Whale Rock Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's take a look at what the ocean’s got cookin’ for us, starting now.

We’ve got a wild ride ahead over the next couple of weeks, but the opening days are a mixed bag. The standout window, without a doubt, is early next week – we’re talkin’ Sunday the 12th. That morning, Whale Rock is lookin’ absolutely perfect. We’ve got a clean 4ft SSW groundswell with a 12-second period, glassy conditions thanks to a light NE breeze, and that combined energy is sitting at a solid 602. It’s a reef break, so it should handle that long period energy real well, and those long gaps between sets will make paddling out a breeze. Water temp's sitting at 71°, which is about a degree and a half warmer than average for this time of year – feels nice.

Now, the rest of the first week has some swell but the wind just won’t play nice. Thursday the 9th through Saturday the 11th, we’re looking at 7ft to 8ft SSW swells, but with cross and cross-off winds and a lot of chop. The wave energy is there – that combined energy peaks at 2822 on Friday morning – but the quality is marginal at best. That 8ft Friday morning might be pushing it for beginners anyway.

Sunday afternoon things fall apart with a strong cross-on breeze, and Monday the 13th is just plain nasty with 19 mph cross-on winds and a short, weak 6ft E swell only packing 7 seconds. Keep the board in the car for that one. Tuesday the 14th isn’t much better.

Here’s the thing though – after that rough spell, Wednesday morning the 15th suddenly cleans up. A clean 6ft E swell with a 10-second period and a light SW cross-off breeze will make for some nice, clean faces at Whale Rock. It’s not the biggest, but after a few days of junk, it’ll feel like a blessing. Combined energy’s at 678.

After that, things get a bit wonky again. A big lumpy SSW swell arrives Monday the 21st – 7ft with a super long 18-second period from the SSW, and the combined energy is massive at 2801. That is a lot of power, but it’s a beach-breaking kind of period for a reef. With a cross-on wind, it’ll be a messy, experts-only affair if you’re brave enough. The rest of that third week goes downhill fast with strong onshore winds and dropping swell. By Thursday the 24th, we’re down to a tiny 1ft swell with 17-second period – barely a ripple.

So to wrap it up, the absolute pick is Sunday morning the 12th – glassy, clean, and fun. If you miss that, Wednesday morning the 15th is your next best bet for clean waves. The rest of the run is either too windy, too messy, or too small.

Stay wet, stay frothy... Rusty out.

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