
Surf Forecasts:
Red Island surf forecast from 5 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Wednesday 9 Sep, 3AM (local time) - 5.5ft (1.7m), 9s period, SSE swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Saturday 12 Sep, 3PM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 12s period, S swell with 2,539 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Sunday 6 Sep, 12AM (local time) - 2ft (0.6m), 12s period with S 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 Sunday (Sep 06) at 12AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.6m and 12s period with a secondary swell of 0.3m and 4s. The wind is predicted to be offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Red Island in the next 16 days are 3.0m 12s and forecast to arrive on Saturday (Sep 12) at 3PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.3m 6s period and expected on Monday (Sep 07) at 9AM.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 12AM (Sun 6th Sep) | 2ft (0.6m) 12s |
| Best Surf | 3AM (Wed 9th Sep) | 5.5ft (1.7m) 9s |
| Most Powerful | 3PM (Sat 12th Sep) | 10ft (3.0m) 12s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Red Island over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, let’s get into it. There’s a fair bit of waiting through small, messy days before we see any real action at Red Island – a beach and reef setup that’s inconsistent and mostly for beginners.
Right now, through the first few days, the swell is tiny – we’re talking knee-high dribble at best. Saturday the 5th has a little 1ft from the SSW, but the water is a bit colder than usual at 54°F. It’s a clean little wave but honestly, it’s more of a paddle than a surf. Sunday the 6th is even smaller with a long-period 18-second groundswell, but at just 0.7ft, that’s barely a ripple. The combined energy is weak (53). Monday the 7th gets a bit of a bump but with 19 mph onshore winds and rain, it’s a write-off.
We finally see a spike on Tuesday the 8th morning: a solid 8ft from the SSE, but the period is a short 9 seconds and the wind is cross-shore. The combined energy jumps to moderate (1890), but the conditions are lumpy and marginal. This is big enough to be expert-only, and the chop makes it a slog. Tuesday afternoon drops slightly to 8ft but stays cross-onshore and choppy – not great.
Wednesday the 9th morning is the first real standout. Clean, cross-off wind from the NNE at only 3 mph, with a 5ft SSE swell. It’s not huge, but it’s clean, and the combined energy is moderate (289). For a break that’s inconsistent, this is the best window in the first week for a beginner-friendly session.
Thursday the 10th drops off again, and then from Friday 11th through Monday 14th, it’s mostly messy, onshore, or just too small to get excited about. The swell on Saturday 12th afternoon gets up to a thumping 10ft from S with 16 mph cross-on wind – combined energy is very strong (2573). But that’s a washing machine for experts only. Honestly, with that sort of wind and power on a beach-and-reef, it might be more interesting for the kite crew than paddle surfers.
Tuesday the 15th is the real highlight of the whole outlook. Morning brings a clean 5ft from the S with a nice 14-second period and offshore WNW wind at 6 mph. Combined energy is strong (900). The conditions are set for very good surf. The afternoon goes glassy, with NNE wind and 4ft from the S – that’s a rare treat at an inconsistent break like this.
After that, it’s back to small or messy until Saturday the 20th. That morning is a potential standout: clean, offshore NNW wind at just 3 mph, with a 8ft S swell. That’s expert-only territory, but the combined energy is very strong (1257) and the period is a moderate 8 seconds, so it won’t be too straight. If you’re an experienced surfer, that’s the one to circle – just watch out for the afternoon cross-on wind that’ll chop it up.
