Rockpiles Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right then, let’s have a look at what we’ve got. I’ll be honest with you, Rockpiles is a reef break that’s fairly consistent and needs a solid SSE swell to really get going – that’s its optimum direction. Problem is, we’re not seeing that at all in this forecast window. For the next few weeks, it’s a tough stretch.

We kick off on Wednesday, July 8th, and honestly, it’s rough. Swell is coming from the ENE at 7 ft, with a short, weak period of just 7 seconds. The wind is a stiff cross-offshore from the ENE at 25 mph. The wave energy is moderate at 718, but the conditions are just poor for a proper surf. That ENE wind, while cross-off, is strong and combined with the wrong swell direction for the break’s optimum, it’s not making for any quality. This same story basically holds all the way through to Saturday, July 11th – solid 6 ft to 7 ft of short-period ENE windswell, but the wind stays a fresh to strong breeze (19-25 mph) out of the ENE. The setup is messy and the scores are low, so it’s a write-off for paddling. If you’re kiting, that strong cross-off wind and chunky lump might look interesting, but for a surfboard, it’s a no-go.

We get a slight change come Sunday, July 12th. The swell drops a touch to 6 ft, and the period creeps up to 8 seconds. The wind is still a fresh ENE breeze at 22 mph, and the wave energy is a moderate 855. The forecast calls it marginal. It’s still not good, but the period is a fraction longer. That hint of a longer gap between sets might mean a slightly easier paddle out, but the quality is still well off. This continues as a very long stretch of marginal-to-poor surf from Monday, July 13th, right through to Saturday, July 18th. Swell heights hover between 5 ft and 6 ft, mostly from the ENE with short periods of 6-8 seconds, and that fresh ENE cross-off wind just won’t let up. It’s a grind.

Then, on Wednesday, July 15th in the afternoon, there’s a flicker of something different. A new, long-period groundswell from the SW shows up at just 2 ft but with a 14-second period. The wave energy is moderate at 546, but it’s a tiny wave. This is a classic case of a long-period groundswell that might wrap in a little better on a reef like this, but it’s just not got the size to be a proper ride. It’s a tease.

There’s another brief pulse of longer-period groundswell on Friday morning, July 16th – a 2 ft swell from the SSW with a very long 17-second period. Again, the energy (467) is weak, and with a fresh ENE cross-off wind, it’s still poor. That very long period means the sets will be widely spaced and it’ll stand up steep, but at ankle-to-shin-high, it’s barely even a wave.

The pattern holds through the second week. From Sunday, July 19th through to Thursday, July 23rd, we see occasional pulses of longer-period swell from the S and E (12-16 seconds) but always small – 2 ft to 4 ft. The wind finally eases a touch to a moderate breeze (12-16 mph) from the ENE and E on the 22nd and 23rd, with a rare cross-shore wind on the morning of the 22nd. That gives the cleanest conditions we’ve seen, but the waves are just too small to get excited about. The wave energy is mostly weak (327) or at best low-moderate (686).

So what’s the standout? Honestly, there isn’t a proper one in this stretch. The closest we get to a potentially surfable window is late in the forecast, around Wednesday, July 22nd and Thursday, July 23rd. On the 22nd morning, a 3 ft groundswell from the east at a 14-second period, with a moderate cross-shore breeze from the east at 12 mph. That’s about as clean as it gets, and the longer period will give it a bit more push for its size. It’s a small, clean day for a longboard at higher tide. The water temperature is about average for the time of year, so no surprises there.

Overall, it’s a bleak run. The consistency is there but the quality just isn’t. When a reef is this dependent on one swell direction and it’s getting hammered by the wrong one, you’re just fighting a losing battle. It’s a long wait for those few clean, small windows.

Rusty.

Read more