Rolling Stones Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's have a look at what's on the card for the coming weeks. We've got one main spot to work with, and it's a bit of a mixed bag, so I'll break it down day by day.

We're starting off with a bit of a slow burn. The first real action to talk about is on Sunday the 9th of August. Rolling Stones is a reef break, so it handles swell well, and it's fairly exposed to the south. The morning kicks off with a clean 4ft south swell, with a moderate 666 units of energy behind it. The wind is a cross-off, which should keep the face tidy. It's not the biggest, but it's rideable and the conditions are right. Monday morning the 10th sees the swell drop to 3ft and the energy dips right down to 178 units, so it's pretty weak. The wind is light, but we're looking at a cross-off, so it's still clean. It's surfable, but nothing to get too excited about.

Now, we hit a bit of a lull. From Monday afternoon right through to Friday the 14th, the conditions just aren't there. The wind switches onshore, the swell gets messy, and the energy drops into the low hundreds or even double digits. There's a window on Tuesday morning the 11th with a 6ft south swell and a huge 1035 units of energy, but the wind is a cross-shore and the report says it's marginal. Not worth the paddle out. The same goes for Wednesday morning the 12th with a 6ft SSE swell and 501 units of energy. It's clean, but the wind is light cross-off, and the report says it's only "expect good surf conditions" on that morning, but the rest of the week is a write-off.

Then things get a bit wild. From Saturday the 15th, the swell starts to kick up hard. Saturday morning brings a 6ft east swell with 673 units and clean cross-off wind, but Saturday afternoon the wind turns onshore and the report flags it as poor. By Sunday the 16th, we're looking at 12ft to 13ft south swell with over 2000 units of energy, but it's accompanied by a strong onshore wind. This is big, powerful, blown-out stuff. This pattern of big, messy swell continues right through to Thursday the 20th of August. The swell peaks at 16ft on Wednesday the 19th with a massive 6967 units of energy, but the wind is fresh cross-onshore and lumpy. This is not for the faint of heart, and honestly, it looks more interesting for the kite surfers than anyone on a paddle board. The energy is huge, but the quality is poor.

Finally, we get a reprieve. On Friday the 21st of August, the swell drops back to a clean 5ft SSE swell with 477 units of energy. The wind is a light cross-off from the northeast, and the report says "expect good surf conditions." This is your best window. It's clean, a manageable size, and the wind is right. The following morning, Saturday the 22nd, is also worth a look with a 5ft south swell and a 13 second period, which is a nice long groundswell, but it's listed as marginal. The wind is light cross-off, so it might be worth a paddle if you're keen, but Friday morning is the standout.

So, to wrap it up: the first week is pretty average, but Friday the 21st of August morning is the clear winner. The swell is solid, the wind is offshore, and it'll be clean. Get on it.

Rusty.

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