All up, the best calls are Wednesday the 9th morning for the beginners, and Tuesday the 15th all day for cleaner, more powerful waves. The 20th is promising but further out, so keep an eye on it.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastModerate rain (total 12mm), heaviest on Mon morning. Very mild (max 17°C on Sat afternoon, min 10°C on Mon night). Winds increasing (calm on Sat morning, fresh winds from the SSW by Mon morning). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 2mm), mostly falling on Tue morning. Very mild (max 15°C on Thu morning, min 7°C on Tue night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Saturday 5 | Sunday 6 | Monday 7 | Tuesday 8 | Wednesday 9 | Thursday 10 | Friday 11 | |||||||||||||||
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) | SSW 8 | SSW 9 | S 12 | SSW 9 | SSW 17 | S 17 | NE 5 | S 8 | S 9 | SSE 9 | S 9 | SSE 9 | SSE 8 | SSE 8 | SSE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SSW 13 | S 19 | SSW 18 | S 19 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
24 | 15 | 98 | 26 | 58 | 23 | 23 | 127 | 1991 | 1027 | 899 | 490 | 277 | 237 | 101 | 71 | 36 | 18 | 66 | 62 | 64 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | cross-off | off | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross |
High Tide | 11:40AM1.53m | 00:06AM1.45m | 12:37PM1.54m | 1:04AM1.44m | 1:36PM1.55m | 2:03AM1.44m | 2:35PM1.57m | 3:02AM1.45m | 3:33PM1.58m | 4:01AM1.46m | 4:30PM1.58m | 4:57AM1.48m | 5:24PM1.58m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 6:01PM0.15m | 6:21AM0.13m | 6:58PM0.15m | 7:18AM0.12m | 7:56PM0.14m | 8:15AM0.11m | 8:55PM0.13m | 9:14AM0.10m | 9:53PM0.11m | 10:12AM0.09m | 10:50PM0.09m | 11:09AM0.08m | 11:45PM0.08m | ||||||||
6:30 | — | — | 6:28 | — | — | 6:26 | — | — | 6:24 | — | — | 6:22 | — | — | 6:22 | — | — | 6:20 | — | — | |
— | 5:52 | — | — | 5:52 | — | — | 5:53 | — | — | 5:54 | — | — | 5:55 | — | — | 5:55 | — | — | 5:57 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | 4 | 5 | 3 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | 1 |
Temp °C | 15 | 17 | 13 | 15 | 16 | 15 | 14 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 9 | 11 | 11 | 10 | 15 | 15 | 10 | 13 | 14 | 12 |
Feels °C | 12 | 14 | 8 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 13 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 12 | 12 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 4 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 8 | SSW 9 | S 12 | SSW 9 | SSW 8 | NE 5 | NE 5 | S 8 | SSE 9 | SSE 9 | SSE 9 | SSE 9 | SSE 8 | SSE 8 | SSE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | S 19 | SSW 6 | SSW 10 |
24 | 15 | 98 | 25 | 13 | 11 | 23 | 127 | 1331 | 840 | 671 | 490 | 277 | 237 | 101 | 71 | 36 | 9 | 66 | 30 | 37 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 9 | S 6 | NE 4 | ENE 4 | SSW 17 | SSW 12 | SSW 10 | NE 7 | NE 8 | SSW 14 | SSW 10 | NE 15 | ENE 9 | NE 9 | NE 4 | NE 8 | NE 8 | NE 7 | ENE 9 | SSW 18 | S 19 |
6 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 58 | 14 | 19 | 36 | 11 | 21 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 13 | 10 | 31 | 20 | 8 | 8 | 62 | 64 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 10 | S 10 | SSE 10 | S 18 | NE 10 | S 17 | S 16 | S 16 | — | NE 6 | NE 16 | SW 13 | E 15 | E 14 | NE 9 | S 8 | S 8 | SSW 13 | SSW 14 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 |
4 | 2 | 9 | 26 | 4 | 23 | 5 | 5 | — | 2 | 10 | 7 | 4 | 4 | 12 | 12 | 5 | 18 | 20 | 7 | 8 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | N 3 | — | — | — | NE 4 | N 5 | NNE 6 | SW 3 | S 9 | SSE 9 | S 9 | — | — | — | — | — | — | W 4 | SW 6 | W 3 | SW 4 |
1 | — | — | — | 3 | 45 | 95 | 3 | 1991 | 1027 | 899 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 18 | 49 | 8 | 49 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 9 | 9 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 59 | 3 | 143 | 162 | 3 | 23 | 3 | 0 | 76 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 117 | 9 | 113 | 302 |
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.










