Rockaway Surf Break

Lat Long: 40.57° N 73.85° W

Rockaway Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Issued: 7 am 29 Aug 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's Rockaway sea temperature is
23.1°C
1.4° 

Rockaway surf forecast is for near shore open water. Breaking waves will often be smaller at less exposed spots.


Rockaway surf forecast from 29 Aug 2026:

  • Best quality surf: Friday 4 Sep, 2AM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.7m), 8s period, ESE swell with cross-offshore winds.
  • Most powerful swell: Thursday 3 Sep, 8AM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 9s period, ESE swell with 132 kJ wave energy.
  • Next surfable swell (1★+): Friday 4 Sep, 2AM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.7m), 8s period with ESE swell.

Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Rockaway this week:

The surf forecast for Rockaway over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Friday (Sep 04) at 2AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.7m and 8s period with a secondary swell of 0.3m and 4s. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.

The most powerful waves expected at Rockaway in the next 16 days are 0.9m 9s and forecast to arrive on Thursday (Sep 03) at 8AM. Winds are predicted to be onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.3m 2s period and expected on Thursday (Sep 03) at 11PM.

Wave TypeTime (EDT) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+) 2AM (Fri 4th Sep)2.5ft (0.7m) 8s
Best Surf 2AM (Fri 4th Sep)2.5ft (0.7m) 8s
Most Powerful 8AM (Thu 3rd Sep)3ft (0.9m) 9s

Table - best surf conditions forecast for Rockaway over the next 16 days.


The Lowdown

Alright, surfers, Rusty here. Gotta be straight with you – the next couple of weeks at Rockaway are looking pretty flat and sad. The overall pattern is one of weak, short-period windswell that just doesn't have the juice to get things going. We're staring down a long stretch of nothing.

Right now, on Saturday morning the 29th, we've got a tiny 2ft swell from the SE, but it's got no power with a combined energy of only 35, and the period is a mushy 8 seconds. It's a cross-offshore wind, so the surface is clean, but there's just nothing to ride. The water is a touch warmer than normal at 73.6°, but that's small comfort.

We're looking at a gap of nearly a week and a half of poor surf. The swell stays under 3ft, the periods are short – mostly 4 to 8 seconds – and the wind is all over the place, mostly onshore or cross-shore. Even when the wind is offshore, like on the 5th of September with a glassy morning, the swell is a pathetic 1ft. It's a kite surfer's paradise with that chop, but for paddle surfing, it's a total bust.

The first real flicker of hope doesn't come until Tuesday the 8th of September, in the afternoon. We finally see a bit of swell pick up to 3ft from the E with a combined energy of 121, which is moderate. Still a short period of 6 seconds though. The wind is a clean cross-offshore from the WSW, which is a major positive. It's not a standout, but after all this flatness, it's a surfable wave.

Wednesday the 9th of September morning looks a bit better. The swell is still 3ft from the ESE, but the combined energy jumps to 176, and it's clean with a cross-offshore wind. It's nothing special, but it's the best we've got.

Honestly, there's no true standout in this forecast. If you're desperate, you might want to check the 8th or 9th of September, but keep your expectations real low. The breaks are fairly consistent, so it doesn't usually stay this poor for long, but this window is a dud.

Stay patient, crew.

Short Range Forecast

Moderate rain (total 11mm), heaviest on Sun night. Warm (max 28°C on Sun afternoon, min 19°C on Sat morning). Wind will be generally light.

Days 4-6 Weather Summary

Heavy rain (total 28mm), heaviest during Thu afternoon. Warm (max 30°C on Tue night, min 18°C on Wed morning). Wind will be generally light.

