Rockpiles Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s get into it.

Alright, we’re looking at a bit of a slow start here at Rockpiles. The first couple of days are pretty flat and not worth paddling out for. The whole show doesn’t really start getting interesting until we get into the second week, and even then, it’s a bit of a wait for the real goods.

The water temp is sitting at 79°, which is about average for the time of year, so nothing unusual there.

Tuesday the 14th and Wednesday the 15th are basically a write-off. Tiny swell, mostly under 3 ft, and the energy is weak (334 to 169). The wind is cross-off or cross, but the waves just aren’t there. You’re not missing a thing.

Thursday the 16th through Sunday the 21st is a strange run. We’ve got a few small pulses of swell, but it’s a mixed bag. The wind is a constant cross-off from the ENE, but it’s blowing a fresh breeze (22 mph) on a few days, which will mess up the surface. The swell directions are all over the shop – from SSW to ENE. The combined energy starts to climb from the 19th, reaching 513 on the Sunday morning, but the swell is short period (7-8 seconds) and messy. There’s a bit of a pulse on the 20th and 21st with some longer period S swell (14-16 seconds) and energy in the 500s, but the wave heights are still only 3 ft to 3 ft. It’s just not enough to get excited about, and the wind is never truly light.

From Tuesday the 22nd to Thursday the 24th, we see a real shift. The swell period gets long – really long, 18 to 22 seconds – but the wave heights drop to 2 ft to 2 ft. The energy is still moderate (453 to 649). This is a classic case of a long-period groundswell that’s just too small to do anything with at a reef. It’s a tease.

Now, the standout window. From Friday the 25th of July, things start to get really interesting. The energy starts jumping: 841 on Saturday morning, then 1333 on Sunday the 26th. That’s strong wave energy. The swell direction is coming from the E and ENE, which is a good direction for this spot. The wave heights on Saturday the 25th afternoon hit 6 ft, and the swell period is a short 7 seconds – that’s a windswell, not the best shape. But the real highlight is Sunday the 26th. We’ve got a 4 ft to 4 ft swell from the E with a period of 16 seconds. That’s proper groundswell. The energy is very strong (1333 to 1389). The wind is cross-off, so it’ll be clean. This is the best on offer.

Then Monday the 27th keeps it going with 4 ft to 5 ft E swell, 15-second period, and energy still over 900. Good, clean, consistent waves.

The absolute best of the whole forecast, though, is Tuesday the 28th and Wednesday the 29th. We’re looking at 7 ft of ENE swell with a period of 12 to 14 seconds. The energy is massive – 2150! That’s very strong wave energy. The wind is cross-off, so the waves will be clean and powerful. The swell is over 8 ft, so this is expert territory only. Beginners, stay on the beach for this one. The long period will make it a bit straight at the beach, but for a reef like Rockpiles, this is prime. The crowd is listed as “sometimes” busy, so expect a few other crew out there, but it’ll be worth it.

So, the overall story is: don’t bother for the first week and a half. The run from Sunday the 26th to Wednesday the 29th is your window. The standout is Tuesday the 28th and Wednesday the 29th with that big, powerful, clean ENE groundswell. Get amongst it.

Rusty.

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