Rolling Stones Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, surf’s finally showing a pulse after a pretty bleak stretch. The long-range models are painting a picture that’s got me a bit fired up, but we gotta pay our dues first with some average, messy conditions.

The week starts off rough. Wednesday and Thursday are a complete write-off with a strong south-southwest swell hammering the coast. We’re talking 15ft of lumpy, cross-onshore chaos on Wednesday morning with a massive 5169 combined energy reading. This is not surf for the faint of heart, and honestly, unless you’re a masochist, it’s a beach day. The wind is howling at 22 mph out of the south, just shredding any chance of a clean face. Thursday isn’t much better, with the swell still up around 8ft and a choppy cross-on wind. It’s a full-on washing machine out there.

Then, things start to turn. Friday morning is the first real glimmer of hope. The wind swings around to a light offshore from the NNW at just 3 mph, and that southwest swell drops to a very manageable 5ft. The period jumps to 13 seconds, giving it some proper push. The water's running a bit colder than normal for this time of year at 54°, a good 3° chillier than average, so you'll want the booties and maybe a hood. This is the window where Rolling Stones (Reef) comes alive. It’s a standout, a moment of pure glass in the middle of the gloom. The swell direction is straight from the south, which is right in its wheelhouse. For a reef break, this is where it shines. The light offshore wind will have it looking like a mirror. Sure, it might be a bit inconsistent, but when a set comes through, it’ll be worth the paddle out. This is the call of the week.

Friday afternoon and into the weekend are still fun. The swell hangs around the 5 – 3ft mark with clean conditions and light winds. Saturday looks like a good, fun, small-wave day. Sunday starts to fade, with the swell dropping below 3ft and the energy weakening.

There’s a notable lull for a couple of days from Sunday through to mid-week, where the surf almost completely flatlines. It’s a real patience tester. But then, the horizon has something big. Way out in the long-range, around Friday the 28th, a new, longer-period south swell is forecast to fill in. It’s showing 6ft at 16 seconds. That’s a proper groundswell. The wind is looking offshore from the north, which would make the reef a very special place to be. This is the one that has me truly excited, but it’s a week and a half away, so we treat it as promising, not a guarantee.

After that, the ocean gets kind of messy again. The start of September brings another solid pulse of south swell, but with it comes strong cross-on/onshore winds and rain, which will chop it all up. There’s some size there, pushing 12ft, but the quality will be terrible. It might look more interesting for the kite crew than for us paddle surfers.

So, there you have it. A slow start, a magic window Friday morning, and a potentially epic long-range groundswell on the 28th that’s well worth keeping an eye on.

Rusty.

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