Rolling Stones Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, let’s get into it. This is a tricky one, so I’ll lay it out straight.

We’re looking at a 16-day window for Rolling Stones, a solid advanced reef break, and the first part of the run is a write-off. The first six records, from Monday the 17th of August right through to Thursday afternoon the 20th, are all crossed out. Strong cross-onshore winds, lumpy, messy conditions – it’s a total no-go. The combined wave energy is massive (2033 to 5896), but it’s all blown to bits. Forget paddle surfing; with that much wind and swell, it’s a kite surfer’s playground.

The water temp is sitting at 54°, which is a bit colder than normal for this time of year, so you’ll want a thick suit.

Now, the first real glimmer of hope comes on Friday the 21st of August. The morning session shows a clean 6 ft south swell with a very long 16-second period, and the wind is a light cross-off. That’s a proper groundswell with heaps of energy (1766). The afternoon glassed right off, with 5 ft and a 15-second period. This is the standout window. The wave direction is south, which is the optimum for this break, and the conditions are described as excellent for experienced surfers and glassy. For a reef break like this, that long period will draw some beautiful lines, but it’s strictly for the advanced crew. The combined energy (1206 in the arvo) is still strong. It’s the best on offer, hands down.

Saturday the 22nd drops off quick. Morning is clean but only 3 ft, and the energy is down to 307. By afternoon, it’s puny. Sunday the 23rd is tiny, and the whole run from Saturday the 22nd through to Thursday the 27th is mostly marginal or poor. There’s a spike in swell on Monday the 24th (4 ft, 17-second period) but it’s still marginal, and the energy is moderate.

The next promising window is Friday the 28th of August. The morning shows a clean 6 ft south swell with a 15-second period, and light cross-off winds. The combined energy is back up to 1680, and it’s described as excellent for experienced surfers. That’s another solid, clean groundswell. The afternoon gets a bit cross-shore, so the morning is the pick.

We get another chance on Sunday the 30th of August. The morning is clean with a 6 ft south swell, 11-second period, and light cross-off winds. The energy is moderate (736) but the conditions are very good. It’s not as powerful as the 21st or 28th, but a clean, fun day.

Finally, Tuesday the 1st of September morning offers a clean 6 ft swell from the SSW with an 8-second period. The energy is moderate (464), and conditions are good. Short period, so it’s more of a local wind swell, but still surfable.

Verdict: The absolute best windows are the morning of Friday the 21st of August and the morning of Friday the 28th of August. That’s where the quality, size, period, and clean conditions all line up for the advanced crowd. The rest of the run is a lot of waiting and small, marginal days.

Rusty.

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