Surf Forecasts:
Rabbit Island surf forecast from 1 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Sunday 6 Sep, 3PM (local time) - 5.5ft (1.7m), 8s period, N swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Sunday 6 Sep, 12PM (local time) - 7.5ft (2.3m), 7s period, N swell with 562 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Sunday 6 Sep, 3PM (local time) - 5.5ft (1.7m), 8s 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 Sunday (Sep 06) at 3PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.7m and 8s period. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Rabbit Island in the next 16 days are 2.3m 7s and forecast to arrive on Sunday (Sep 06) at 12PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 2.5m 8s period and expected on Friday (Sep 04) at 9AM.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 3PM (Sun 6th Sep) | 5.5ft (1.7m) 8s |
| Best Surf | 3PM (Sun 6th Sep) | 5.5ft (1.7m) 8s |
| Most Powerful | 12PM (Sun 6th Sep) | 7.5ft (2.3m) 7s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Rabbit Island over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, Rusty here. Let’s talk about Rabbit Island.
First off, I gotta be straight with you – this 16-day window is a tough one for Rabbit Island. I’m looking at a real stretch of weak, often non-existent surf. For the first several days, there’s zero swell energy (0), and the water temp is sitting at about 54.1°, which is bang on average for this time of year, so no surprises there.
We don’t even see a sniff of a decent wave until the afternoon of Sunday, September 6th. That afternoon, a N swell pushes up to 5.6 ft with a short 8-second period, giving us moderate combined swell energy of 392. The wind goes glassy – which is a major positive for clean conditions. But with a 5.6 ft wave at a beach break, this is pushing into the too-big-for-beginners zone. It's heavy enough that if you’re not a solid intermediate, I’d be careful.
That Sunday afternoon pulse is the one standout, and honestly, it's the only real highlight of the whole run. The swell direction (N) aligns with the optimum (NNW) alright, and glassy wind is gold. But this is a spot that’s listed as *inconsistent*, and you’re seeing why – it rarely gets a proper go.
After that pulse, we drop back into the doldrums. From Monday the 7th onward, it’s a long, flat slog. Day after day of zero or tiny 0.3 ft swell, combined energy in the single digits. By the time we get to the second week, there’s just nothing to ride. The afternoon of Wednesday, September 16th has zero swell height and zero energy. A massive gap.
Look, if you’re chasing waves here, that one glassy afternoon on the 6th is your only shot. It’s a short window, but it could be fun for the right crew. For the rest of the forecast, the beach looks more interesting for a paddle on a board than a surf. A kite might get some action on the bigger day, but for a surfer? It’s a quiet period.
Stay patient, mate.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 5mm), mostly falling on Thu night. Very mild (max 16°C on Wed afternoon, min 8°C on Tue night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryHeavy rain (total 22mm), heaviest during Sun morning. Very mild (max 16°C on Sat afternoon, min 7°C on Sun night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Tuesday 1 | Wednesday 2 | Thursday 3 | Friday 4 | Saturday 5 | Sunday 6 | Monday 7 | |||||||||||||||
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 15 | NW 15 | NW 6 | N 18 | NW 6 | NW 6 | N 15 | NNW 6 | NNW 6 | NNW 8 | NNW 8 | N 8 | N 8 | NW 6 | NW 5 | NNW 6 | N 8 | N 8 | NNW 15 | NNW 15 | N 5 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 49 | 84 | 4 | 58 | 54 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 86 | 54 | 0 | 392 | 146 | 0 | 0 | 11 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | glassy | glassy | glassy | glassy | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | glassy | cross-on | glassy | off | off | on | on |
High Tide | 12:37PM3.98m | 00:46AM4.05m | 1:12PM3.90m | 1:27AM3.87m | 1:50PM3.74m | 2:15AM3.64m | 2:34PM3.52m | 3:13AM3.42m | 3:37PM3.28m | 4:28AM3.25m | 5:21PM3.15m | 5:57AM3.23m | 7:12PM3.34m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 6:16PM0.71m | 6:33AM0.77m | 6:54PM0.87m | 7:14AM0.95m | 7:38PM1.09m | 8:03AM1.17m | 8:39PM1.34m | 9:04AM1.39m | 10:10PM1.53m | 10:24AM1.54m | 11:47PM1.50m | 12:02PM1.52m | 1:06AM1.29m | ||||||||
 | |  |  | | | | |  |  | | | | | |  |  | | | |  | |
 | 6:52 | — | — | 6:50 | — | — | 6:48 | — | — | 6:48 | — | — | 6:46 | — | — | 6:43 | — | — | 6:43 | — | — |
 | — | 6:01 | — | — | 6:02 | — | — | 6:04 | — | — | 6:05 | — | — | 6:06 | — | — | 6:07 | — | — | 6:07 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 5 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | 11 | 10 | — | — | — | 6 |
Temp °C | 12 | 13 | 10 | 15 | 16 | 12 | 14 | 16 | 13 | 14 | 13 | 11 | 14 | 16 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 9 | 13 | 11 | 9 |
Feels °C | 7 | 8 | 6 | 10 | 13 | 11 | 13 | 15 | 13 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 11 | 13 | 9 | 11 | 13 | 6 | 10 | 7 | 6 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NW 15 | NW 15 | NW 6 | NNW 5 | NW 5 | NNW 5 | NNW 6 | NW 15 | NW 15 | N 8 | NNW 8 | N 8 | N 8 | NNW 5 | NNW 5 | — | N 8 | N 8 | NNW 15 | — | N 5 |
| kJ | 55 | 34 | 8 | 5 | 11 | 21 | 31 | 8 | 9 | 294 | 176 | 42 | 44 | 13 | 14 | — | 392 | 146 | 372 | — | 11 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NNW 6 | NNW 6 | NW 15 | NW 15 | NW 17 | NW 16 | N 15 | — | — | NW 16 | NW 16 | NNW 9 | NW 15 | NNW 8 | NW 16 | — | NNW 17 | NNW 16 | N 9 | — | NW 14 |
| kJ | 8 | 4 | 9 | 9 | 12 | 9 | 4 | — | — | 10 | 10 | 48 | 34 | 11 | 62 | — | 27 | 25 | 76 | — | 49 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | N 18 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | NW 15 | — | NW 15 | NNW 8 | — | — | — | — | — | NNW 9 |
| kJ | — | — | — | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 9 | — | 59 | 7 | — | — | — | — | — | 16 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WSW 2 | — | — | WSW 2 | NW 6 | NW 6 | NW 6 | NNW 6 | NNW 6 | NNW 8 | — | — | — | NW 6 | NW 5 | NNW 6 | — | — | SSW 3 | NNW 15 | — |
| kJ | 1 | — | — | 1 | 49 | 84 | 120 | 58 | 54 | 765 | — | — | — | 86 | 54 | 130 | — | — | 1 | 566 | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 77 | 137 | 77 | 77 | 8 | 8 | 77 | 77 | 8 | 118 | 118 | 8 | 8 | 92 | 8 | 285 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 264 | 26 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Nelson - Tasman Bay | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in New Zealand | |||||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||||
- Map Icons:
Break
Live Wave Height (m)
Live Wind Speed (km/h)
Surf Rating (10 Max)
Ocean Swells (m)- Wind Speed (km/h)
FREE! Surf-Forecast.com widget for your website
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
Nearest