Rockpiles Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s take a look at what’s on offer for this stretch of coast.

Honestly, I’m looking at a pretty grim 16-day outlook. There’s barely a decent wave in sight. The whole run is plagued by strong cross-off winds, mostly from the ENE at 18 to 25 mph, which just tears the surface apart. The swell is all over the place but never comes together for a proper surf. The first few days are the closest we get to anything, and even then it’s a struggle.

We kick off on Friday the 3rd of July with a 5 foot swell from the ENE, but the period is a short 8 seconds – that’s windswell, not groundswell. The combined energy is moderate (519 in the morning, 550 in the afternoon), but the 18-22 mph cross-off wind is strong enough to make it feel messy and hard to hold your line. Not really worth paddling out for.

Saturday the 4th of July starts similar in the morning, 6 foot from the ENE, but the afternoon throws a curveball – a 2 foot groundswell from the S with a 20-second period rolls in. That long period is packed with energy (898), but the direction is mismatched for the optimum swell direction, and the wind is still howling. The wave quality suffers; it’s not going to shape up cleanly. The combined energy is moderate, but the conditions just kill any real potential.

From Sunday the 5th of July onward, it’s a slow slide into nothing. The swell stays below 3 foot, mixed between SSW and SW, with longer periods but no size. The energy values drop quickly – we’re looking at 792 on Sunday, then 767 on Monday, and by the 10th of July it’s down to 320. The winds never let up. For the rest of the window, into the second week and right up to the 18th of July, every afternoon and morning is marked poor. The combined energy is weak to moderate at best, and really, this setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing – the wind is consistent, but the waves are not.

In a nutshell: there’s no standout day here. No moment where it all clicks. The whole 16-day stretch is one long, unfortunate gap for quality surf. It happens sometimes in this area, when the trade winds blow hard and the swell doesn’t line up. Forecasts can change, but as it stands, leave the board at home.

- Rusty

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