Rockpile Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, it’s Rusty. Look, I’ll be straight with you – we’re in a bit of a flat spell here for Rockpile. This is one of those runs where you’ll be looking at the ocean more than you’ll be in it. The forecast shows a long gap of marginal to poor surf conditions, so if you’re hanging out for a paddle, you’ll need some patience.

We start on Friday morning, July 24, with a small 2 ft swell out of the southwest. Water temp is sitting at 74°, which is a whopping 7° warmer than usual for this time of year – that’s very unusual and you won’t need a thick suit. The swell period is a very long 24 seconds, so you’ve got serious groundswell energy, but the combined energy is moderate at (939). The wind is a gentle 9 mph from the southwest, blowing onshore, and the call is “marginal.” It’s just not coming together. Friday afternoon drops to 2 ft with a light cross-onshore, and that small energy (548) doesn’t help.

Saturday July 25 and Sunday July 26 offer tiny 3 ft to 3 ft southwest swells with light offshore winds (WSW and SSW around 6 mph), which is your best chance at something clean, but the swell is just too weak. Combined energy sits around (742) to (836) – weak to moderate. The period drops from 21 seconds down to 18 seconds, so it’s losing that long-period grunt. These are just not worth the wetsuit.

Monday July 27 through Wednesday July 29 sees a small uptick to 3 ft–4 ft, still from the southwest, with light to gentle onshore or cross-onshore winds. Combined energy climbs a bit, reaching (1029) on Tuesday morning – moderate energy, but the swell period shortens to 16–17 seconds. The wind is a bit messy, especially Monday morning with a 9 mph cross-onshore making it choppy. Still, it's marginal.

Thursday July 30 morning looks poor – a 3 ft south swell with 9 mph cross-onshore winds, and the energy is moderate (822), but it’s messy and the ratings tank. Thursday afternoon bumps up to 5 ft from the SSW, period drops to 15 seconds, and light offshore wind – it’s still only a 1 out of 10 for quality.

Now, Friday July 31 is your standout, but it’s far out, so treat this as promising but less certain. The morning brings a 6 ft swell from the SSW with a 14-second period. Combined energy jumps to (1206) – that’s strong, proper wave energy. Wind is light cross-onshore at 6 mph from the WSW, so it’s not perfect, but that’s the biggest swell of the window. Afternoon is similar at 6 ft with a gentle cross-onshore. For an exposed reef break like Rockpile, that SSW direction is working, and for confident surfers, this is your best shot in the whole 16 days. Just be aware: at 6 ft, it’s pushing beyond beginner territory.

Saturday August 1 runs at 5 ft to 6 ft, but the wind is cross-onshore from the WNW, and it’s dropping in period to 13 seconds. The energy is still moderate (926 morning), but it gets poorer by afternoon. From Sunday August 2 onward, the swell really fades – back to 1 ft to 2 ft for over a week straight, with weak energy (under 300) and poor conditions across the board. Winds stay onshore or cross-onshore, and it’s just a blank run. For an area like this, that’s not unusual, but it means there’s nothing to recommend from Sunday the 2nd through to the end of the forecast on Saturday August 8.

So, to wrap it up: your one real highlight is Friday July 31, with a solid 6 ft SSW swell and strong energy, but it’ll be a bit raw on the wind. Everything else is either too small, too messy, or a long way off and uncertain. Keep the board waxed and wait for a better day.

Rusty

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