Rockaway Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s get stuck into the Rockaway outlook. It’s a bit of a sad story for the next while, but there’s a glimmer way out the back.

Right off the bat, the water is running a touch warmer than normal for this time of year at 74°F, which is a nice little bonus if you’re in the water, but it won’t make up for the lack of waves.

For the next week and a half, we’re looking at a real flat spell. From Sunday, the 23rd of August, right through to the end of August, the surf is tiny to non-existent. We’re talking about swell heights that barely scrape 2 ft, and the combined wave energy is weak, sitting in the double digits for most of that stretch—like 25 (moderate) up to 85 (moderate). The wind is mostly cross-on or onshore, keeping things choppy and messy. There’s no real power behind anything, and the period is short, under 10 seconds, so it’s just wind slop. Not worth paddling out for.

The first sign of life shows up on Monday the 31st of August. The morning brings a 1.0 ft swell from the SE with a very long period of 18 seconds. That’s a groundswell, but it’s tiny. The energy is still weak at 69 (weak). The wind is cross-off and clean, so it’s not ugly, but it’s barely surfable. The afternoon on the same day is a bit more interesting: a 3 ft swell from the SSE with a 17-second period. The combined energy jumps to 613 (strong), which is a real spike. The wind is cross-off and clean. This is the first real standout of the whole forecast. Rockaway is an exposed beach break, so this long-period groundswell might break a bit straight and be a bit tricky to fit into, but the power is there for a few proper waves. It’s best for intermediate surfers, not a beginner wave at that size.

After that, it drops back into the doldrums for a few days, with tiny surf and poor conditions.

The real standout is the morning of Friday, the 4th of September. The wind is light and cross-off from the WNW, glassy clean. The swell is 3 ft from the SE with a 12-second period, giving a combined energy of 208 (moderate). The forecast says “expect good surf conditions” for that morning. That’s the best window on offer. It’s consistent, clean, and the swell direction is right on the money for Rockaway’s optimum from the SSE. This is for intermediates, and because it’s a Friday, crowds are often an issue here, so expect company.

To be honest, for the entire 16 days, the only sessions I’d be looking at are Monday afternoon the 31st of August and Friday morning the 4th of September. Everything else is a write-off. It’s a long, flat stretch, but the forecasts can always change.

Rusty.

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