Surf Forecasts:
Rabbit Island surf forecast from 10 Sep 2026:
- Most powerful swell: Tuesday 15 Sep, 6PM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.3m), 6s period, NW swell with 116 kJ wave energy.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Rabbit Island this week:
The most powerful waves expected at Rabbit Island in the next 16 days are 1.3m 6s and forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Sep 15) at 6PM. Winds are predicted to be offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.5m 6s period and expected on Wednesday (Sep 16) at 6AM.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | - | - |
| Best Surf | - | - |
| Most Powerful | 6PM (Tue 15th Sep) | 4.5ft (1.3m) 6s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Rabbit Island over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, this is Rusty, and I gotta be straight with you – it’s been a rough stretch for Rabbit Island. The whole 16-day window is looking pretty bleak, to be honest. We’re talking nearly two weeks of hardly a ripple worth paddling for.
The pattern is dead flat. From now through September 19th, there’s essentially nothing. We’re talking about an 8-day gap with zero waves. You’ll see a tiny blip of 0.6ft on the 12th, but that’s a weak, short-period swell, and the combined energy is only 2, so it’s a total non-event. Then we get another tease on the 16th with a 3ft wave, but the wind is up at 12 mph and it’s still poor conditions. The water temp is around 55°, which is pretty normal for this time of year, so nothing weird there.
The only real chance to get wet comes on Sunday, September 20th. The morning shows a 4ft swell from the north, with a period of 8 seconds. The combined energy finally jumps up to 201, so it’s got some moderate push. The wind is offshore from the SW at 9 mph, which is a major positive – it’ll be clean. But the guidance is calling it “surfable waves but very ordinary conditions,” so keep your expectations in check. It won’t be epic, just the best of a bad bunch.
After that, it fizzles back out. The 21st has some 2ft leftovers, but the wind isn’t as friendly, and by the 22nd we’re back to tiny, weak 2ft waves with energy in the 40s. The rest of the period into the 25th is just flat and small.
Look, with no consistent swell and most of the forecast being poor, this is one of those stretches where the ocean just isn’t playing ball. Forecasts can change, but as it stands, you’re better off finding something else to do until that Sunday the 20th. Even then, don’t go expecting a classic session.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 3mm), mostly falling on Thu afternoon. Very mild (max 16°C on Sun morning, min 2°C on Thu night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 9mm), mostly falling on Tue night. Very mild (max 17°C on Tue morning, min 6°C on Sun night). Wind will be generally light. | |||||||||||||||||||
Thu 10 | Friday 11 | Saturday 12 | Sunday 13 | Monday 14 | Tuesday 15 | Wednesday 16 | ||||||||||||||
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 21 | NNW 20 | NW 19 | NW 18 | NNW 17 | NW 16 | NNW 5 | NW 17 | NNW 17 | NE 2 | NNW 16 | NW 16 | NW 16 | NW 15 | N 6 | N 15 | NNW 6 | N 7 | N 7 | N 7 |
Wave Graph  | ||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 47 | 0 | 56 | 0 |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | glassy | off | cross-off | cross-off | off | off | cross-off | cross-off | off | on | glassy | cross-off | glassy | off | cross-off | cross-off | glassy | cross-off | cross-off | off |
High Tide | 9:44PM4.16m | 10:02AM4.05m | 10:21PM4.27m | 10:42AM4.16m | 10:57PM4.28m | 11:19AM4.19m | 11:32PM4.22m | 11:53AM4.14m | 00:06AM4.09m | 12:27PM4.03m | 00:40AM3.90m | 1:00PM3.88m | 1:16AM3.67m | |||||||
Low Tide | 3:19PM0.82m | 3:36AM0.56m | 3:59PM0.65m | 4:14AM0.47m | 4:34PM0.57m | 4:50AM0.49m | 5:06PM0.59m | 5:24AM0.58m | 5:36PM0.69m | 5:57AM0.73m | 6:05PM0.86m | 6:32AM0.93m | 6:37PM1.08m | |||||||
 |  |  | |  | | | | |  | | | | |  | | | | | | |
 | — | — | 6:35 | — | — | 6:33 | — | — | 6:33 | — | — | 6:31 | — | — | 6:28 | — | — | 6:28 | — | — |
 | 6:10 | — | — | 6:12 | — | — | 6:13 | — | — | 6:14 | — | — | 6:15 | — | — | 6:15 | — | — | 6:16 | — |
mm | 2 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 9 | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 11 | 6 | 14 | 14 | 9 | 14 | 14 | 9 | 16 | 13 | 10 | 15 | 15 | 9 | 17 | 17 | 11 | 15 | 14 | 7 |
Feels °C | 10 | 4 | 10 | 9 | 4 | 10 | 11 | 4 | 14 | 10 | 9 | 13 | 13 | 7 | 14 | 14 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 2 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NNW 5 | ESE 3 | NW 19 | NW 18 | NNW 4 | NW 16 | NW 16 | NW 17 | NNW 17 | NNW 17 | ENE 3 | NW 16 | NW 16 | NNW 4 | NNW 4 | NW 5 | — | N 7 | N 7 | N 7 |
| kJ | 7 | 2 | 92 | 82 | 2 | 67 | 68 | 44 | 28 | 28 | 1 | 10 | 10 | 2 | 2 | 27 | — | 166 | 56 | 26 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NW 21 | NNW 20 | — | NNW 5 | NNW 17 | NNW 6 | — | NNW 5 | NNW 5 | NNW 4 | NNW 16 | NW 5 | NW 4 | NW 15 | NW 15 | N 15 | — | — | — | NW 16 |
| kJ | 18 | 37 | — | 3 | 29 | 3 | — | 3 | 3 | 2 | 25 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 9 | 4 | — | — | — | 10 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NW 16 | — | — | — | NW 11 | — | — | — | — | — | NW 4 | — | — | — | N 6 | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | 10 | — | — | — | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | S 3 | — | — | SW 3 | SW 3 | NNW 5 | WSW 2 | WSW 3 | NE 2 | — | — | — | — | SW 3 | — | NNW 6 | — | — | W 3 |
| kJ | — | 1 | — | — | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 1 | — | — | — | — | 2 | — | 47 | — | — | 2 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 90 | 90 | 77 | 77 | 118 | 77 | 122 | 77 | 92 | 90 | 36 | 77 | 108 | 77 | 77 | 92 | 127 | 8 | 122 | 118 |
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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