
Surf Forecasts:
Rockpiles surf forecast from 11 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Saturday 12 Sep, 5PM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.5m), 16s period, SW swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Friday 18 Sep, 2AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.0m), 18s period, SSW swell with 644 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Saturday 12 Sep, 5PM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.5m), 16s period with SW swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Rockpiles this week:
The surf forecast for Rockpiles over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Saturday (Sep 12) at 5PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.5m and 16s period with a secondary swell of 0.7m and 10s. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Rockpiles in the next 16 days are 1.0m 18s and forecast to arrive on Friday (Sep 18) at 2AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.1m 9s period and expected on Sunday (Sep 13) at 8PM.
| Wave Type | Time (HST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 5PM (Sat 12th Sep) | 1.5ft (0.5m) 16s |
| Best Surf | 5PM (Sat 12th Sep) | 1.5ft (0.5m) 16s |
| Most Powerful | 2AM (Fri 18th Sep) | 3.5ft (1.0m) 18s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Rockpiles over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's have a look at what's coming up for Rockpiles. It's a reef setup, pretty exposed and it likes a south-southeast swell to get going.
Right off the bat, I gotta be straight with you – it's a slow start. We're looking at Friday the 11th to Monday the 14th of September with nothing really worth paddling out for. You'll see small waves around 1 ft to 3.6 ft, but the wind is always cross-off from the east-northeast, chopping things up. The energy readings are low to moderate, and the comments are clear: poor or marginal at best. We're talking weak, short-period leftovers that just aren't lining up. It's a real quiet spell on the reef.
Now, things start to get a bit more interesting around Tuesday the 15th and Wednesday the 16th. The swell bumps up a touch to 2.3 ft - 3 ft from the SW with some solid long-period energy (18-20 seconds). The combined energy is getting up there, which is moderate to strong. But here's the kicker – the wind is howling from the ENE at 19-25 mph. That's a strong breeze, and while it's cross-off, it's just too much to make the surf any good on this reef. It's a pass for me.
Thursday the 17th is where we get a change. The swell direction swings around to the east-northeast, pushing 6.6 ft - 7.2 ft. That's a solid size, but the period drops to a short 8-9 seconds. The energy is high, but that short period, mushy swell with 25 mph winds is a recipe for blown-out, lumpy conditions. Honestly, with that much wind and a beach/reef setup, it looks more interesting for kite surfing than anything else. Not our day.
Friday the 18th through Saturday the 19th settles back into a similar pattern: 3.3 ft from the SSW, 16-17 second period, but still pinned with a 19-22 mph east-northeast wind. The energy is strong, but that wind is relentless.
Here's where I see the one true standout: Wednesday the 23rd of September. The swell holds at a solid 7.2 ft - 7.9 ft from the east-northeast, with a short 8-9 second period. Normally, that short period is a bummer, but hear me out. The combined energy readings are strong, and the wind finally eases back to a moderate 12-16 mph from the ENE. The afternoon session on the 23rd gets a score that suggests it's actually worth a look. You'll be looking at some powerful, albeit a bit short-period, waves. It's a bigger day, over 8 ft, so this one is strictly for the experts. Crowds can happen here sometimes, so get there early.
Following that, Thursday the 24th of September offers a different flavour. We've got 6.6 ft from the ENE with a short period, but the wind shifts to a light offshore from the SSE at 9-10 mph in the morning, then a glassy light southerly in the afternoon. That is clean, man. The energy is still high. This will be a much cleaner, more organized wave than the wind-affected days. A proper session for the crew that can handle it.
The final few days from the 25th to the 26th drop back down to smaller, wind-affected surf. It's not the way we'd want to end the run, but that mid-week window is where the action is at.
