Rockaway Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, this is Rusty. Lookin' at Rockaway and the truth is, it’s gonna be a grind for a while. We’ve got a long stretch of messy, choppy, and just plain poor conditions through the end of August and into the first week of September. The wind is mostly cross or cross-onshore, and the wave energy is weak, with combined swell energy values mostly in the double digits (44-300 range). It’s not gonna be worth paddling out for the first week, honestly. That’s a solid 7-8 day gap of nothing you’d want to write home about.

Now, on Thursday the 3rd of September, things get a little interesting. The wind goes cross-offshore, and we get a sneaky little pulse of long-period SW groundswell (19 seconds) that suddenly kicks the energy up to 394 (moderate energy). The waves are tiny, only about 2 ft, so it’s not a big swell, but that long period and light, clean wind means the sets that come through will have some shape. It’s marginal, but it’s the first sign of life.

Then we hit a little dry spell again before the real standout pops up on Thursday the 10th of September. The morning session is the pick of the whole forecast. The wind is offshore (SSW at 9 mph), the surf is clean, and we’ve got that long-period SW groundswell with a 17-second period. The combined swell energy is pumping at 525 (strong energy). The actual wave height is a modest 3 ft, but with that quality and those lines, it’ll be way more fun than the size suggests. There will be some shape on offer. Keep in mind, Rockaway (New York) is an exposed beach and reef setup, and with that long period, it might get a bit straight at the beach, but the reefs could line it up nicely. Crowds are sometimes an issue here, so get out early.

Looking further out to Saturday the 12th of September, the morning looks interesting but more for experts. We get a 7 ft NW swell, but its period is only 8 seconds. That’s 7 ft of short-period, wind-affected swell – it’ll be powerful but bumpy and a bit of a handful. The combined energy is 821 (strong). If you’re a solid surfer, there’ll be waves to be had, but it’s not the cleanest.

The best of the second week, and honestly the best overall, is that Thursday 10th morning window. It’s still a week and a half out, so don’t lock it in just yet, but it’s a promising target.

Rusty.

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