Monday the 27th for the best swell energy, but don’t expect perfection. The rest of the window is a long, flat, choppy grind.

Rusty.

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