Rockaway Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. I’ve had a good look at the numbers for the next couple of weeks, and I gotta be straight with you – it’s a grim stretch for Rockaway. We’re looking at a long, dry spell with hardly a wave worth paddling for. The first *real* glimmer of anything doesn't show up until the middle of the second week, so we’re talking about a big gap of over a week with nothing to get excited about.

The water’s sitting at 74°F, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year, but that’s about the only nice thing going on.

Let’s run through it. The entire first week, from September 5th right through to the 11th, is a total write-off. We’ve got tiny dribbles of swell, mostly under 2 ft, with weak energy barely hitting double digits. The wind is all over the place – sometimes offshore, sometimes cross-shore – but it doesn’t matter because there’s no power behind it. The wave comment keeps saying “poor surf conditions,” and the score is a flat zero. There’s just nothing to work with.

We roll into the next week, and the story doesn’t change much. September 12th and 13th are still dead. The swell tries to bump up a little on the 13th afternoon, hitting 4 ft from the SSW, but it’s a short-period, windswell mess with a cross-onshore breeze. The energy climbs to 115, but it’s choppy and ugly. Not worth the paddle out.

The real kicker is the second half of the week. September 14th through the 17th, we’re stuck in the same rut. Tiny swell, weak energy, and messy winds. The 15th afternoon gives us a sniff of something with 3 ft from the ENE and clean conditions, but the energy is weak at 61 and it’s described as “surfable waves but very ordinary conditions.” That’s the best we get, and it’s not saying much.

Finally, on September 17th, we see a bit of a pulse. The morning shows 4 ft from the E with a period of 7 seconds and energy climbing to 131. It’s light cross-shore wind, which is okay, but the quality is still rated as poor. The next day, the 18th, looks similar – 4 ft from the ESE, period stretches to 9 seconds, and the energy hits 180. That’s the most oomph we see in the whole window, but it’s coming with onshore winds, so it’s going to be a messy, lumpy affair. After that, it fades back to nothing by the 20th.

So, what’s the standout? Honestly, there isn’t one. This is a stretch where the consistent, decent surf just isn’t on the cards. The forecast can always change, but right now, the board stays in the car. The only thing that even looks like a session is the morning of September 18th (Friday) at Rockaway, with that 4 ft of ESE swell and longer period, but the onshore wind is a real buzzkill. It’s the best of a bad bunch, but it’s not a recommendation.

Rusty.

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