Surf Forecasts:
Red Island surf forecast from 6 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Friday 7 Aug, 6AM (local time) - 5.5ft (1.7m), 11s period, SSE swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Friday 7 Aug, 3PM (local time) - 7ft (2.1m), 14s period, S swell with 1,759 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Thursday 6 Aug, 9PM (local time) - 6ft (1.8m), 10s period with SSE swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Red Island this week:
The surf forecast for Red Island over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Thursday (Aug 06) at 9PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.8m and 10s period with a secondary swell of 1.0m and 10s. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Red Island in the next 16 days are 2.1m 14s and forecast to arrive on Friday (Aug 07) at 3PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.3m 5s period and expected on Monday (Aug 10) at 12AM.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 9PM (Thu 6th Aug) | 6ft (1.8m) 10s |
| Best Surf | 6AM (Fri 7th Aug) | 5.5ft (1.7m) 11s |
| Most Powerful | 3PM (Fri 7th Aug) | 7ft (2.1m) 14s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Red Island over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Righto, Rusty here. Let’s break down what’s heading our way.
We’ve got a bit of a mixed bag, but the one to really lock in is happening on Sunday, August 16th. That’s the standout.
Thursday morning, August 6th – Red Island is seeing a solid 8ft SSE swell with an 11-second period, and the wind is a clean cross-off from the WSW at 9 mph. The water is sitting at 54°, which is a bit colder than normal for this time of year. The combined energy is pumping at 1334, so there’s a lot of power in the water. That said, it’s a bit of a messy one, with marginal conditions. The afternoon looks worse – cross-on wind kicking in and chopping it up.
Friday, August 7th – Morning is the pick. The swell drops to 5ft from the south, but the period stretches out to a juicy 16 seconds – that’s proper groundswell. Wind is a light cross-off from the WNW at just 3 mph. The energy is still high at 1706. For the experienced surfer, this is excellent. The long period will make it peel nicely at a reef or point, but it might wall up on the beach. Afternoon gets a bit messy with ENE cross-shore.
Saturday, August 8th – Morning is glassy. The wind is from the WNW at 3 mph, and the swell is 6ft from the south at 12 seconds. Energy is 1017. It’s clean, but not a standout. The afternoon drops off.
Sunday, August 9th – A small, clean morning with 4ft SSE swell and offshore NW wind at 6 mph. Energy is 536. It’s surfable, but nothing to write home about.
Monday, August 10th to Friday, August 14th – This is a flat, poor stretch. Swell drops below 3ft, wind is mostly onshore or cross, and the scores are zero. There’s a brief glassy moment on Tuesday morning, August 11th, with a 3ft SSE swell, but it’s very weak. A real lull in the action.
Saturday, August 15th – Afternoon shows a glimmer: 2ft NE swell with a clean offshore wind from the NNW at 12 mph. It’s surfable but tiny.
Sunday, August 16th – Here it is. The standout. Red Island lights up in the morning with a 8ft SSW swell, 9-second period, and a clean offshore wind from the NNW at 9 mph. The energy is massive at 1462. This is expert territory – over 8ft is a big day. The wind is offshore and clean, so the waves will be holding up beautifully. This is a proper session for the experienced crew. The afternoon drops off to 4ft with cross-off wind.
Monday, August 17th to Friday, August 21st – The window closes. Onshore winds, rain, and messy conditions dominate. The swell sticks around 5ft to 6ft from the south on Tuesday and Wednesday, but the wind is howling from the east and southeast at 15-22 mph, making it a complete write-off for paddle surfing. If you’ve got a kite, that Tuesday and Wednesday might be more your thing. By Friday the 21st, it’s back to tiny, glassy conditions but no real energy.
