Rockpiles Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G'day, Rusty here. Look, I’ve got to be straight with you—this stretch coming up for Rockpiles is a tough one. The whole 16-day window is a bit of a write-off for any decent paddle surfing. The wind is a constant cross-off, mostly from the ENE, and it’s fresh to strong breeze all the way. That keeps the surface clean, but the swell quality is just not there. Honestly, for the first week and a half, it’s all poor surf or marginal at best. The energy is there in the water, but it’s messy.

The best of a bad bunch looks like the first few days. Friday morning, July 10th, we’ve got some chest-high swell around 6 ft, but it’s coming from the ENE with a short period of 7 seconds. That’s windswell, all chopped up, and the combined energy is moderate (506). The wind is a stiff 22 mph cross-off, so it’s clean, but the wave shape will be average. It’s a marginal call due to tide. By Saturday morning, July 11th, the swell bumps up to 7 ft from the same direction, but the period is still short (7 seconds), and the energy jumps (737). But it’s still rated as poor conditions. The size is getting into the zone where it’s too big for beginners, and the short period makes it a bit of a washing machine.

There’s a slight shift on Sunday morning, July 12th, with a long-period SSW groundswell of 16 seconds and 3 ft. That’s a nice period, but the main swell is still ENE at 7 ft. The energy is high (866), but the wind is a strong 25 mph cross-off, making it lumpy. It’s all poor. The same pattern holds through the week—ENE windswell with some brief long-period groundswell poking through, but the wind is always too strong from the wrong angle. The water temp is about average for the time of year, nothing unusual to report.

For the second week, from July 19th onward, it’s the same story. The swell drops off, with heights mostly around 2 ft to 4 ft, but the wind doesn’t let up. The energy values drop to the low-to-mid hundreds (e.g., 203, 214, 291), which is weak. There’s a long-period S groundswell trying to make an appearance on July 24th with a 19-second period and 2 ft, but that’s just a whisper and the wind is still 19 mph. There are no standout days. The setup here, with the persistent cross-off wind and poor-quality surf, makes it look more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing. A blank run like this is more normal for the area, but the forecasts can change. Keep an eye on it.

Rusty.

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