Rockpiles Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s coming our way. It’s a bit of a slow start, but there’s some real gold waiting for us if we’re patient.

The first week is a tough one, I won’t lie. We’ve got waves, but they’re messy and the wind is just not playing ball. From Monday the 14th through to the weekend of the 20th, it’s mostly cross-off breezes in the 12-22 mph range, and the swell is all over the place. Early on, the swell is tiny, around 1 ft to 2 ft, with a super long period from the southwest (22-23 seconds). That long period sounds nice, but with that wind, the surface is just not clean. The combined energy is weak to moderate early on (135-490), so there’s not much push. By Wednesday the 16th, it picks up to 3 ft, but the wind is still strong. By Thursday the 17th, the swell jumps to 7 ft, but it’s from the ENE with a short, weak period of 9-10 seconds. The energy gets moderate to strong (1188-1108), but the quality is poor. Honestly, this stretch is more for the kite crew than paddle surfers.

Now, we hit a gap from around the 22nd to the 24th, where the swell stays around 5 ft to 7 ft, but the wind is still howling at 19-25 mph from the ENE. The waves are there, but they’re just not surfable with that much chop. It’s a frustrating few days.

The Standout: Late September

Hold onto your boards, because from Saturday the 26th, everything changes. This is the real deal. We get a glass-off situation that’s just beautiful. The wind goes light, even calm, with a glassy surface. The swell is a clean 3 ft to 3 ft from the SSW, with a lovely long period of 14-18 seconds – proper groundswell. The combined energy is moderate (428-875), but with those conditions, it’ll feel way better.

The best of the best is Rockpiles. On Monday the 28th, we’re looking at a glassy morning with a 2 ft southwest swell at an 18-second period. The afternoon gets even better: a 3 ft SSW swell, still glassy, with a period of 18 seconds. The combined energy hits 736. This is the one to circle on your calendar. The water is a warm 81°F, which is about average for this time of year, so no wetsuit needed.

This spot is a reef break, advanced only, and it’s fairly consistent. It faces south-southeast, which is a sweet spot for this SSW swell. Crowds are possible here, so expect some company. Because the period is over 15 seconds, it’s a very long-period groundswell, so it might wrap around the reef and offer long, lined-up walls. This is not a beginner’s wave.

Into the last days of September – Tuesday the 29th – it’s more of the same: glassy conditions, 3 ft SSW swell, 16-second period. The quality stays high through the end of the forecast period. It’s a promising finish, but remember, this is long-range, so keep an eye on the forecasts.

Stay stoked, Rusty.

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