Rosie's Bay Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right then, let’s have a look at what’s on the table for the coming couple of weeks. We’re focusing on Rosie’s Bay, and I’ve got to be straight with you—this stretch is a bit of a mixed bag. The water’s sitting at 60°F which is pretty much what we’d expect for this time of year, no major surprises there.

The first real action worth paddling out for kicks off on Sunday the 26th of July. We’ve got a solid 3ft swell rolling in from the SW with a very long period of 20 seconds. That’s proper groundswell, and the combined energy is pushing 850 (moderate wave energy). The wind is a light ESE at 6 mph, blowing cross-offshore, so it’s going to be clean. This is the standout of the whole outlook. Rosie’s Bay is very consistent, so you can trust it to deliver. The direction is perfect for this break which loves a W swell. It can get crowded sometimes, but for this kind of quality, it’s worth it. Expect very good surf conditions.

Monday the 27th is a step down. The swell drops a touch to 3ft, still a long 18 seconds from the SW, but the wind picks up to 12 mph from the SE, making it cross-shore and a bit choppy. The energy is still decent at 598 to 623, but the texture won’t be as nice. Tuesday the 28th sees a slight bump in size to 4ft with a 19-second period from the SW, and the wind goes offshore from the SSW at just 3 mph in the morning. The energy jumps to 1068 (strong wave energy), but the forecast flags it as marginal due to tide. Still, an offshore wind at that size is worth a look.

The rest of that week and into the first few days of August is pretty average. We get some glassy moments on Friday the 31st of July morning with a clean 2ft swell from the SW, but it’s small. The next real glimmer is on Wednesday the 5th of August morning: 5ft from the W with glassy conditions, and again on Thursday the 6th of August morning with 5ft from the W and glassy conditions. Both show good surf conditions, but the swell periods are short (8 seconds) and the energy is moderate. They’re tidy, but not the whole story.

Now, here’s where it gets interesting, and a bit heavy. From the 7th of August onward, the swell builds. Friday the 7th brings 6ft from the WNW, but the period is short at 7 seconds and it’s cross-onshore. Then on Saturday the 8th of August afternoon, we hit 7ft from the WNW with an onshore wind and energy at 1122 (strong wave energy). The waves are there, but the quality is poor for a paddle.

The real kicker comes on Sunday the 9th of August. We’re looking at 7ft in the morning and a whopping 12ft in the afternoon from the WNW, with glassy conditions in the afternoon. The energy is off the charts at 1653 (very strong wave energy). But here’s the thing—this is too big for Rosie’s Bay. It’s a warning in the data that the swell is predicted to be too big for this break. This is expert-only territory, and even then, it’s going to be a washing machine. If you’re a kite surfer, the setup on the 9th and 10th of August looks more interesting than for paddle surfing.

The 10th of August continues the theme: 7ft in the morning and 8ft in the afternoon from the WNW, with glassy or cross-offshore winds. Again, the energy is high (869 to 1060), but the size makes it a challenge. The period is still short at 8 seconds, so it won’t have that classic groundswell roll.

To sum it up: Sunday the 26th of July is your standout—clean, long-period SW swell at Rosie’s Bay. After that, there’s a long gap of mediocrity with a couple of tidy glassy mornings around the 5th and 6th of August. The big stuff from the 9th onwards is for the brave or the kites. Stay tuned, forecasts change.

Rusty.

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