The Rock Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright mate, Rusty here. Let's have a look at what's on offer for The Rock.

Alright, straight up, it's looking like a bit of a tough stretch ahead for The Rock. We've got a solid, long-period SSW groundswell rolling in, with the combined wave energy reading a strong 1875, but the wind is gonna be the spoiler. For the next few weeks, it's stuck in a cross to cross-onshore rut, mostly from the west, so the conditions are looking pretty ragged and choppy. The water temperature is sitting at a balmy 83°, which is about average for this time of year.

The best of what we get is going to be around Saturday the 12th of September. The morning shows a building 4ft SSW swell with a very long period of 17 seconds, and the combined energy jumps to 1743. The wind is still cross-onshore, tossing it into a choppy mess, so it's not clean. The afternoon gets a bit more interesting, with the swell picking up to 6ft from the SSW, energy surging to 2037, and the wind switching to a cross-shore. It’s still lumpy, but that's a whole lot of water moving with very long period. That kind of period pulls a lot of shape out of the wave, but on a reef setup, it could be holding some proper lines. It’s not for beginners, and it's a mess, but for the experienced crew, there might be some big, tricky sections to be had.

Before that, you're looking at a solid fortnight of poor to marginal surf. There are small windows with cross-shore winds on the 8th and 9th, but the swell is tiny, barely 2-3ft. There's a little bump again on the 11th of September with a 4ft SSW swell, a solid 16-second period, and cross-shore wind. That’s the best of the first week, and it's still messy. Saturday the 12th is your only real standout in the whole run, and even that's a gamble with the wind. The rest is a write-off.

So, to be honest, it’s a pretty bleak outlook. The wind just won't do us any favours. If you're desperate, keep an eye on Saturday the 12th, but don't hold your breath.

Rusty.

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