Rockpiles Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let’s get into it, but I’ll keep it in feet and miles per hour.

First up, this is a rocky road for us. Rockpiles is a reef setup, fairly consistent, and the optimum swell direction is SSE. But what we’re seeing for the next week and a half is mainly a strong, blustery ENE cross-off wind, which is going to mess with things. The water temp is sitting at about 79°, which is bang on average for this time of year, so no surprises there.

From Thursday the 9th through the weekend, we’ve got some sizeable swell, 6 to 8 feet, but with short-period, wind-affected ENE swell – around 7 to 8 seconds – and those strong cross-off breezes from 22 to 25 mph. The combined energy is moderate to strong (469 to 978), but the wind will be putting a nasty chop on it. The reports all call it poor surf conditions, so it's a hard pass for a paddle. Honestly, with that wind and the way the waves will be breaking, this setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing.

We get a glimmer of hope on Monday the 13th and Tuesday the 14th, with marginal conditions and some score 1 out of 10. The wind eases a bit from Tuesday on, but it's still cross-off, and the swell stays short-period and bumpy. Not worth getting too excited about, the break quality just won't be there.

Then, the real standout appears. Look at Tuesday the 21st and Wednesday the 22nd of July. This is the one to circle on the calendar. A proper long-period groundswell starts to show, coming from the east with a period of 16 to 19 seconds. The combined energy here is strong to very strong (1206 to 1728). That's a powerful, long-period E swell. Now, Rockpiles likes SSE direction, and this is E, so it's not going to be perfect on the angle, but the quality of the energy is a game-changer. The wave heights will be 4 to 4 feet, which is a super fun size for experienced surfers. The wind stays cross-off from the ENE at 19 mph, which isn’t clean offshore, but it should keep the faces reasonably groomed compared to the gale we had earlier. This long-period swell will work best on the reef, but be aware it can break a bit flat and straight on a beach, but here at Rockpiles it should offer some real power. The forecast is still a week and a half out, so things could shift, but right now this is your best bet. It's still only scoring a 2 out of 10 for "marginal" conditions, but that's positive for this spot in this forecast. The crowds are "sometimes" a factor here, so you might get it with a few friends.

After that, from Thursday the 23rd, it all fades back into small, weak windswell. Nothing to write home about.

The pick of the bunch is definitely Tuesday the 21st and Wednesday the 22nd of July at Rockpiles. It won't be perfect, but it’s the only one with real grunt and a hint of quality.

Rusty.

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