Rolling Stones Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let’s get into it.

We’ve got a mixed bag coming up for Rolling Stones. This is an advanced reef break, and it’s fairly consistent, but the wind and swell direction are going to make it a battle for most of the forecast. The water temp anomaly is about average for this time of year, so nothing crazy there.

The next few days are pretty poor. Friday the 10th is a write-off: a solid 13ft to 14ft SSE swell, but with that strong cross-onshore wind at 18-22 mph, it’s going to be a lumpy, messy, blown-out mess (combined energy 3589). That’s serious power, but with zero quality. Saturday the 11th is not much better – 7ft of swell, still cross-onshore and choppy. Don’t bother.

Sunday the 12th is a bit of a tease. The swell drops right down to 3ft, but the saving grace is a long-period 15-second S swell. The wind is light and cross-shore, so it could be surfable on a longboard, but it’s marginal (650 energy). Monday the 13th is the first real glimmer. The swell is only 3ft, but the wind goes offshore from the NNW at 6 mph. That’s clean. It’s small, but for the experienced surfer on a bigger board, it might offer a few fun ones. The energy is low (268), so don’t expect much power.

After that, we go into a lull. Tuesday the 14th through Thursday the 16th are all tiny – like 1ft to 2ft – and the winds are mostly light or cross-offshore. The water will be clean, but there’s simply not enough swell to do anything (energy drops as low as 35). That’s a gap of a few days with no real surf on offer.

Now, here’s where it gets interesting. On Friday the 17th of July, a pulse of long-period groundswell arrives. Expect 8ft of SE swell with a 16-second period (energy 2489). That’s a powerful, clean groundswell. The wind is a light cross-on from the SSW, so while it’s not perfect, the wave quality could be there. For an advanced-only reef like this, that’s your best window in the short term. Saturday the 18th and Sunday the 19th are immediately ruined by strong to near-gale force SW winds (up to 31 mph), blowing the surf out completely.

The rest of the second week is grim until Wednesday the 22nd of July, when we see another big lump of swell – 10ft from the SE (2075 energy) – but with strong cross-shore wind and a short 9-10 second period, it’s going to be a lumpy, choppy mess. Not for surfing, maybe more interesting for kiteboarding. Thursday the 23rd of July finally scores some very good conditions: a clean 7ft SE swell with gentle offshore to cross-off winds from the W to SW. That’s the standout (energy 847). But remember, at over 8ft, this is expert territory only. A very long way out, on the 24th and 25th, we see 5ft to 6ft swells with light winds, but they’re cross-shore or cross-on, so it’s just ordinary.

Best on offer: Thursday the 23rd of July. That 7ft clean swell with gentle winds is the highlight, but only for the pros.

Stay safe out there.

- Rusty

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