Rockpiles Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s coming down the pipe for Rockpiles.

First up, the water temp is sitting at a warm 81°, which is pretty much normal for this time of year, so no surprises there.

Right now and for the next week and a half, it’s a bit of a frustrating stretch. We’ve got small swell in the 2ft to 3ft range early on, but it’s mostly coming from the SSW with some serious period—19 to 20 seconds—which is a long-period groundswell. At a reef break like Rockpiles, that can actually work nicely, shaping up clean. The problem is the wind is blowing a steady 12 to 19 mph cross-off from the ENE, keeping the surface tidy but making it hard to really enjoy such small waves. The combined energy is moderate (438 to 672), but the score just isn’t there. I’d say give it a miss for now.

Then from around Thursday the 17th through to Tuesday the 22nd, we see a jump in size—7ft to 8ft—but the swell direction swings around to the ENE, and the period drops way down to 7-9 seconds. That’s short-period windswell, and with those strong cross-off winds hitting 22 to 25 mph, the quality is just poor. The energy numbers climb into the 800 to 1000+ range (moderate to strong), but it’s messy, and honestly, with those conditions, this setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing.

Now, here’s the standout. Mark your calendar for Wednesday the 23rd of September. That morning, we get a glassy session with the wind switching to a light 3 mph from the ESE—basically a slight air. Swell size is 8ft from the east, period 10 seconds, with a huge combined energy of 1448 (strong). That’s proper groundswell energy, and the wave comment says it’s excellent for experienced surfers. This is the best on offer by a long shot, but at 8ft, it’s getting into expert territory. Rockpiles is a reef, fairly consistent, and the optimum swell direction is SSE—so the east direction is a bit off the mark, but the quality of the conditions makes up for it. Crowds are possible there sometimes, but on a Wednesday morning, you might have a chance at a quieter lineup.

After that, the surf holds around 7ft to 8ft through the 24th and 25th, but winds turn cross or cross-on, and the quality drops back to marginal. Saturday the 26th afternoon goes glassy again with 7ft from the ENE, another promising window for experienced surfers, but the swell direction remains east-ish. The last few days of the month see the size drop to 4ft to 6ft, with some clean windows on the 29th afternoon (cross-off, 6 mph) and the 30th afternoon (cross-off, 12 mph), but nothing that really stands out.

Overall, Wednesday the 23rd morning is the clear winner. If you’re advanced and can handle a solid 8ft reef break with glassy conditions, that’s your day. The rest is either too small with strong wind, or too short-period and messy.

Rusty.

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