Rockaway Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, this is Rusty, and I’m lookin’ at the next couple weeks for Rockaway. I gotta be straight with you – it’s a rough stretch. The ocean’s just not cooperating for a proper paddle session for most of the run. There’s a long, dry gap from now until the end of August, with barely a ripple worth mentionin’.

We start off Saturday the 22nd with tiny, weak swell – only 1 ft from the east, with a short period and a cross-onshore breeze. The water is a notable 77°F right now, which is 5°F warmer than usual, so it feels like a bath. But the surf? It’s poor, and it stays that way for days. The wind is mostly cross, cross-off, or onshore, and the swell just doesn’t have any legs. It’s a real flat spell. You’ll see a little pulse of energy from the south on Sunday the 23rd afternoon, but with a period of just 4 seconds, it’s all windswell and no power.

The whole first week is a write-off. The wind cleans up a bit mid-week, with some offshore flow from the west, but the swell heights are tiny – 1.0 ft to 2 ft. It’s pretty, but there’s nothing to ride. The combined energy values are all weak. Even the best looking wind days, like Wednesday the 26th morning with almost glassy conditions, the swell is just 1.0 ft. Not happening.

There’s a flicker of hope on Saturday the 29th morning. We get a moderate offshore wind from the northwest, and a little 2 ft south swell with a 7-second period. The energy ticks up a bit, and the forecast calls it “surfable waves but very ordinary conditions.” It’s the best of a bad bunch, but honestly, it’s still small and messy. For a beginner, that 2 ft is fine, but it’s not a day to get excited about.

We finally get a real standout at the very end of the run. On Wednesday the 2nd of September, the morning shows some promise. The swell picks up to 3 ft from the southeast, with a period of 12 seconds – that’s a proper groundswell. The combined energy jumps to 220 (moderate wave energy), and we’ve got a clean cross-off wind from the west-northwest. This is the best on offer. The break at Rockaway often gets crowded, so expect company, but the quality will be there. The 3 ft might be a bit small for the more experienced guys, but the long period will give it some shape. It’s a long way out, so keep an eye on it – forecasts can change.

After that, it drops off again. Thursday the 3rd brings bigger swell – 3 ft from the southeast – but the period is a short 6 seconds, and the wind is onshore or cross-shore, making it choppy and messy. The energy is moderate (168), but the conditions are no good. For the rest of the outlook, it’s back to small, weak, and mostly wind-affected.

So here’s the bottom line: if you’re desperate, the Saturday morning of the 29th is your only real shot in the first ten days, and it’s nothing special. The real standout is the morning of Wednesday the 2nd of September. Mark it on the calendar, but don’t hold your breath. For now, the board’s stayin’ in the car.

Rusty.

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