Surf Forecasts:
Rockpile surf forecast from 13 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Friday 18 Sep, 8AM (local time) - 2ft (0.6m), 19s period, SW swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Saturday 19 Sep, 11AM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.8m), 18s period, SW swell with 379 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Tuesday 15 Sep, 11PM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.5m), 16s period with SW swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Rockpile this week:
The surf forecast for Rockpile over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Sep 15) at 11PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.5m and 16s period with a secondary swell of 0.7m and 9s. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Rockpile in the next 16 days are 0.8m 18s and forecast to arrive on Saturday (Sep 19) at 11AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives.
| Wave Type | Time (PDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 11PM (Tue 15th Sep) | 1.5ft (0.5m) 16s |
| Best Surf | 8AM (Fri 18th Sep) | 2ft (0.6m) 19s |
| Most Powerful | 11AM (Sat 19th Sep) | 2.5ft (0.8m) 18s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Rockpile over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, Rusty here again, but in feet and miles.
Right off the bat, this is a grim stretch for Rockpile. For the first several days, starting Sunday the 13th, there's barely anything to get excited about – just tiny, onshore-chopped slop. The combined energy is low, sitting between 179 and 449 (moderate at best), and the wind is blowing straight on or cross-on, ruining any chance of clean faces. Monday the 14th sees a bump in swell height up to about 4ft, but with a short period of 8 seconds and onshore wind, it's just messy. No standouts here. This is a beginner-friendly reef break that's consistent, but with conditions like this, even beginners would struggle to have fun.
By Thursday the 17th, things start to look slightly less terrible – still marginal, but we see a shift to cross-shore winds. Swell holds around 3ft with a 15-second period, giving some long-period groundswell character. But the direction is still SW, which is optimum for this spot, so the reef might line up okay. Still, the combined energy is moderate (442-443), and with “marginal surf” flagged, it’s not worth a special trip.
The best of a bad bunch looks like Monday the 21st and Tuesday the 22nd. Swell ticks up to about 3ft, period stays solid at 17-16 seconds, and combined energy jumps to 675 (moderate) – the highest in the forecast. Winds are onshore but light, so there might be a brief window of cleaner lines. Still, with scores low, don’t expect perfection. This is the closest we get to a standout, but it’s a weak one.
From Wednesday the 23rd onward, it’s back to poor or marginal conditions, with cross-on winds and dropping energy. The last week is a write-off – small, choppy, and uninspiring. If you’re desperate, keep an eye on the 21st and 22nd, but honestly, leave the board at home for most of this run.
- Rusty
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 22°C on Sun morning, min 19°C on Tue morning). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 22°C on Fri afternoon, min 19°C on Tue night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||
Sunday 13 | Monday 14 | Tuesday 15 | Wednesday 16 | Thursday 17 | Friday 18 | ||||||||||||||
Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | |
Swell Height Map |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | ||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 13 | W 10 | W 8 | SW 18 | SW 17 | SW 16 | SSW 20 | SW 16 | SW 17 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 19 | SW 19 | SW 19 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 158 | 113 | 109 | 220 | 239 | 173 | 147 | 161 | 149 | 121 | 358 | 254 | 367 | 280 | 255 | 214 | 303 | 303 | 183 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | on | on | on | on | on | cross-on | on | on | glassy | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross-on | cross | cross |
High Tide | 10:45PM1.60m | 10:56AM1.77m | 11:27PM1.40m | 11:24AM1.73m | 00:14AM1.20m | 11:53AM1.66m | 1:14AM1.02m | 12:24PM1.56m | 3:12AM0.90m | 1:08PM1.45m | 2:38PM1.36m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 5:01AM0.24m | 5:43PM0.15m | 5:24AM0.43m | 6:28PM0.21m | 5:45AM0.61m | 7:21PM0.29m | 5:56AM0.77m | 8:32PM0.38m | 5:20AM0.89m | 10:13PM0.41m | 11:51PM0.34m | ||||||||
 |  | |  | | | | | | | | | |  | | | | | | |
 | — | 6:31 | — | — | 6:31 | — | — | 6:31 | — | — | 6:33 | — | — | 6:33 | — | — | 6:33 | — | — |
 | — | — | 6:58 | — | — | 6:57 | — | — | 6:54 | — | — | 6:53 | — | — | 6:52 | — | — | 6:51 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 21 | 22 | 22 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 20 | 21 | 20 | 20 | 21 | 20 | 21 | 20 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 21 |
Feels °C | 23 | 22 | 22 | 23 | 20 | 20 | 22 | 20 | 21 | 21 | 20 | 21 | 20 | 21 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 21 | 21 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 5 | W 6 | W 7 | W 10 | W 8 | W 8 | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 | W 8 | SW 17 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 13 | W 6 |
| kJ | 21 | 54 | 59 | 220 | 239 | 173 | 123 | 97 | 81 | 51 | 358 | 254 | 367 | 280 | 255 | 214 | 162 | 144 | 34 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SW 17 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | W 8 | W 6 | W 6 | SSW 12 | SW 21 | SW 21 | SW 19 | SW 19 | SSW 13 |
| kJ | 158 | 113 | 109 | 61 | 150 | 150 | 147 | 161 | 121 | 121 | 30 | 17 | 10 | 46 | 162 | 153 | 303 | 303 | 154 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 9 | S 8 | SW 16 | SW 19 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SSW 20 | SW 18 | S 9 | S 9 | S 9 | SW 21 | S 9 | S 9 | W 5 | S 8 | SW 19 |
| kJ | 13 | 12 | 67 | 127 | 60 | 55 | 53 | 23 | 149 | 83 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 116 | 25 | 25 | 14 | 5 | 183 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | W 3 | WNW 4 | — | W 6 | — |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 5 | — | 15 | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 11 | 5 | 16 | 5 | 129 | 152 | 5 | 129 | 16 | 0 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 |
Best forecast wave conditions in San Diego County | |||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United States | |||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||
- Map Icons:
Break
Live Wave Height (m)
Live Wind Speed (km/h)
Surf Rating (10 Max)
Ocean Swells (m)- Wind Speed (km/h)
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 Rockpile 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 Rockpile Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Rockpile provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Rockpile can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Rockpile 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 (Rockpile) 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 Rockpile 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.
Rockpile is 10 km (6 miles) from San Diego. If you plan a vacation in San Diego County, look for hotels and other accommodation in San Diego. San Diego has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.
Nearest