Rockpiles Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, surfers, Rusty here. Let's talk about what we've got on the cards at Rockpiles. It's a reef set-up, exposed and pretty consistent, and it loves swell from the SSE.

Right now, we're looking at a pretty grim run of surf. The water temp is sitting at about 80°F which feels about normal for this time of year, so that's one nice thing, but the waves? Not much to write home about for a stretch. From Saturday the 22nd right through to the end of August, it's a mix of poor and marginal conditions. We've got a persistent, strong ENE breeze blowing cross-off, which keeps things clean in a way, but the swell is all short-period, onshore wind-slop from the ENE, mostly around 5ft to 6ft. The energy is weak to moderate and the quality is just not there. It's a frustrating block of days where the ocean looks bumpy and uninviting.

Things start to shift a little in the first few days of September. On the 2nd (a Wednesday), we get a brief window of something proper. The wind goes glassy—first a light SE, then dead calm. Swell drops right back to a clean 3ft from the south, with a decent 16 to 17 second period. The energy is moderate. It's small, but clean, and a proper groundswell pulse. This is a gem for the small-wave crew. For a more advanced break like Rockpiles, that glassy south swell will offer up some nicely shaped, walled-up waves on the reef.

Then on the 4th of September (Friday), the afternoon picks up again. We get a burst of 5ft ENE windswell with clean cross-off winds. It's not a classic, but it'll be surfable.

Now, the standout for the entire forecast is the weekend of the 5th and 6th of September. The 5th (Saturday) sees a powerful pulse arriving: about 4ft to 6ft from the east with a long 16-second period. The energy jumps to strong levels. The wind is cross-off from the ENE, so conditions are clean. But the real one to keep your eye on is Sunday the 6th of September. We're looking at a proper pulse of swell, hitting 10ft from the ENE but with a shorter 13-14 second period. The energy is very strong. This is one for experts only; that's a lot of water moving around on the reef. It's a long way out, so keep an eye on it, but the potential is huge for a heavy, powerful session if you've got the skills and the nerve.

Okay, that's the picture from here. Stay safe out there.
Rusty

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