Rockpiles Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here.

Alright, let’s be straight with you. The next couple of weeks at Rockpiles (Big Island) are going to test your patience. We’ve got a long stretch of mediocrity ahead before things finally start to wake up. Don’t get too excited about the near-term forecast, because it’s mostly junk.

We kick things off this Thursday the 27th with a so-called swell, but it’s pretty weak. You’re looking at 4ft of S swell with a 17-second period, and the energy is moderate at best (898). The wind is a fresh cross-offshore from the ENE, which is fine for keeping the surface clean, but it’s just not doing much for the waves. Honestly, it’s marginal at best, and the tide is going to be a factor. Friday isn't much better, and by Saturday the 29th, it switches to a short-period ENE windswell at 6ft but with only a 6-second period. That’s just messy, gutless stuff. The period is way too short to have any real power, and it stays like that through Monday the 31st. This is a classic case of a lot of water moving around with no real form to it. Total energy levels are dropping into the three-digit range, which tells you it’s weak.

There’s a slight tease on Tuesday the 1st with some S swell at 2ft but an 18-second period. Long period, sure, but just not enough size. It’s still poor. Then Wednesday the 2nd brings more of that ENE windswell at 6ft, but again, short period (8 seconds). That’s over 5ft so it’s getting too big for beginners, but the quality is so poor it's not even worth the paddle. It’s just bumpy and disorganized.

Now, here’s where we start to see a little light. From Friday the 4th and into the weekend, there’s a shift. The swell direction moves to the E, the period stretches out to 11 seconds, and the size sits around 4ft to 4ft. The wind backs off to a moderate breeze, and the surface stays clean. It’s still not epic, but it’s surfable. The scores are climbing from the absolute zero we’ve been dealing with, which is something.

The real standout, the one you’ve been hanging out for, looks like Monday the 7th of September. The morning is still a bit cross-shore, but the afternoon is where it’s at. The wind drops to a light cross-offshore breeze, and we start to see some proper SSW groundswell. We’re looking at 4ft of SSW swell at a 15-second period. The energy is strong (828), and the conditions are described as “very good surf conditions.” This is the one. The forecast swell direction is matching what this reef wants, and with light wind, it’s going to be clean. This is a standout, but it's over a week away, so we call it promising, not guaranteed.

After that, the following week settles back into a mix of E and SSW swells. The E swells on the 9th and 10th have more size, up to 5ft, but the period drops back to 10-11 seconds. It’s not as clean, and there’s a risk of a thunderstorm on the 10th. The energy is moderate to strong, but it’s just not coming together like that Monday.

So, overall, don't waste your time on the first week. It’s a write-off. The window you want is around the 7th of September. That’s the pick of the bunch. It’s a reef break, so it handles the long-period groundswell better than a beachie would, and it’s fairly consistent. You’ll have to deal with the crowds, as it can get busy there, but for the best wave on offer in the next two weeks, that’s your call.

Rusty.

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