Rockpiles Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Hey, Rusty here. Got to be straight with you about Rockpiles – the next couple weeks are a tough beat.

We’ve got a dry spell right off the bat. No real surf until Monday, July 20th. That’s a solid four-day gap of disappointing, weak conditions. From now through Sunday, it’s all small, messy junk with cross-off winds that aren’t helping anything. Don't waste your time.

Monday the 20th is the first flicker of life, but it’s still just marginal. We’re talking about 3ft of swell from the south with a very long 16-second period. That long period gives the waves some real punch and shape, but for a reef like Rockpiles, it can make the sets a bit tricky. The wind is a moderate cross-off, so it’ll be clean. The combined swell energy is moderate (577 to 634). Still, the call is marginal – keep your expectations in check.

Tuesday the 21st and Wednesday the 22nd are more of the same story. Swell stays around 2ft to 3ft from the south or east, with the period dropping a little. The wind holds as a moderate to fresh cross-off, keeping things clean. The energy ticks up on Tuesday (845), but it’s still just that marginal zone.

Here’s where it gets interesting. The real standout window is from Thursday, July 23rd through Monday, July 27th. This is our best chance. On Thursday the 23rd, the swell jumps to 4ft to 5ft from the east-northeast. The period is a solid 11 to 12 seconds, so it’s a proper groundswell. The wind is a fresh cross-off, so the faces will be clean. The combined energy gets strong, with readings of 1104 to 1205. Friday the 24th is a bit of a hiccup with a smaller south-southwest swell, but then Saturday the 25th and Sunday the 26th fire back up hard. On Sunday the 26th, we’re looking at 4ft to 5ft of east swell with a very long 16-second period. The power is massive – combined energy readings of 1829 to 1868. This is the pinnacle of the whole forecast. Big, long-period groundswell, clean conditions. This is strictly for the experts with waves over 5ft. The wind stays a fresh cross-off, so there will be some texture, but the waves will be lined up and powerful.

Monday the 27th keeps that energy going with similar 4ft to 5ft east swell, still a long 16-second period, and combined energy around 1647. Still strong, still clean. After that, Tuesday the 28th sees the swell holding at 5ft to 5ft from the east-northeast with a 13-second period. The wind drops to a moderate breeze, making for even cleaner conditions. Energy is moderate to strong (929 to 1074). This is still a good day.

Wednesday the 29th is a weird one. The morning shows 6ft of east-northeast swell with an 11-second period, but the wind turns light cross-shore, putting some small ripples on the surface. The energy is strong (964), but it won’t be as clean. By the afternoon, it drops to a tiny 2ft, so that’s it.

From Thursday the 30th to the end on Friday the 31st, it’s back to flat and tiny. 2ft swell and weak energy (98 to 136). Totally forgettable.

The clear standout is the window from Sunday the 26th to Monday the 27th of July. That’s where you get the biggest, most powerful groundswell with long periods and clean cross-off wind. It’s for the advanced crew. Thursday the 23rd is also a solid pick for a slightly smaller, but still punchy, day.

This reef is exposed and fairly consistent, so when the energy arrives, it works. The optimum direction is SSE, and we’re getting a lot of ENE and E swell, which isn’t ideal, but with this much power, Rockpiles will still handle it. It can get crowded sometimes, especially on the best days.

It’s a waiting game this first week, but the payoff looks pretty good for a couple of sessions.

Rusty, out.

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