Rockaway Surf Break

Lat Long: 40.57° N 73.85° W

Rockaway Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Issued: 7 pm 15 Aug 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's Rockaway sea temperature is
24.7° C
2.0° 

Rockaway surf forecast is for near shore open water. Breaking waves will often be smaller at less exposed spots.


Rockaway surf forecast from 16 Aug 2026:

  • Best quality surf: Monday 17 Aug, 8AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.0m), 5s period, SSE swell with cross-offshore winds.
  • Most powerful swell: Friday 21 Aug, 11PM (local time) - 4ft (1.2m), 6s period, ENE swell with 110 kJ wave energy.
  • Next surfable swell (1★+): Monday 17 Aug, 8AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.0m), 5s period with SSE 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 Monday (Aug 17) at 8AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.0m and 5s period with a secondary swell of 0.1m and 8s. 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 1.2m 6s and forecast to arrive on Friday (Aug 21) at 11PM. Winds are predicted to be onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.7m 4s period and expected on Friday (Aug 21) at 5PM.

Wave TypeTime (EDT) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+) 8AM (Mon 17th Aug)3.5ft (1.0m) 5s
Best Surf 8AM (Mon 17th Aug)3.5ft (1.0m) 5s
Most Powerful11PM (Fri 21st Aug)4ft (1.2m) 6s

Table - best surf conditions forecast for Rockaway over the next 16 days.


The Lowdown

G’day, Rusty here. Let’s be straight with you—this stretch of coast is looking pretty ordinary for the next couple of weeks. We’ve got a long, flat spell ahead before anything even thinks about showing up.

The first real chance of a wave doesn’t come until Monday, August 27th, so that’s a solid ten-day gap from the start where you’re better off doing something else. The swell shows up as a modest 2ft from the southeast with a 13-second period, and we’re looking at moderate offshore winds from the northwest. It’s surfable, but it’s not going to blow anyone’s mind. The energy in the water is still weak, sitting at 115, so it’s small and clean but nothing special.

After that, Tuesday the 28th keeps the southeast swell around 2ft, but the wind swings cross-offshore from the north-northwest. Again, it’s clean but small, with energy dropping back to the 77-131 range. Nothing to get excited about.

The end of the run, from Saturday the 30th and into Monday, September 1st, sees the swell actually start to build. We’re talking 4ft to 6ft from the east and east-southeast, but here’s the kicker—it’s all onshore wind, and the period is short, around 6 to 8 seconds. That means messy, lumpy, and pretty much unsurfable for a proper ride. The energy does jump up to 160 and then 578, which sounds big, but with that short period and onshore flow, it’s just going to be a choppy mess. If you’re into kitesurfing, that might look fun, but for a paddle surfer, it’s a write-off.

The whole timeframe is poor, to be honest. The break itself is fairly consistent, but the quality just isn’t there. Water temp is about average for this time of year, so you won’t need a thicker suit just yet.

So, save your energy. The only remotely clean windows are the mornings on the 27th and 28th, but they’re tiny and weak. It’s a blank run, but with a fairly consistent break, it doesn’t usually stay this poor for long. Forecasts can change, so keep an eye on it.

Rusty out.

Short Range Forecast

Light rain (total 5mm), mostly falling on Sun night. Warm (max 29°C on Mon night, min 20°C on Sun night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the S on Sun night, calm by Mon afternoon).

Days 5-7 Weather Summary

Light rain (total 4mm), mostly falling on Thu morning. Warm (max 28°C on Wed afternoon, min 22°C on Thu night). Wind will be generally light.

Sunday
16
Monday
17
Tuesday
18
Wednesday
19
Thursday
20
Friday
21
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
Rating
(10 max)
0
0
0
0
1
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
Swell
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Wave
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
0.2
SSE
6
0.3
SSE
6
0.7
S
4
1
SSE
5
0.9
SSE
5
0.8
SSE
6
0.6
SE
8
0.7
SSE
7
0.7
SSE
7
0.7
SSE
7
0.5
SE
7
0.6
SSE
6
0.3
SE
9
0.4
SE
9
0.3
SE
8
1
E
5
0.8
E
6
0.8
E
6
0.7
E
6
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
4
7
14
47
51
41
45
44
41
41
23
27
12
27
13
57
39
40
39
Wind (km/h)
10
S
20
SSE
30
SSW
35
S
15
NW
10
W
15
NNE
5
N
20
S
15
SW
5
WSW
25
S
10
NNE
10
NE
5
E
5
ESE
10
ESE
15
SE
10
ESE
Wind State
cross-on
cross-on
cross-on
cross-on
off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-on
cross
cross-off
cross-on
cross-off
cross
glassy
glassy
cross-on
on
on
High Tide
10:18PM1.61m
10:55AM1.61m
11:06PM1.49m
11:43AM1.56m
11:55PM1.37m
12:30PM1.50m
00:44AM1.26m
1:18PM1.45m
1:34AM1.18m
2:06PM1.40m
2:27AM1.12m
2:58PM1.38m
3:25AM1.09m
Low Tide
4:37AM-0.09m
4:59PM0.06m
5:17AM0.02m
5:46PM0.16m
5:57AM0.13m
6:36PM0.26m
6:41AM0.23m
7:35PM0.33m
7:34AM0.32m
8:39PM0.36m
8:36AM0.37m
9:41PM0.35m
clear
part cloud
part cloud
light rain
rain showers
part cloud
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
part cloud
rain showers
cloud
clear
clear
light rain
part cloud
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
6:05
6:07
6:07
6:09
6:09
6:11
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
7:52
7:52
7:50
7:49
7:47
7:45
7:45
 mm
4
1
3
1
Temp °C
25
24
25
23
24
28
29
25
27
26
26
28
28
23
25
25
23
24
23
Feels °C
25
23
21
22
26
30
30
26
28
25
26
26
27
25
26
27
23
24
23
  • Map Icons:
  • Break
  • Live Wave Height (m)
  • Live Wind Speed (km/h)
  • Surf Rating (10 Max)
  • Ocean Swells (m)
  • Wind Speed (km/h)
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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 11 km (7 miles) from the city of East New York. If you plan a vacation in Long Island New York, look for hotels and other accommodation in East New York. East New York has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.

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