Stay safe out there.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 26°C on Fri morning, min 24°C on Fri night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 27°C on Tue afternoon, min 25°C on Mon morning). Winds increasing (light winds from the NE on Mon morning, strong winds from the ENE by Wed afternoon). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Friday 11 | Saturday 12 | Sunday 13 | Monday 14 | Tuesday 15 | Wednesday 16 | Thursday 17 | |||||||||||||||
AM | 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 16 | E 11 | ENE 10 | SW 15 | SW 16 | ENE 9 | SW 15 | SSW 15 | SW 12 | SW 23 | SW 22 | SW 21 | SW 20 | SW 19 | SSW 19 | SW 18 | SSW 18 | SW 17 | ENE 8 | ENE 9 | SSW 18 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
261 | 286 | 245 | 242 | 124 | 84 | 107 | 84 | 38 | 86 | 227 | 224 | 392 | 384 | 470 | 455 | 541 | 429 | 614 | 603 | 644 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off |
High Tide | 4:12PM0.57m | 4:51AM0.54m | 4:42PM0.50m | 5:31AM0.57m | 5:11PM0.43m | 6:14AM0.58m | 5:40PM0.36m | 7:02AM0.58m | 6:07PM0.30m | 7:59AM0.57m | 6:32PM0.25m | 9:10AM0.56m | 7:25PM0.21m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 10:02AM0.10m | 10:33PM0.04m | 10:52AM0.13m | 10:56PM0.05m | 11:45AM0.17m | 11:19PM0.06m | 12:45PM0.20m | 11:42PM0.08m | 2:03PM0.23m | 00:07AM0.11m | 4:06PM0.24m | 00:38AM0.13m | 7:14PM0.21m | 1:26AM0.16m | |||||||
6:16 | — | — | 6:16 | — | — | 6:16 | — | — | 6:18 | — | — | 6:18 | — | — | 6:18 | — | — | 6:18 | — | — | |
— | 6:37 | — | — | 6:37 | — | — | 6:36 | — | — | 6:35 | — | — | 6:34 | — | — | 6:32 | — | — | 6:31 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 26 | 26 | 25 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 25 | 26 | 26 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 26 | 26 | 27 | 26 | 26 | 27 | 26 |
Feels °C | 25 | 24 | 25 | 25 | 26 | 26 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 27 | 27 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 24 | 24 | 25 | 24 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ENE 7 | E 11 | ENE 10 | ENE 10 | NE 9 | NNE 9 | NE 9 | NNE 9 | NE 9 | NE 8 | SW 22 | NNE 8 | SW 20 | SW 19 | SSW 19 | SW 18 | SSW 18 | SW 17 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SSW 18 |
99 | 286 | 245 | 169 | 81 | 99 | 115 | 99 | 77 | 74 | 227 | 44 | 392 | 384 | 470 | 455 | 541 | 429 | 258 | 258 | 644 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ENE 11 | SW 15 | SW 15 | NE 8 | ENE 10 | ENE 9 | SW 15 | SSW 15 | SW 12 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 21 | NNE 8 | E 11 | NNE 8 | SW 12 | SW 11 | E 10 | SSW 20 | SSW 19 | SSE 10 |
128 | 229 | 226 | 74 | 98 | 84 | 107 | 84 | 38 | 49 | 49 | 224 | 21 | 41 | 50 | 35 | 31 | 94 | 149 | 210 | 9 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 16 | NNE 8 | SSE 6 | SW 15 | SW 16 | SSW 13 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | ENE 8 | SW 23 | SSW 11 | SSW 13 | SW 13 | SW 12 | E 11 | WSW 8 | WSW 10 | SW 11 | SSW 11 | SSE 10 | W 10 |
261 | 51 | 10 | 242 | 124 | 68 | 26 | 25 | 14 | 86 | 12 | 68 | 42 | 38 | 58 | 6 | 9 | 19 | 11 | 10 | 7 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | E 5 | ENE 4 | NE 5 | ENE 5 | NE 8 | ENE 5 | NE 8 | NE 8 | ENE 6 | ENE 6 | ENE 7 | ENE 7 | ENE 8 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 |
— | — | — | — | — | — | 24 | 11 | 25 | 17 | 129 | 38 | 84 | 108 | 42 | 183 | 265 | 340 | 614 | 603 | 534 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 30 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 30 | 1 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 30 | 30 | 38 | 41 | 31 | 38 | 39 | 38 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Oahu | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United States | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the Rockpiles Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Rockpiles provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Rockpiles can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Rockpiles 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 (Rockpiles) 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 Rockpiles 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.
Rockpiles is 4 km (2 miles) from Honolulu. If you plan a vacation in Oahu, look for hotels and other accommodation in Honolulu. Honolulu has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.










