Rockaway Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's be real about what we're looking at for Rockaway. The forecast is a bit of a heartbreaker, to be honest. We've got a solid 16-day window ahead, but the surf just isn't cooperating. The swell is tiny and weak, and the wind is almost always in the wrong spot. It's one of those stretches where you're better off leaving the board in the car and grabbing a coffee.

Looking at the first week, it's grim. Friday morning on July 24th kicks off with glassy conditions but only 1.3ft of weak, short-period swell, and the report doesn't even call it surfable. That sets the tone. Through the weekend and into the next week, we see a constant barrage of onshore and cross-onshore winds. The swell bumps up a little, hitting 3.3ft on the afternoon of July 25th, but it's coming from the ESE with a short 6-second period and the wind is straight onshore. It's messy, choppy, and not worth paddling out for. The combined energy is a paltry 60 (moderate energy) at best.

The situation continues through the end of July. We get a slight glimmer on the morning of July 30th with a clean, cross-offshore wind from the NNE, but the swell is only 2.3ft. The energy starts to pick up on the afternoon of the 30th with a 3.3ft SSE swell at 10 seconds, giving us a combined energy of 227 (moderate wave energy), but the wind is a cross-shore from the NE at 15.5 mph, creating a chop. It's frustrating. The only real standout, if you can call it that, is the morning of July 31st. It's clean with a light offshore from the N, and the swell is 2.6ft from the SSE. The report says "surfable waves but very ordinary conditions" – and that's the best we've got. It's a 1 out of 10. For a break like Rockaway, it's a tough run.

The first part of August offers no relief. The wind is mostly onshore and strong, with gusts up to 25 mph on the afternoon of August 2nd whipping up a messy 2.6ft SSE swell. The combined energy hits 212 (moderate wave energy), but it's a washing machine. We get a short burst of clean conditions on the morning of August 4th with a light offshore from the N, but the swell is a pathetic 1.6ft. The pattern of small, weak swell and poor wind continues through the second week. The glassy morning on August 5th is lovely, but with only 1.6ft of swell, you're just floating. The entire 16-day window is a write-off for any decent paddle surfing. The setups look more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing on those days with strong onshores and bumpy conditions.

Stay patient, mates. It tends not to stay poor for long. Forecasts can change.

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