Surf Forecasts:
Rabbit Island surf forecast from 26 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Friday 28 Aug, 9PM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.3m), 9s period, N swell with offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Friday 28 Aug, 12PM (local time) - 8ft (2.4m), 10s period, N swell with 1,043 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Friday 28 Aug, 9PM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.3m), 9s period with N swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Rabbit Island this week:
The surf forecast for Rabbit Island over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Friday (Aug 28) at 9PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.3m and 9s period. The wind is predicted to be offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Rabbit Island in the next 16 days are 2.4m 10s and forecast to arrive on Friday (Aug 28) at 12PM. Winds are predicted to be onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 3.5m 10s period and expected on Friday (Aug 28) at 12PM.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 9PM (Fri 28th Aug) | 4.5ft (1.3m) 9s |
| Best Surf | 9PM (Fri 28th Aug) | 4.5ft (1.3m) 9s |
| Most Powerful | 12PM (Fri 28th Aug) | 8ft (2.4m) 10s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Rabbit Island over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s on the cards for Rabbit Island over the next few weeks.
To be straight with you, it’s a grim stretch. We’re looking at a long, dry run with hardly a wave worth paddling for. The first decent-looking bump doesn’t show up until Wednesday the 9th of September, and even then, it’s nothing to get excited about. That’s a solid two-week gap of flat, junk, or just plain messy conditions from now until then.
The water temp is sitting at 53°, which is about what you’d expect for this time of year – nothing out of the ordinary.
The only real window of interest is the afternoon of Wednesday the 9th of September. We get a pulse of swell from the NNW around 5 ft, with a period of 6 seconds. The combined energy is moderate at 176, so there’s a bit of push behind it. The wind is glassy from the NNE, which is a huge plus. It’ll be clean.
But here’s the thing – Rabbit Island is an inconsistent, beginner-friendly spot that’s fairly exposed to the swell. The optimum direction is NNW, and this swell is coming from that direction, so it’s lining up. However, with a short period of 6 seconds, it’s not going to have much grunt or shape. It’s a very ordinary, surfable wave, but nothing more. For a beginner looking for a tiny, clean wave, it’s the only real option in the whole forecast. For anyone else, it’s barely worth the drive.
Overall, a pretty bleak outlook. The good news is that forecasts can change, and it’s a consistent enough spot that it won’t stay this flat forever. But for now, you’re better off finding something else to do.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastHeavy rain (total 24mm), heaviest during Fri morning. Very mild (max 15°C on Fri afternoon, min 9°C on Thu morning). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 2mm), mostly falling on Sat afternoon. Very mild (max 14°C on Sun morning, min 7°C on Sun night). Winds increasing (light winds from the SW on Sat morning, fresh winds from the SW by Sun night). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wednesday 26 | Thursday 27 | Friday 28 | Saturday 29 | Sunday 30 | Monday 31 | Tuesday 1 | |||||||||||||||
AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | |
Swell Height Map |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | ||||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NW 4 | NNW 6 | NW 6 | N 17 | N 16 | N 5 | N 9 | N 10 | N 9 | NNW 8 | N 21 | NNW 7 | NNW 5 | NNW 5 | NW 15 | NNW 15 | NW 5 | NNW 15 | NE 4 | NE 3 | NW 20 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 5 | 60 | 86 | 6 | 5 | 27 | 980 | 652 | 225 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 0 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | glassy | glassy | glassy | glassy | glassy | on | on | cross-on | glassy | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | off | cross-off | cross-off | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off |
High Tide | 9:23PM3.67m | 9:34AM3.60m | 9:56PM3.88m | 10:13AM3.76m | 10:29PM4.06m | 10:51AM3.89m | 11:01PM4.17m | 11:27AM3.97m | 11:34PM4.21m | 12:03PM4.01m | 00:09AM4.17m | 12:37PM3.98m | 00:46AM4.05m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 2:57PM1.28m | 3:09AM1.27m | 3:34PM1.02m | 3:44AM1.07m | 4:08PM0.81m | 4:17AM0.88m | 4:39PM0.68m | 4:49AM0.73m | 5:10PM0.62m | 5:22AM0.65m | 5:43PM0.63m | 5:56AM0.66m | 6:16PM0.71m | ||||||||