Saturday
29
Sunday
30
Monday
31
Tuesday
1
Wednesday
2
Thursday
3
Friday
4
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
Rating
(10 max)
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
Swell
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Wave
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
0.6
SE
8
0.5
SE
8
0.4
SE
8
0.4
SE
8
0.8
S
4
0.6
S
5
0.3
SE
8
0.5
S
5
0.4
SE
7
0.4
SE
7
0.7
S
4
0.3
SE
12
0.5
SE
11
1
E
6
0.9
ESE
7
0.7
ESE
7
0.6
ESE
8
0.7
ESE
8
0.6
ESE
8
0.4
ESE
7
0.4
ESE
8
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
35
30
22
24
20
18
10
11
14
12
16
23
58
81
82
55
49
56
40
16
24
Wind (km/h)
15
NNE
10
SSE
10
WSW
15
SW
25
SSW
5
ENE
10
NE
10
SW
15
WSW
15
SW
10
SW
25
NE
25
NE
15
E
15
ENE
15
SSW
20
SSW
5
WSW
25
NNE
15
ENE
5
S
Wind State
cross-off
cross-on
cross-off
cross
cross
glassy
cross
cross
cross-off
cross-off
cross
cross
cross
cross-on
cross-on
cross-on
cross-on
cross-off
cross-off
cross
cross-on
High Tide
8:45AM1.52m
8:58PM1.59m
9:20AM1.57m
9:36PM1.54m
9:59AM1.59m
10:19PM1.47m
10:42AM1.60m
11:08PM1.39m
11:32AM1.59m
00:05AM1.32m
12:29PM1.58m
1:07AM1.27m
1:31PM1.56m
2:13AM1.24m
Low Tide
3:04PM0.06m
3:22AM-0.04m
3:44PM0.06m
3:56AM-0.03m
4:26PM0.08m
4:31AM0.01m
5:10PM0.12m
5:10AM0.06m
6:02PM0.18m
5:57AM0.13m
7:08PM0.24m
6:59AM0.20m
8:26PM0.25m
clear
clear
clear
part cloud
part cloud
thunderstorm
part cloud
part cloud
part cloud
cloud
thunderstorm
rain showers
light rain
cloud
light rain
light rain
rain showers
rain showers
cloud
part cloud
part cloud
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
6:18
6:20
6:20
6:22
6:22
6:24
6:24
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
7:32
7:30
7:29
7:28
7:25
7:23
7:22
 mm
11
1
2
5
5
4
7
4
Temp °C
21
25
24
22
28
28
22
24
24
23
29
30
19
21
21
21
22
23
20
24
23
Feels °C
18
22
21
21
26
28
22
24
24
23
31
33
17
20
20
21
22
27
18
24
22
  • Map Icons:
  • Break
  • Live Wave Height (m)
  • Live Wind Speed (km/h)
  • Surf Rating (10 Max)
  • Ocean Swells (m)
  • Wind Speed (km/h)
Map placeholder
How to use the Wavefinder 
submit an eyeball surf report

Quick surf report for Rockaway:

join our community of surf reporters

FREE! Surf-Forecast.com widget for your website

The surf report / weather widget below is available to embed on third party websites free of charge and provides a summary of our Rockaway surf forecast. Simply grab the html code snippet that we provide and paste it into your own site. You can choose your preferred language and metric/imperial units for the surf forecast feed to suit users of your site. Click here to get the code.


Information about the Rockaway Surf forecast

The above surf forecast table for Rockaway provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Rockaway can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Rockaway surf forecast is unique since it includes wave energy (power) that defines the real feel of the surf rather than just the height or the period. If you surf the same spot (Rockaway) regularly then make a mental note of the wave energy from the surf forecast table each time you go. Very soon you may start to choose your surf days based on the wave energy alone combined with our forecast of favourable offshore wind conditions. Our star ratings will help here and of course you will also find the usual wave height and period predictions on our surf forecasts as well as a full break down of the swell components under our advanced users option (to reveal that, click the little Einstein character under the tide times).

Further information to help with frequently asked questions about our surf forecast for Rockaway may be found under the help tab on the top menu and also by moving your mouse over the question marks on the surf forecast table itself. Please always bear in mind that the forecast is for near-shore open water and local factors at each surf break influence the actual breaking wave height, such as the beach / reef profile, water depths offshore and shelter.

Rockaway is 11 km (7 miles) from the city of East New York. If you plan a vacation in Long Island New York, look for hotels and other accommodation in East New York. East New York has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.

Nearest locationNearest