Rockaway Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let's look at what's on the table for Rockaway.

Straight up, it’s a grim start. The first few days are a write-off. We’ve got clean conditions and some swell energy (223) on Sunday the 13th, but that’s a tiny 0.6m SW swell with onshore wind. Don’t even bother. Monday the 14th sees a jump to 7ft from the WNW with a 9-second period and a combined energy of 703, but the wind is onshore or cross-onshore all day, churning it into a mess. That size is pushing into expert-only territory anyway, but with that wind, it’s just a washing machine. Tuesday the 15th through to the 21st is a long, painful stretch of poor to marginal surf. The wind is almost always cross or cross-onshore, chopping up whatever small swell is running. It’s a solid week of frustrating conditions. You’re better off finding something else to do.

Now, there’s a glimmer. Tuesday the 22nd morning finally shows some promise. We’re looking at 5ft from the NW (8 secs) with a clean, cross-offshore wind. The combined energy is solid at 600. The notes say "expect very good surf conditions." This is the standout of the entire forecast period. The break at Rockaway is a consistent beach and reef setup, exposed to the NW, which is right in the pocket for this swell direction. It's an advanced wave at this size, so leave the foamies at home. Crowds are "sometimes" a thing here, but on a Tuesday morning with this quality, expect some company.

Wednesday the 23rd morning keeps the clean cross-offshore wind, with 5ft NW swell again, but the energy is pumping at 851. That’s got some real grunt. The afternoon gets messy as the wind swings cross-shore and the swell jumps to 6ft from the WNW with a 13-second period, which is a proper groundswell, but the cross-chop from a moderate breeze will take the shine off it.

Looking further out, the water temperature is 64°, which is a massive 5° warmer than normal for the time of year. That's very unusual, so you can leave the thick wetsuit at home. For a late September session on the 22nd, you’ll be surfing in boardshorts or a spring suit.

Thursday the 24th is marginal again with clean conditions but a smaller 5ft swell. Then from Friday the 25th through the weekend, it's back to poor, onshore conditions. There’s another small window on Sunday the 27th morning: 5ft NW swell with a 5 km/h cross-offshore wind and clean conditions. It’s not huge, but it’s rideable and clean, a decent little session before the wind picks up in the afternoon.

After that, it’s back to tiny, onshore slop right through to the end of the period on Monday the 28th, with gale-force winds by the afternoon.

So, the call is simple: if you want the best waves of this outlook, your window is Tuesday the 22nd morning. Wednesday the 23rd morning is a solid backup. Everything else is a gamble on a marginal day.

Rusty.

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