Rockaway Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s be straight with you – this run is a tough one for the Rockaway. We’re lookin’ at a long stretch of flat, small, and messy conditions before we even get a sniff of something rideable. The first clean, surfable waves don’t show up until Tuesday morning, September 1st.

For the first week and a half, it’s a total write-off. From Sunday the 23rd right through to Monday the 31st, we’ve got nothing but tiny, weak swell with poor surf conditions. The wind is mostly junk, swinging onshore or cross-shore, and the swell heights hover around 0.7 ft to 2 ft. The combined energy stays in the weak zone, rarely cracking 100 (we’re talking values like 21, 27, 45). It’s just not worth paddling out for. You’ll find a few pockets of clean wind on the 24th, 25th, and 26th mornings, but the swell is so small it’s barely a ripple.

There’s a tease of clean, offshore wind on the morning of Monday the 31st, with a NW breeze at 12 mph, but the swell is a pathetic 0.3 ft from the SE with a long period of 18 seconds. That’s all energy, no height. Forget it.

The first real window for a paddle comes on Tuesday, September 1st. The morning session at Rockaway is the standout of the entire 16-day forecast. We’ve got a clean, light cross-offshore NNE breeze at 6 mph, and the swell is a modest 1 ft from the SE, but with a period of 15 seconds – that’s proper groundswell energy. The combined energy is 94, which is still weak, but it’s the best we’ll see for a while. It’s surfable, but very ordinary. Don’t expect perfection, but it’s the only real window.

The situation improves slightly by the afternoon of Thursday, September 3rd. The wind goes glassy with a calm, 0 mph southerly, and the swell holds at 3 ft from the SE with a period of 13 seconds. Combined energy climbs to 194 (moderate). The sets will be clean and smooth, but the swell size is still beginner-friendly. This is a solid, honest morning if you’ve got a longboard or a funshape.

Heading into the weekend, the wind keeps it clean on Sunday morning, September 6th, with a moderate offshore NW breeze at 12 mph. The swell is 2 ft from the ESE with an 8-second period. Combined energy is 103 (moderate). It’s rideable, the waves will be lined up, but it’s nothing to write home about.

The real standout for the whole forecast is the glassy period on Thursday afternoon, September 3rd. For a few hours, the ocean goes flat and the 3 ft, 13-second SE groundswell will offer the cleanest, most user-friendly waves of the whole run. It’s the closest we get to a proper session.

The water temperature is sitting at 74°F, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year. You’ll be fine in a spring suit or shorty.

There’s a big but ugly pulse of swell on the 4th and 5th of September, with heights over 5 ft, but it’s a short-period, wind-affected mess from the E and NE. Winds are strong and cross-shore, making it choppy and lumpy. Combined energy spikes to 333 and 381 (moderate), but the quality is poor. You could probably kite surf it, but it’s not a paddle session.

So, to sum it up: this is a long, flat spell broken by a few very average, clean windows. The best on offer is the glassy Thursday afternoon, September 3rd. After that, the forecast gets shaky again. Keep your board waxed and your eyes on the charts, but don’t get your hopes up too high for the next two weeks.

Rusty.

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