Rockaway Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s take a look at what Rockaway’s got cookin’ for the next couple of weeks. Straight up, I gotta be honest with ya – this ain't gonna be a run of classic waves. We’re lookin’ at a long stretch of small, weak conditions, so don't get your hopes up too high.

We kick things off with a bit of a dud. Friday the 10th of July through to Tuesday the 14th, there’s just barely a ripple. We're talkin' ankle-biters around 1.0 ft to 1.3 ft from the ESE and SE, with weak energy readings in the 20s (24 to 28). The winds are mostly clean or cross-offshore, so the water will look pretty, but there’s not enough muscle to push a log, let alone a shortboard.

The first glimmer of something with a bit of push arrives on Wednesday the 15th of July. We get a bump up to 3.0 ft from the SW, and the energy jumps to 70, but the period is a short 6 seconds. That’s windswell, not groundswell. It’ll be a bit crumbly, though the morning has a clean westerly breeze (12 mph). It’s better than nothing, but not worth rushing for.

We hit a real dry spell after that. From Thursday the 16th through to Tuesday the 22nd of July, it’s mostly small (1.0 ft to 3.0 ft), short-period junk, with those energy numbers mostly under 100. Most days are plagued by cross-onshore breezes or onshores, making it lumpy and choppy. That’s a solid week of wobbly, unappealing surf.

Now, the model starts to show a little more life as we push into the second week. The standout – and I mean the only real standout – looks to be Friday the 24th of July. Swell builds to 3.9 ft from the SSE with an 8-second period, and the combined energy finally gets into the moderate range, hitting 202 in the morning. That is a noticeable step up in power. The catch? The wind is a cross-onshore easterly at 9 mph, so it won’t be glassy, just “fairly choppy.” It’ll be lumpy, but that’s the fattest wave we see.

Beat in mind, this is a beach break and the swell is coming from the SSE, which is pretty direct. With that short 8-second period, it’ll be a bit walled and dumpy. It’s not gonna be a gem, but it'll be the most rideable day of the whole 16-day window. Saturday the 25th of July drops back to 3.3 ft and onshore, so that Friday is your one real look.

So, yeah – a lot of flat, weak, and choppy days with one slightly less weak day on Friday the 24th. The crowds are “often” at Rockaway, and even when it’s small, you’ll have company. If you absolutely gotta paddle, aim for that Friday the 24th, but keep the expectations in the parking lot.

Stay salty.

Read more