Rockaway Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's have a look at what's on the table for Rockaway over the next sixteen days.

Straight up, I gotta be honest with ya – this is a tough stretch. We're looking at a long, long dry spell. The first recommendation doesn't even pop up until Thursday the 30th of July, and even then, it's a real struggle. From the start of the forecast right through to the middle of the second week, we're staring down a lot of weak, choppy, and downright poor conditions. The swell energy is mostly in the weak range, with values scraping the bottom of the barrel, like 47 and 100 for the first few days. It's a frustrating pattern, but it tends not to stay this flat forever.

Let's break it down. The first real glimmer of hope, and I'm using that word loosely, comes on Thursday afternoon, July 30th. The wind swings around to a light westerly, going cross-offshore, and the conditions clean up. The swell is a measly 3ft out of the SSE, but with a period of 8 seconds, it's a short-period wind swell. The combined energy is a weak 78. It's described as "surfable waves but very ordinary conditions." For a surfer who's been staring at flatness, it's a chance to get wet, but don't expect any kind of gem. The water temperature is sitting at 73°, which is about what you'd expect for this time of year.

After that, things go back into the tank. Friday the 31st starts with a glassy morning, but the swell is only 2ft and the energy is a pathetic 43. It's a tease. The next week is a write-off of tiny, onshore, choppy slop. The swell heights drop to 1ft, 1.0ft, and the wind is almost always a cross-onshore mess. There's a brief moment on Tuesday morning, August 4th, where a light NNE wind gives us a clean window with 2ft of swell, but the energy is still weak at 50. It's a one-session wonder.

The only potential standout, and I'm squinting to see it, would be that Thursday afternoon, July 30th session. It's the only time in the entire 16-day window where the conditions are described as "clean" and the surf is even remotely rideable. The break is Rockaway, an exposed spot that's fairly consistent. The swell is small at 3ft from the SSE, which is right in line with the optimum direction. The wind will be a light cross-offshore, making it clean. It's a beginner-friendly size, and with the crowd level listed as "often", you can expect some company out there. For a true stand-out? No. For the best of a bad bunch? Absolutely.

The second week, from August 5th onward, is a ghost town. Tiny swells, weak energy, and mostly poor conditions. There's a flash of offshore wind on the afternoon of August 10th, but the swell is a laughable 0.3ft. It's just not happening.

So, keep your expectations low, Rockaway. This is a period for fixing dings and checking the forecast again in a few days.

Rusty.

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