 |  |  |  | |  |  |  |  |  | | | | |  | | | | | | | |
 | 7:01 | — | — | 7:00 | — | — | 6:58 | — | — | 6:56 | — | — | 6:56 | — | — | 6:54 | — | — | 6:52 | — | — |
 | — | 5:55 | — | — | 5:57 | — | — | 5:58 | — | — | 5:59 | — | — | 6:00 | — | — | 6:00 | — | — | 6:01 | — |
mm | — | — | — | 1 | — | 3 | 19 | 1 | — | — | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 12 | 13 | 13 | 10 | 10 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 11 | 13 | 12 | 9 | 14 | 13 | 11 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 16 | 16 | 10 |
Feels °C | 11 | 13 | 13 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 12 | 12 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 7 | 10 | 9 | 3 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 13 | 13 | 6 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NW 15 | — | NNW 5 | NNW 5 | N 5 | NW 16 | — | — | N 9 | NNW 8 | NNW 8 | NNW 5 | N 7 | NNW 5 | NNW 7 | NNW 15 | NNW 15 | NNW 6 | NNW 6 | NE 3 | NNW 5 |
| kJ | 8 | — | 27 | 8 | 4 | 10 | — | — | 225 | 90 | 75 | 8 | 1 | 24 | 17 | 86 | 21 | 12 | 4 | 2 | 5 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | NW 14 | NW 13 | N 16 | — | — | — | — | — | N 21 | NNW 7 | NW 18 | NNW 10 | NW 15 | — | — | NNW 15 | NNW 15 | NNW 15 | NW 15 |
| kJ | — | — | 7 | 7 | 5 | — | — | — | — | — | 8 | 10 | 12 | 9 | 54 | — | — | 21 | 21 | 21 | 9 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | N 17 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | NW 19 | — | NW 16 | — | — | — | NW 10 | — | NNW 6 | NW 20 |
| kJ | — | — | — | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 14 | — | 11 | — | — | — | 4 | — | 4 | 15 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NW 4 | NNW 6 | NW 6 | E 3 | E 3 | N 5 | N 9 | N 10 | NNW 9 | — | — | W 2 | NNW 5 | WNW 3 | WSW 4 | — | NW 5 | — | NE 4 | NNW 7 | WSW 2 |
| kJ | 5 | 60 | 86 | 3 | 2 | 27 | 980 | 652 | 508 | — | — | 1 | 15 | 3 | 16 | — | 11 | — | 6 | 18 | 1 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 77 | 8 | 10 | 92 | 77 | 77 | 142 | 122 | 0 | 8 | 108 | 108 | 29 | 125 | 77 | 77 | 125 | 142 | 109 | 77 | 77 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Nelson - Tasman Bay | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in New Zealand | |||||||||||||||||||||
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The surf report / weather widget below is available to embed on third party websites free of charge and provides a summary of our Rabbit Island surf forecast. Simply grab the html code snippet that we provide and paste it into your own site. You can choose your preferred language and metric/imperial units for the surf forecast feed to suit users of your site. Click here to get the code.
Information about the Rabbit Island Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Rabbit Island provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Rabbit Island can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Rabbit Island surf forecast is unique since it includes wave energy (power) that defines the real feel of the surf rather than just the height or the period. If you surf the same spot (Rabbit Island) regularly then make a mental note of the wave energy from the surf forecast table each time you go. Very soon you may start to choose your surf days based on the wave energy alone combined with our forecast of favourable offshore wind conditions. Our star ratings will help here and of course you will also find the usual wave height and period predictions on our surf forecasts as well as a full break down of the swell components under our advanced users option (to reveal that, click the little Einstein character under the tide times).
Further information to help with frequently asked questions about our surf forecast for Rabbit Island may be found under the help tab on the top menu and also by moving your mouse over the question marks on the surf forecast table itself. Please always bear in mind that the forecast is for near-shore open water and local factors at each surf break influence the actual breaking wave height, such as the beach / reef profile, water depths offshore and shelter.
Are you planning a holiday in Nelson - Tasman Bay? If you are looking for accommodation near Rabbit Island, camping, hotels and holiday cottages in Nelson - Tasman Bay, consider staying in Nelson which is 11 km (7 miles) away. Alternatively, find information about places to stay and car hire in Blenheim which is 73 km (45 miles) away
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