Rosie's Bay Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, this is Rusty, and I’m looking at Rosie’s Bay for the next couple of weeks.

Okay, straight up, it’s not an epic run. There are some good moments, mostly in the first week, but you’ve got to be patient. The water’s sitting at 60°, which is about 2° warmer than usual for this time of year, so that’s a little bonus.

We kick off on Thursday afternoon, the 23rd of July. It’s small, with 2ft of swell from the SSW, with a long 15-second period. The wind is a light cross-on, so it’s not going to be clean. You’ll find small wind ripples. The combined energy is weak (330). It’s just a bit of a tease.

The real standout is Friday morning, the 24th of July. This is your best bet. The swell holds at 2ft from the SSW, still that lovely long period, and the wind turns glassy. That’s the magic word. Expect good surf conditions. It’ll be smooth, clean, and with that long period, it’ll have some push. The energy is moderate (327). This is the one to get out of bed for.

Friday afternoon and Saturday morning see the wind come back onshore, making it choppy and messy. Not worth it.

But then we get a nice little run from Saturday afternoon, the 25th of July, through Monday afternoon, the 27th. The swell builds a touch, up to 3ft from the SW, and the wind turns cross-offshore. That’s clean. The energy is pumping, with readings of 780, 735, and 716, which is moderate to strong. The period drops from 22 seconds down to 18 seconds, so it’s still a powerful groundswell, but it’s a bit more manageable. Monday afternoon, the 27th, is the next real highlight, with the forecast saying “expect very good surf conditions.” Clean lines and plenty of grunt.

Tuesday the 28th gets a bit of a bump in size to 4ft, but the wind picks up strong from the ESE. It’s clean, but that wind is stiff. It’s a bit of a battle. After that, the quality drops off a cliff.

From Wednesday the 29th onwards, it’s a rough ride. The swell stays around 3ft to 4ft, but the wind is consistently cross-on from the west, making it choppy and poor. We get a stretch of poor surf conditions from Friday the 31st of July through to the 5th of August. Just a week of slop.

There is a small bump in size in the second week. On the 5th and 6th of August, the swell gets up to 5ft from the WSW, but the period is a short, weak 9 seconds. That’s windswell, not groundswell. Combined with cross-on winds, it’s a messy, choppy 5ft. The energy is moderate (357-396), but it’s not the kind of energy you want. It’s more of a washing machine. The wind is too strong, and the swell is too short period to be any good. It’s a write-off.

So, your window is clear: Friday morning the 24th for the glassy, clean 2ft, and then Monday afternoon the 27th for the clean, punchy 3ft. The rest is a lot of waiting for those two moments.

Rusty.

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