Rockaway Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, I’m looking at the forecast for the next couple of weeks and honestly, it’s a tough stretch. There’s a real gap here with no real surf on offer for days on end. Let’s get into it.

We’re looking at a pretty dry spell to start. From Thursday the 2nd of July right through until the morning of Wednesday the 8th, it’s all scoring a zero—weak, short-period windswell and messy cross-onshore winds. That’s over a week of not much to get excited about. The water temp is sitting at 70°F, which is about 2°F warmer than average for this time of year, so it’s a touch above normal but nothing crazy.

There’s a flicker of life on Wednesday the 8th afternoon at Rockaway. The swell picks up to 4ft from the east with a period of 6 seconds, and the combined energy hits 215, which is moderate energy. The wind is light cross-onshore, but the conditions are still "poor." It’s not the day to drop everything for, but there’s a tiny bit of push in the water. By Thursday morning the 9th, we get a bit cleaner—light cross-offshore wind from the WSW with a small 2ft south swell, period 9 seconds. The energy is only 66, weak, and it’s described as "surfable but very ordinary." It’s a small window for a log or a funboard if you’re desperate.

The next standout window, and probably the best of the whole run, is the weekend of the 11th and 12th of July. Saturday morning the 11th brings a moderate NW offshore wind at 15 mph, which is solid. The swell is 2ft from the SSE with a 7 second period, energy at 56. It’s clean, but tiny. Sunday morning the 12th is even better for wind—glass—with a NW breeze at just 3 mph. The swell is 2ft from the south, period 7 seconds, energy 29. It’s flat, but you know, sometimes a glassy morning on a small day is nicer than a blown-out bigger day. Still, nothing here qualifies as a real standout for size.

After that, it’s back into a rut. From Monday the 13th through to Friday the 17th, the swell stays under 3ft, periods are short, and the wind is mostly cross or cross-onshore. A few mornings have cross-offshore wind from the west, like Thursday the 16th, but the swell is 1ft with only 27 energy—barely a ripple.

To be honest, the whole 16-day window is a flat spell. There are no good days for a decent surf. The setup at Rockaway is a beach break, and with the persistent small, weak swell and onshore winds through the middle of the period, it’d be more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing. I wouldn’t be rushing for the board bag on this one.

Stay tuned, though—forecasts can always change.
Rusty

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