
Surf Forecasts:
Rolling Stones surf forecast from 7 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Sunday 13 Sep, 12AM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 16s period, S swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Sunday 13 Sep, 3AM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 16s period, S swell with 4,481 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Wednesday 9 Sep, 6AM (local time) - 5.5ft (1.7m), 8s period with SE swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Rolling Stones this week:
The surf forecast for Rolling Stones over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Sep 09) at 6AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.7m and 8s period with a secondary swell of 0.4m and 9s. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Rolling Stones in the next 16 days are 3.0m 16s and forecast to arrive on Sunday (Sep 13) at 3AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.5m 3s period and expected on Thursday (Sep 10) at 12AM.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 6AM (Wed 9th Sep) | 5.5ft (1.7m) 8s |
| Best Surf | 12AM (Sun 13th Sep) | 10ft (3.0m) 16s |
| Most Powerful | 3AM (Sun 13th Sep) | 10ft (3.0m) 16s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Rolling Stones over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
G'day, I'm Rusty. Let's get into it. The outlook is pretty much a waiting game, but there's a decent window of surf coming through the middle of the coming week that's worth hanging on for. The first week is a mixed bag of big, messy stuff and flat spells, but things tidy up nicely for a couple of days. Water temp is sitting at 55.2°F, which is about 1.6°F cooler than usual for this time of year – nothing too wild, but enough to keep the thick wetsuit on.
Right now, heading into Monday the 7th, it's a bit of a dud. The morning is tiny with a 1ft swell from the SSW, but it's a long period 16 second groundswell. The combined energy is weak (88). There's a gentle offshore from the NW keeping it glassy, but there's just no power in the water to surf. The afternoon gets worse – a jump in size to 6ft but it's short period slop from the S with a cross-onshore wind, making it choppy and messy. Not worth paddling out.
Tuesday the 8th is a write-off. That swell pumps up to 11ft in the morning from the SSE, but it's powerful (combined energy of 1648) and way too big and lumpy with a fresh cross-onshore wind. This is proper expert-only territory, and even then, the quality is shot. The afternoon is still big and bumpy. This is more of a kite surfing day than a paddle surfing day.
Wednesday the 9th is a little better. We get a 4.5ft swell from the SE in the morning, but the period is short at 8 seconds. The wind is light and cross-shore, so it's not terrible, but the power is moderate (325). The afternoon drops to 4.3ft, still short period, and still cross-shore. It's a bit of a limp session.
Thursday the 10th is the first real clean-up. Morning has a clean 3ft SW swell from the SE with a cross-offshore WNW breeze. The energy is weak (103), but the conditions are clean. The afternoon is absolutely glassy – 2.6ft from the SE with no wind, but it's still small. You could get a fun little log out, but it's not going to be pumping.
Friday the 11th sees a jump in size again, but the wind ruins it. 7.2ft from the S in the morning is cross-on and choppy. The afternoon is a weird one – 2ft from the S with a 18-second period, giving a big combined energy of 473. That's a lot of energy for a tiny wave, so you'll be waiting a long time between sets. It's still cross-on, so it's messy.
Saturday the 12th is small and messy in the morning. The afternoon shows some promise: 3.9ft from the S with a 17-second period, giving a combined energy of 863. The wind is light cross-on, so it's not perfect, but that long period groundswell suggests better shaped waves. It's marginal.
Now, Sunday the 13th is where things start to get interesting. The morning has a solid 8.2ft swell from the S with a 16-second period. The combined energy is a massive 3634 – that's strong wave energy. The wind is cross-offshore from the W, keeping it clean. This is a big groundswell, and for a reef break like Rolling Stones, it should hold up well, though it's on the bigger side and only for advanced surfers. The afternoon is still solid at 7.5ft, but the wind goes cross-on, messing the shape up a bit.
Monday the 14th is the standout. The morning has a clean 5.9ft swell from the S with a 14-second period, and a combined energy of 1301. The wind is a light cross-offshore from the W, making it clean. This is excellent surf. The swell direction is S, which is close to the optimum direction of S for this spot, so the reef should be working perfectly. It's a good size for experienced surfers, and the crowds are sometimes, so you might have company. The afternoon is the same size, but the wind switches to a light onshore from the SE, which will put a bit of a bump on it. The morning is the call.
Tuesday the 15th is still good, but smaller. The morning has 4.3ft from the S with a 12-second period, and a light cross-offshore wind. Clean, fun, but not as punchy. The afternoon drops off a bit more.
From Wednesday the 16th, the surf drops back to small, clean but weak 2.3ft-2.6ft waves with reasonable winds. It's not really worth chasing.
