Surf Forecasts:
Rockpile surf forecast from 1 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Sunday 6 Sep, 11PM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 15s period, SSW swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Monday 7 Sep, 11PM (local time) - 20ft (6.0m), 12s period, SSW swell with 10,119 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Wednesday 2 Sep, 2AM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.5m), 13s 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 Wednesday (Sep 02) at 2AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.5m and 13s period with a secondary swell of 0.7m and 5s. Another secondary swell of 0.6m and 9s is also forecast. Another secondary swell of 0.9m and 5s is also forecast. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Rockpile in the next 16 days are 6.0m 12s and forecast to arrive on Monday (Sep 07) at 11PM. 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+) | 2AM (Wed 2nd Sep) | 1.5ft (0.5m) 13s |
| Best Surf | 11PM (Sun 6th Sep) | 10ft (3.0m) 15s |
| Most Powerful | 11PM (Mon 7th Sep) | 20ft (6.0m) 12s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Rockpile over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s take a look at what’s coming up for Rockpile. It’s a bit of a slow start, but there’s a proper window of power coming through later.
Right now, we’re looking at a few days of small, messy conditions. The first session worth mentioning is Tuesday morning, 1st September, with a tiny 2ft SW swell. The water is a very unusual 75°F, which is a whopping 7°F warmer than normal for this time of year – that’s seriously weird. But the wind is a cross-shore, and it’s only a gentle breeze, so it’s not completely blown out. Still, the combined energy is weak (239), and it’s a marginal call.
The pattern doesn’t really improve through Wednesday or Thursday. The swell stays small, bumpy, and the winds are cross-onshore or choppy. You’re not missing much.
Then we get a proper change. Friday the 4th shows a little more life with a 3ft to 4ft SW swell, but the winds are still onshore or cross-onshore, keeping it messy. The real standout is the morning of Saturday the 5th of September. We’ve got a 4ft S swell, a 14-second period, and the magic word: glassy. Winds are a light 3 mph from the west, and it’s dead calm. Combined energy is up to a solid 1015, so there’s some proper push. This is a clean, long-period groundswell that will make the reef work nicely. The waves will be lined up, and while the sets will be a bit spaced out, the paddling out will be easy. This is the pick of the first week.
Saturday afternoon sees the swell jump to 6ft from the SSW, but the wind swings cross-shore, so it loses some of that perfection. Still, 6ft with a 15-second period has some serious grunt.
Sunday the 6th of September is for the strong paddlers. Morning brings an 8ft SSW swell, with light cross-offshore winds, making it clean. The combined energy is a massive 2757. This is big, powerful, and only for experienced surfers. The afternoon pumps up to 10ft, and the wind stays cross-off, so it’s still clean, but it’s also huge. This is expert territory only.
Monday the 7th of September is the peak of the run. The morning has 10ft of SSW swell, but the wind is a clean cross-offshore from the NNW. The combined energy is 2682 – massive. This is a serious, powerful swell for those who know what they’re doing. The afternoon gets even bigger at 15ft, but the wind turns cross-shore and creates a cross-chop, so the quality drops even if the size is insane.
After that, the swell starts to fade and the wind turns bad. From Tuesday the 8th onwards, it drops off quickly. The swell is small, the period short, and the wind is onshore or cross-onshore. It’s a long, quiet spell. From the 9th of September all the way through to the 16th, the waves are small and weak, with combined energy struggling to get over 500. The winds are poor, and the conditions are consistently poor. That’s a solid week or more of flat, bumpy surf.
So, to sum it up: the best of the run is the glassy morning of Saturday the 5th of September for clean, fun waves. For the big stuff, the clean mornings of Sunday the 6th and Monday the 7th of September are the expert windows. After that, it’s a long wait for the next pulse.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 22°C on Tue morning, min 20°C on Tue morning). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 9mm), mostly falling on Sun morning. Warm (max 27°C on Sun night, min 21°C on Fri morning). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Tuesday 1 | Wednesday 2 | Thursday 3 | Friday 4 | Saturday 5 | Sunday 6 | Monday 7 | |||||||||||||||
AM | PM | 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 13 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SW 17 | SW 15 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SW 17 | SW 16 | SW 16 | S 14 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | SSW 13 | SSW 12 | SSW 11 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
140 | 106 | 79 | 212 | 215 | 283 | 186 | 366 | 516 | 547 | 589 | 560 | 590 | 1519 | 1776 | 2757 | 3295 | 3835 | 2682 | 5562 | 6825 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross | cross | cross-off | cross | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross | cross-on | on | cross-on | cross-off | glassy | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-on |
High Tide | 12:06PM1.73m | 00:53AM1.10m | 12:49PM1.71m | 2:31AM0.91m | 1:49PM1.67m | 5:55AM0.91m | 3:16PM1.65m | 7:14AM1.05m | 4:51PM1.71m | 7:41AM1.19m | 6:06PM1.82m | 8:08AM1.33m | 7:05PM1.93m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 7:16PM0.29m | 6:20AM0.58m | 8:36PM0.30m | 6:45AM0.75m | 10:19PM0.26m | 7:16AM0.91m | 11:54PM0.12m | 10:35AM0.98m | 1:00AM-0.03m | 12:16PM0.87m | 1:48AM-0.16m | 1:19PM0.69m | 2:28AM-0.23m | ||||||||
6:22 | — | — | 6:24 | — | — | 6:24 | — | — | 6:24 | — | — | 6:26 | — | — | 6:26 | — | — | 6:26 | — | — | |
— | 7:14 | — | — | 7:12 | — | — | 7:10 | — | — | 7:09 | — | — | 7:08 | — | — | 7:07 | — | — | 7:06 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 9 | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 22 | 22 | 21 | 22 | 22 | 21 | 22 | 22 | 21 | 22 | 22 | 21 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 30 | 29 | 27 |
Feels °C | 21 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 20 | 20 | 22 | 21 | 20 | 22 | 21 | 22 | 24 | 24 | 26 | 28 | 27 | 28 | 31 | 28 | 30 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 11 | S 10 | W 5 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 12 | SW 11 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SW 17 | SW 16 | SW 16 | S 14 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | SSW 13 | — | SW 18 |
79 | 69 | 28 | 212 | 215 | 174 | 117 | 366 | 516 | 547 | 589 | 560 | 590 | 1519 | 1776 | 2757 | 3295 | 3835 | 2682 | — | 50 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 13 | SW 13 | S 9 | W 6 | SW 16 | W 6 | WNW 6 | SW 10 | SW 11 | WNW 7 | S 15 | S 14 | SW 16 | WSW 11 | WSW 10 | — | W 12 | — | — | — | — |
140 | 106 | 64 | 34 | 165 | 41 | 40 | 48 | 99 | 58 | 290 | 412 | 416 | 44 | 33 | — | 3 | — | — | — | — | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 5 | SW 18 | SW 13 | SW 16 | W 11 | SW 17 | SW 15 | SW 12 | W 5 | SW 11 | WNW 6 | W 5 | WNW 5 | WNW 5 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
20 | 50 | 79 | 132 | 2 | 283 | 186 | 54 | 20 | 73 | 39 | 13 | 9 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | W 6 | WNW 5 | — | W 6 | — | — | WNW 6 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | NW 11 | — | — | SSW 12 | SSW 11 |
— | 23 | 40 | — | 24 | — | — | 51 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 104 | — | — | 5562 | 6825 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 16 | 16 | 0 | 16 | 16 | 11 | 16 | 16 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 45 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 7 |
Best forecast wave conditions in San Diego County | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United States | |||||||||||||||||||||
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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.