So, the one to chase is definitely Sunday morning, August 16th at Red Island. Big, clean, powerful swell with offshore wind. Bring your big board and your wits.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Very mild (max 13°C on Sat afternoon, min 5°C on Thu night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryModerate rain (total 11mm), heaviest on Tue night. Very mild (max 15°C on Sun afternoon, min 8°C on Sun morning). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the N on Sun night, calm by Mon morning). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Thursday 6 | Friday 7 | Saturday 8 | Sunday 9 | Monday 10 | Tuesday 11 | Wednesday 12 | |||||||||||||||
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) | SSE 11 | SSE 10 | SE 12 | S 16 | S 14 | S 13 | S 12 | S 12 | SSE 11 | SSE 10 | S 10 | SSE 11 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | SSE 9 | SSE 12 | SSE 11 | SSE 10 | SSE 8 | SE 9 | SSE 8 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 1292 | 962 | 428 | 991 | 1759 | 1245 | 855 | 594 | 478 | 324 | 250 | 245 | 146 | 109 | 120 | 252 | 190 | 121 | 55 | 83 | 86 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross | off | glassy | cross | cross-off | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-on | cross-off | glassy | cross | glassy | glassy | cross | cross-off |
High Tide | 11:05AM1.43m | 11:27PM1.43m | 11:57AM1.46m | 00:21AM1.44m | 12:53PM1.50m | 1:18AM1.45m | 1:51PM1.54m | 2:17AM1.46m | 2:50PM1.58m | 3:17AM1.48m | 3:49PM1.62m | 4:16AM1.50m | 4:48PM1.65m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 5:21PM0.20m | 5:45AM0.17m | 6:15PM0.19m | 6:38AM0.15m | 7:11PM0.17m | 7:33AM0.13m | 8:09PM0.15m | 8:30AM0.10m | 9:09PM0.12m | 9:29AM0.07m | 10:09PM0.09m | 10:28AM0.04m | 11:08PM0.06m | ||||||||
 | |  | |  | | |  | | |  |  | | | | |  | | | |  | |
 | 7:11 | — | — | 7:09 | — | — | 7:09 | — | — | 7:07 | — | — | 7:07 | — | — | 7:05 | — | — | 7:03 | — | — |
 | — | 5:23 | — | — | 5:24 | — | — | 5:25 | — | — | 5:27 | — | — | 5:28 | — | — | 5:29 | — | — | 5:30 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | — | 2 | 7 | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 8 | 10 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 12 | 13 | 12 | 13 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 13 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 16 | 17 | 13 |
Feels °C | 2 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 9 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 14 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 15 | 15 | 11 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 11 | SSE 10 | S 10 | SE 11 | S 14 | S 13 | S 12 | S 12 | SSE 11 | SSE 10 | S 10 | SSE 11 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | SSE 9 | SSE 12 | SSE 11 | SSE 10 | SSE 8 | SE 9 | SSE 8 |
| kJ | 1292 | 962 | 331 | 476 | 1759 | 1245 | 855 | 594 | 478 | 324 | 250 | 245 | 146 | 109 | 94 | 252 | 190 | 121 | 55 | 83 | 86 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 15 | S 11 | SE 10 | S 16 | SE 12 | SE 12 | SSE 16 | SSE 15 | SSE 15 | SSE 14 | SSE 13 | NE 5 | NE 6 | NE 6 | SE 12 | E 3 | ESE 4 | ESE 5 | ESE 5 | ENE 5 | NE 5 |
| kJ | 36 | 151 | 235 | 991 | 309 | 69 | 146 | 123 | 23 | 198 | 236 | 34 | 40 | 19 | 120 | 2 | 2 | 9 | 9 | 17 | 13 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 18 | E 18 | SE 12 | S 10 | — | E 14 | ESE 13 | E 13 | E 13 | E 13 | E 12 | E 12 | E 12 | SE 13 | NE 6 | ENE 6 | NE 6 | NE 6 | NE 6 | S 7 | SE 13 |
| kJ | 6 | 6 | 428 | 239 | — | 4 | 16 | 3 | 3 | 14 | 12 | 12 | 3 | 28 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 9 | 10 | 7 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | SSW 11 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | NE 4 | NNE 4 | NNE 5 | — | — | — | ENE 6 | E 4 | — | NE 6 | NE 5 | WNW 3 |
| kJ | — | 655 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 4 | 11 | 90 | — | — | — | 13 | 12 | — | 39 | 50 | 1 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 59 | 0 | 0 | 59 | 0 | 0 | 56 | 57 | 3 | 59 | 0 | 0 | 63 | 0 | 0 | 59 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Hawkes Bay | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in New Zealand | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the Red Island Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Red Island provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Red Island can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Red 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 (Red 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 Red 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.
Red Island is 27 km (17 miles) from the city of Hastings. If you plan a holiday in Hawkes Bay, look for hotels and other accommodation in Hastings. Hastings has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.
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