Rockpiles Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s on offer at Rockpiles over the next couple of weeks.

Right off the bat, it’s a bit of a slow start. The first recommendation doesn’t kick in until Thursday, September 5th, so the first few days are a write-off with strong cross-off winds and poor surf quality. You’re looking at a gap of a couple of days with nothing worth paddling out for.

Come Saturday morning, September 7th, things start to look up. The swell is a solid 8 ft from the ENE, with a period of 13 seconds — that’s a proper groundswell with some grunt. Combined energy is sitting at 3269 (strong), and with a gentle breeze from the NE keeping it cross-off, the surface will be clean. This is the standout window for experienced surfers. The water temp is about average for this time of year, nothing out of the ordinary. Rockpiles is a reef break, exposed to the SSE swell direction, and this ENE swell is a bit off the optimum, but it’s still producing. It’s a fairly consistent spot, though crowds are possible here, so expect a few other keen locals in the lineup.

Saturday afternoon and into Sunday, September 8th, the wind picks up a bit and the swell drops slightly, but it’s still manageable. The early part of the following week sees a bit of a lull — from Monday, September 9th through to Friday, September 13th, the conditions are marginal at best with fresh cross-off winds and shorter period swell (7-8 seconds). Not really worth getting excited about.

Then, from Sunday, September 15th onwards, we get a second window. The swell direction shifts to the SW, with a long period of 21 seconds on the Tuesday — that’s a very long period groundswell, which will wrap nicely into Rockpiles. The combined energy is moderate (896-848), but the wind is light and cross-off, so the surf will be clean. The swell height is only 3 ft, so it’s not big, but the quality will be there for those who know how to read a reef. Wednesday, September 17th and Thursday, September 18th look even better, with swell up to 4 ft and a period of 18 seconds, combined energy climbing to 1201-1477, and light winds. This is promising but we’re a week and a half out, so keep an eye on it.

Overall, the best on offer is Saturday morning, September 7th, for the bigger ENE swell and clean conditions. The second week’s SW groundswell window is a nice follow-up, but it’s smaller and less certain.

Rusty.

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