Rockpiles Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let's take a look at what's cooking over the next couple of weeks at Rockpiles.

Right off the bat, I gotta be straight with you – it's a pretty grim outlook for the near future. The first real sniff of anything worth paddling out for isn't until a solid 8 days away. That's a long, flat stretch staring us down. The water temp is sitting at 80°F which is pretty much bang on average for this time of year, so at least the wait will be a warm one.

The pattern is dominated by a strong, relentless cross-offshore wind from the ENE, blowing at 22 to 25 mph most days. That wind is messing up any chance of decent surf. Sure, the swell is there, often over 7 ft, but the wind has it all chopped up and poor. For the first week, every session is rated as poor surf conditions. It's a write-off. The swell is coming from the ENE with a short period of 7 to 8 seconds – that's just windswell with no power or shape behind it.

For the first seven days, from Sunday the 5th through to Saturday the 11th, don't even bother. The wind is howling and the surf quality is non-existent. The combined wave energy on the 6th of July, for example, hits 865 to 961, which is moderate energy, but with that wind, it's just a washing machine.

We finally see a small window on Sunday the 12th of July. The morning shows a shift. The wind drops slightly to 19 mph and the swell swings around to the SW, with a much longer 16-second period. The height is only 3 ft, but that long period tells us it's groundswell. The combined energy is 758, still moderate but with that period, it might offer something cleaner. The spot is Rockpiles (Hawaii), a reef break that is fairly consistent and exposed to SSE, which is close to the SW direction we're getting. It's an advanced spot, and with the wind being cross-off at 19 mph, it's not perfect, but it's the first glimmer of hope. The score is marginal for the morning, but this is likely your best bet for the whole forecast. It's not a standout for quality, but it's the only game in town.

The following Monday, 13th of July, has a very similar setup in the morning: 3 ft at 15 seconds from the SW, with the same cross-off wind. Another marginal call. After that, we're back to the same old story of short-period ENE windswell and moderate breeze for days.

Looking further out, the 16th of July afternoon shows the wind finally dropping to 12 mph, with a 5 ft ENE swell and a 7-second period. The score bumps up to a 2, but the period's still too short to get excited about. The 17th offers similar marginal conditions.

Honestly, there isn't a true standout in this forecast. The groundswell pulses on the 12th and 13th are the only moments that don't look completely ordinary. They're your best shots, but you'll still be dealing with a fresh breeze. Plan for those two mornings if you're desperate.

Rusty.

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