Rolling Stones Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right, let’s talk this out in feet and Fahrenheit.

The run starts on Thursday, September 3rd, and that’s the one to circle. We’ve got a 5ft south swell with a 13-second interval – proper groundswell, with good energy (613). The wind is a light northerly, so it’s blowing cross-offshore and the waves will be clean. Water temp is 55°, about two degrees colder than it should be for this time of year, so it’s a bit fresh. That Thursday afternoon at *Rolling Stones* is the standout of the whole 16 days.

Friday the 4th, the swell drops to 3ft, and the wind goes northwest at 12 mph, blowing offshore. It’s surfable but nothing special, and by the afternoon the wind picks up to 15 mph and it gets messy. The whole weekend stays small – under 3ft – with mostly cross-off winds, but the period is short (8-10 seconds) and the energy is weak. Not worth getting wet for.

Monday the 7th through Wednesday the 9th is almost dead. Swell under 2ft, winds onshore or just mixed up. There’s a brief moment Tuesday afternoon with a 4ft SSW swell going glassy, but with only a 7-second period and energy at 156, it’s not going to do much. You might get a dribbler.

Thursday the 10th offers a 2ft south swell with a 14-second period and energy of 175. That long period means the sets will be straight and maybe walled up. It’s borderline. Friday the 11th has a similar small swell but with a crazy 21-second period – energy jumps to 390 and 494. That sounds great until you see the wind is 18 mph and gusty. It'll be blown and choppy. Experts only.

Now the bad news. Sunday the 13th, we get a 13ft to 15ft SSW swell with the wind howling at 28 mph cross-onshore. The energy is off the charts (5119). Monday the 14th is flat-out dangerous: 21ft swell with a 16-second period, energy over 31,000. The file says it’s too big for the break. That’s insane. Tuesday still has 10ft swell but the wind is cross-shore and messy. This whole stretch is for kamikazes.

Finally, Wednesday the 16th sees it drop to a clean 5ft SSE swell with a light northeast breeze. Energy is a solid 614. That’s a proper, manageable day with clean conditions. That’s your second-best option. Thursday morning the 17th is glassy but tiny – 2ft. Then Friday the 18th wraps it up with a 2ft south swell, 14-second period, and a light north-northwest offshore wind. Energy is 365, so it’s clean but very small.

So to put it straight: the absolute best day is Thursday, September 3rd – 5ft, clean, south swell at Rolling Stones. That’s the one you want. The Wednesday, September 16th is also good, with 5ft and clean winds, but it’s further out. The rest of the time you’re either scratching for knee-high dribble or running from a monster. The week of the 7th-12th is almost empty, and the weekend of the 13th-14th is for experts only.

Don’t sleep on that first Thursday.

Rusty

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