Surf Forecasts:
Rockpile surf forecast from 14 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Thursday 17 Sep, 5AM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 16s period, SW swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Sunday 20 Sep, 5PM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 18s period, SW swell with 449 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Wednesday 16 Sep, 2AM (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 Wednesday (Sep 16) at 2AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.5m and 16s period with a secondary swell of 0.6m and 8s. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Rockpile in the next 16 days are 0.9m 18s and forecast to arrive on Sunday (Sep 20) at 5PM. 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 16th Sep) | 1.5ft (0.5m) 16s |
| Best Surf | 5AM (Thu 17th Sep) | 3ft (0.9m) 16s |
| Most Powerful | 5PM (Sun 20th Sep) | 3ft (0.9m) 18s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Rockpile over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Imperial
Alright, Rusty here, giving you the lowdown in feet and miles per hour. It’s going to be a quiet start, so don’t rush to wax up. We’ve got a big gap with nothing worth mentioning from the 13th through the 15th of September. The water is a weird 73°, which is a huge 5° warmer than usual – feels like a bath out there.
The first possible session is on Wednesday the 16th. Rockpile is the only game in town. We’ve got a long-period groundswell – 17 seconds – out of the SW, pushing in at about 3 ft. The wind is onshore in the morning, so it’s a messy start. The wave energy is moderate (399). It’s a marginal forecast.
Things don’t really improve for a while. We’re getting small, gutless swell with constant cross or cross-onshore winds. Friday the 18th has the best energy of the first week, hitting 528 with a 19-second period, but the swell is only 2 ft and the wind is cross-shore. It’s like being teased.
The best chance, if you can call it that, comes on Sunday the 20th. The afternoon shows the strongest wave energy of the whole run at 560, with a 3 ft swell from the SW at 18 seconds. The wind is cross-onshore at 10 mph, so it won’t be glassy, but that’s the most power we’ll see. It’s your best shot.
Right at the end, on Monday the 28th, we get another spike with 562 energy and a 19-second period, but it’s a 2 ft swell with cross-onshore wind. The whole 16 days is just small, long-period SW swell getting chopped up. The size never gets going; it stays well under 3 ft the whole time. For a reef like Rockpile, the long periods are nice, but there’s just not enough juice to really get it going.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 22°C on Sun afternoon, min 19°C on Tue night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 21°C on Fri morning, min 19°C on Wed night). Wind will be generally light. | |||||||||||||||||||
Sun 13 | Monday 14 | Tuesday 15 | Wednesday 16 | Thursday 17 | Friday 18 | Saturday 19 | ||||||||||||||
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 | W 10 | W 8 | W 10 | 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 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SW 18 |
Wave Graph  | ||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 109 | 183 | 205 | 220 | 147 | 161 | 149 | 121 | 358 | 254 | 367 | 239 | 255 | 214 | 303 | 303 | 183 | 379 | 370 | 375 |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | on | on | on | cross-on | on | on | glassy | on | cross-on | cross | cross | cross-on | cross-off | cross | cross | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross |
High Tide | 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 | 8:01AM1.12m | 4:32PM1.37m | |||||||||
Low Tide | 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 | 10:50AM1.09m | 00:48AM0.25m | ||||||||
 |  | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
 | — | — | 6:31 | — | — | 6:31 | — | — | 6:33 | — | — | 6:33 | — | — | 6:33 | — | — | 6:35 | — | — |
 | 6:58 | — | — | 6:57 | — | — | 6:54 | — | — | 6:53 | — | — | 6:52 | — | — | 6:51 | — | — | 6:50 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 22 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 19 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 20 |
Feels °C | 22 | 22 | 21 | 20 | 22 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 20 | 19 | 21 | 20 | 19 | 19 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 21 | 20 | 20 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 7 | W 10 | W 8 | W 10 | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 | W 8 | SW 17 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 19 | SW 13 | W 6 | W 6 | W 6 | W 6 |
| kJ | 57 | 183 | 205 | 220 | 123 | 99 | 78 | 50 | 358 | 254 | 367 | 239 | 255 | 214 | 303 | 144 | 32 | 38 | 49 | 62 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SW 17 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | W 7 | W 6 | S 10 | S 12 | S 10 | S 10 | SW 14 | SW 19 | SSW 13 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SW 18 |
| kJ | 109 | 61 | 150 | 150 | 147 | 161 | 121 | 121 | 27 | 18 | 29 | 71 | 30 | 48 | 162 | 303 | 116 | 379 | 370 | 375 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 16 | SW 19 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SSW 20 | SW 18 | S 9 | S 9 | W 5 | SW 21 | SW 21 | SW 21 | S 11 | S 8 | SW 19 | SSW 13 | SW 13 | SW 12 |
| kJ | 67 | 127 | 60 | 40 | 38 | 23 | 149 | 83 | 14 | 25 | 9 | 116 | 162 | 153 | 57 | 12 | 183 | 114 | 82 | 73 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | WNW 12 | WNW 4 | WNW 4 | W 5 | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 47 | 3 | 6 | 14 | — | — | — | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 16 | 5 | 129 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 16 | 0 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 0 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 3 |
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.
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