Rockpile Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s get straight into what’s on the menu for the next couple of weeks.

Honestly, I’m looking at this forecast and it’s a bit of a heartbreaker for a while. The first real standout is a long way off, so we’re looking at a big gap of quiet, small, and mostly messy surf. The water is running at 75°F and is 8°F warmer than usual for this time of year, which is very unusual. It feels like a warm bath out there, but unfortunately, that’s where the good news ends for a bit.

We’ve got a solid run of days with poor surf conditions. From Friday the 7th right through to the end of the second week, it’s mostly small swell and wonky winds. The combined energy is weak to moderate at best, with morning sessions on the 7th showing only 388 (moderate wave energy), and it drops off from there. The swell direction is favouring SSW to SW, but the size is tiny, around 1 ft to 3 ft, and the period is short to mid-range, mostly 13 to 19 seconds. That long period is a bit of a tease because it’s just not big enough to do anything with, and the wind is mostly cross-on or onshore, keeping things choppy and bumpy. About the only thing that might get you a little interested is the morning of the 14th and 15th, where the energy picks up slightly to 533 and 573 (moderate wave energy), but even then it’s marginal and the wind is still not ideal. The 15th morning has a 3 ft swell from the SW with a 16-second period and cross-offshore winds, but it’s still a marginal call.

The one spot worth keeping an eye on is Rockpile. It’s a reef break that’s consistent and exposed to SW swell, which is the direction we’re getting. It’s a beginner-friendly wave, which is a plus, but it does get crowded often. The standout is the morning of Saturday the 15th of August. We’re looking at a 3 ft groundswell from the SW with a period of 16 seconds. The energy is at 573 (moderate wave energy), and the wind is a light cross breeze from the WNW. That’s a clean, glassy setup for a mellow reef wave. It’s not massive, but for a spot that’s been starved of decent surf, this is the pick of the whole period. The long period swell will wrap nicely into Rockpile, making for some proper, well-shaped lines. Sets will be a little inconsistent, but the quality should be there for a longboard or a funboard.

For the rest of the time, it’s a hard pass. The surf is too small and the wind is just wrong. The water is unseasonably warm, but that’s not going to make up for the lack of waves. If you’re a kite surfer, the afternoons with a bit of cross-on breeze might offer something, but for paddle surfing, it’s a waiting game.

Rusty.

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