Rockpiles Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right, grab a coffee, this is a bit of a mixed bag.

Alright, let’s talk about Rockpiles. This is a fairly consistent reef break, but we’re looking at a long stretch of challenging conditions. The wind is going to be a major factor over the next 16 days, mostly blowing hard from the ENE, which is cross-off here. The swell is there, but it’s often messy or too raw.

We start off with a bit of a pulse on Tuesday, July 28th, with a solid 7ft to 8ft easterly swell, but the wind is a moderate breeze at 15 mph. It’s a cross-off, so the surface will be clean, but the energy is strong (1820 to 2120). That second afternoon session is a little too big for beginners at over 8ft. The water temp is about average for the time of year.

The following days are a write-off. Wednesday, July 29th, sees a tiny 2ft south swell with onshore wind – just flat and choppy. Thursday the 30th has a short-period 5ft easterly, but it’s not clean. Friday the 31st through to the end of the first week is a real grind. The wind howls from the ENE at 25 to 31 mph, and we’re looking at 6ft to 8ft of short-period, wind-affected swell. The energy is there (807 to 1314), but it’s just not surfable for a proper paddle session. Honestly, this setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing.

The second week doesn’t bring much joy. From Monday, August 3rd, through to Sunday, August 9th, it’s a constant diet of cross-off winds from the ENE, mostly fresh to strong breeze. The swell hangs around 5ft to 8ft, but the period is short, and the scores are all low. The energy is moderate to strong, but the quality is just not there. It’s a long stretch of poor to marginal surf.

There is a tiny flicker of hope on the very tail end of the forecast. On Monday, August 10th, and Tuesday, August 11th, the swell drops right down to 3ft to 4ft, but it switches to a long-period groundswell from the SSW and S, with periods of 14 to 16 seconds. This is a very long-period swell, which is best for this reef, and the offshore wind is from the ENE. The energy is still moderate (476 to 785), but the combination of long period and clean cross-off wind could make for some surprisingly fun, glassy waves. It’s the only real standout in the whole run, but it’s a long way off, so keep an eye on it.

Rusty.

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