The next real spike comes on Friday the 18th of September. The morning has a solid 9.8ft swell from the S with
Short Range ForecastHeavy rain (total 45mm), heaviest during Mon night. Very mild (max 15°C on Mon morning, min 8°C on Mon night). Winds decreasing (strong winds from the SSW on Mon night, calm by Wed morning). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryModerate rain (total 11mm), heaviest on Thu night. Very mild (max 15°C on Thu morning, min 8°C on Sat night). Winds increasing (calm on Thu afternoon, fresh winds from the S by Thu night). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Monday 7 | Tuesday 8 | Wednesday 9 | Thursday 10 | Friday 11 | Saturday 12 | Sunday 13 | |||||||||||||||
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 16 | S 7 | SSE 8 | SSE 9 | SE 9 | SSE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | S 21 | S 7 | S 18 | S 18 | SSW 7 | S 17 | S 16 | S 16 | S 16 | S 15 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
51 | 286 | 1645 | 1648 | 846 | 527 | 241 | 196 | 129 | 82 | 67 | 78 | 440 | 248 | 222 | 64 | 859 | 4189 | 3634 | 2642 | 1525 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | off | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross | off | cross-off | glassy | cross-off | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross-on | cross-off |
High Tide | 1:45PM1.73m | 2:15AM1.61m | 2:43PM1.74m | 3:14AM1.61m | 3:41PM1.74m | 4:12AM1.62m | 4:37PM1.75m | 5:08AM1.63m | 5:33PM1.75m | 6:03AM1.67m | 6:25PM1.75m | 6:56AM1.71m | 7:15PM1.74m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 8:07PM0.18m | 8:26AM0.16m | 9:05PM0.15m | 9:27AM0.13m | 10:02PM0.13m | 10:25AM0.11m | 10:59PM0.13m | 11:19AM0.11m | 11:53PM0.14m | 12:11PM0.13m | 00:45AM0.17m | 1:02PM0.18m | 1:33AM0.22m | ||||||||
6:22 | — | — | 6:20 | — | — | 6:18 | — | — | 6:18 | — | — | 6:16 | — | — | 6:15 | — | — | 6:13 | — | — | |
— | 5:51 | — | — | 5:52 | — | — | 5:52 | — | — | 5:53 | — | — | 5:53 | — | — | 5:54 | — | — | 5:55 | — | |
mm | 2 | 8 | 33 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 6 | 4 | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 15 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 11 | 10 | 11 | 13 | 10 | 15 | 15 | 12 | 10 | 11 | 9 | 11 | 12 | 10 | 15 | 15 | 12 |
Feels °C | 13 | 9 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 10 | 11 | 7 | 12 | 14 | 9 | 5 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 9 | 5 | 10 | 11 | 11 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 11 | NE 5 | NNE 6 | NE 16 | SE 9 | SSE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 7 | ENE 13 | SE 6 | SSW 7 | SSW 7 | S 17 | S 16 | S 16 | S 16 | S 15 |
37 | 4 | 4 | 10 | 846 | 527 | 241 | 196 | 129 | 82 | 67 | 43 | 34 | 68 | 62 | 36 | 859 | 4189 | 3634 | 2642 | 1525 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NE 4 | S 16 | NE 9 | NE 16 | NE 16 | SSW 9 | SSW 9 | S 8 | S 8 | S 8 | S 8 | SSW 15 | NE 9 | S 18 | SE 6 | SSW 12 | ENE 8 | ENE 12 | ENE 12 | ENE 12 | NE 8 |
6 | 44 | 3 | 10 | 10 | 28 | 80 | 51 | 35 | 21 | 20 | 72 | 21 | 248 | 27 | 47 | 14 | 30 | 29 | 14 | 9 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 16 | E 9 | — | — | NE 16 | E 17 | E 15 | E 15 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 7 | S 21 | NE 13 | ENE 11 | S 18 | SE 6 | ESE 6 | — | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | E 12 |
51 | 2 | — | — | 10 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 78 | 44 | 23 | 222 | 10 | 4 | — | 6 | 6 | 11 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NW 3 | S 7 | SSE 8 | SSE 9 | SSW 6 | SSW 7 | — | — | N 3 | NW 3 | — | NNW 2 | S 7 | S 7 | — | SSW 7 | — | NE 8 | — | — | SW 3 |
2 | 286 | 1645 | 1648 | 191 | 99 | — | — | 6 | 2 | — | 1 | 440 | 157 | — | 64 | — | 33 | — | — | 6 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 3 | 7 | 113 | 91 | 129 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 82 | 7 | 0 | 88 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Gisborne and Mahia | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in New Zealand | |||||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the Rolling Stones Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Rolling Stones provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Rolling Stones can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Rolling Stones 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 (Rolling Stones) 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 Rolling Stones 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.
Rolling Stones is 48 km (30 miles) from the city of Gisborne. If you plan a holiday in Gisborne and Mahia, look for hotels and other accommodation in Gisborne. Gisborne has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.










