Walton Rocks (Power Plant) Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let’s get real about the next couple of weeks. I’ve been staring at the charts for Walton Rocks (Power Plant), and I gotta be straight with you: it’s a flat, messy stretch for a while. We’re looking at an empty ocean for the better part of a week. There’s just nothing out there for us. The combined swell energy is sitting in the weak zone, down in the teens and twenties (like 14 to 25). It’s a bummer, but it happens.

The only spot on the list that’s even worth paddling out at is Walton Rocks (Power Plant), a beach and reef setup. It’s very consistent, so it’s not like it never breaks, but when it’s this small, consistency doesn’t mean much.

So, from Wednesday the 9th through Tuesday the 15th, we’re looking at a whole lot of nothing. Swell heights are down around 0.6 ft to 3 ft. The period is short, mostly 6 to 9 seconds, which means weak, crumbly waves. The wind is mostly cross or cross-onshore from the east and southeast, up to 12 mph. That’s just a recipe for chop and mess. There’s a morning on Friday the 11th where it goes glassy, with barely a breath of wind, but the swell is only 2 ft with a 6-second period. It might be knee-high and gutless, but at least it would be clean. Saturday the 12th morning has a little 0.6 ft bump, but it’s cross-shore and messy. Not worth the paddle.

Then, we get a little pulse of energy starting Wednesday the 16th and Thursday the 17th. The swell bumps up to 2 ft to 2 ft, but it’s short-period, 4 to 5 seconds, and the wind is on it. It’s still pretty junky with a cross-onshore flow at 9-12 mph. We drop back down again into the weekend of the 19th and 20th. It’s tiny, 0.6 ft to 1 ft, and the energy is almost non-existent, down to single digits. Just forget it.

Here’s where things get interesting. Around Monday the 21st and Tuesday the 22nd, the ocean finally wakes up. We see a proper push of swell arrive from the NE. The height comes up to 4 ft to 5 ft, and the period stretches out to 10 seconds. That’s much better. The combined energy jumps way up into the moderate zone, hitting 265 and then 442 on Monday, and peaking at 580 on Tuesday morning. The wind is still cross-shore, but it's southeast, not as messy as it could be.

But the real standout is Wednesday the 23rd. That’s the day to watch. The swell is up to a solid 6 ft from the NE, with a 10-second period. The energy is strong, hitting 987. This is the biggest swell of the window. The wind picks up, though. A fresh SE breeze at 19 mph will put a bit of lump on it, but it’s cross-shore, and the power of the swell should overcome some of that. It’s not perfect, but it’s the best we’ve got.

And then, Thursday the 24th morning. That’s the one. A 6 ft NE swell with that same 10-second period, but now the wind is a cross-offshore from the SSE at 16 mph. The conditions are described as clean. This is the standout of the whole run. The energy is very strong, hitting 1049. This is a proper session. It’s sizeable, so if you’re a beginner, give it a miss. But for the more experienced crew, this is where it’s at. It won’t be perfect, but it’s solid and it’s clean. The water temp is 84°F, which is right around normal for the time of year.

So, the game plan is simple. Sit tight through the flat spell. Then, get ready for Wednesday the 23rd, but keep Thursday morning the 24th as your big target. It’s a long way out, so it’s promising but not a guarantee, but it’s the one with the best combination of size, period, and wind. That’s where I’ll be.

Rusty.

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