Rolling Stones Surf Break

Lat Long: 39.07° S 177.83° E

Rolling Stones Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Issued: 5 pm 11 Aug 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's Rolling Stones sea temperature is
12.3° C
1.6° 

Rolling Stones surf forecast is for near shore open water. Breaking waves will often be smaller at less exposed spots.


Rolling Stones surf forecast from 11 Aug 2026:

  • Best quality surf: Wednesday 12 Aug, 12AM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 10s period, SSE swell with glassy winds.
  • Most powerful swell: Monday 17 Aug, 9AM (local time) - 16ft (5.0m), 11s period, S swell with 6,336 kJ wave energy.
  • Next surfable swell (1★+): Wednesday 12 Aug, 12AM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 10s period with SSE 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 (Aug 12) at 12AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.9m and 10s period with a secondary swell of 0.9m and 8s. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.

The most powerful waves expected at Rolling Stones in the next 16 days are 5.0m 11s and forecast to arrive on Monday (Aug 17) at 9AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 2.0m 8s period and expected on Saturday (Aug 15) at 6AM.

Wave TypeTime (NZST) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+)12AM (Wed 12th Aug)3ft (0.9m) 10s
Best Surf12AM (Wed 12th Aug)3ft (0.9m) 10s
Most Powerful 9AM (Mon 17th Aug)16ft (5.0m) 11s

Table - best surf conditions forecast for Rolling Stones over the next 16 days.


The Lowdown

Alright, let’s talk about Rolling Stones.

Yeah, so Rolling Stones is a proper reef break, not messing around. It's for advanced surfers only. Right now, it’s a pretty bleak stretch to start. The first real look we get is this Tuesday morning, 11th of August, but the combined wave energy is high at 565, and the wind is cross-shore making it choppy. The water is 54°F, which is a bit colder than normal for this time of year.

Honestly, the whole first week is a letdown. We’ve got days of heavy rain, lumpy cross-onshore winds, and messy conditions. The swell sticks around from the east and south, but the wind just wrecks it. The combined energy on the 14th afternoon drops right off to 58 – basically nothing. Friday the 14th, Saturday the 15th, and Sunday the 16th all look pretty much unsurfable with strong cross-onshore winds. Even the bigger swell on Monday the 17th with 10ft and energy at 2129 is just a washing machine because of the 22 mph cross-onshore wind. That’s kite-surfing conditions, not clean paddle surfing.

We get a good gap of poor conditions right through to the end of the third week. The sets are messy or too short period, or the wind is blowing the wrong way.

Then we hit the 22nd of August – Saturday morning. That’s the standout. We get a 5ft south swell, period at 11 seconds, and the wind swings to a light 3 mph cross-off from the north. It’s clean, glassy potential. The combined energy is 714, a solid moderate punch. This is your window. It’s a proper groundswell, so the reef will hold it well, but expect bigger gaps between sets. Because it's fairly consistent here, you should get some good ones.

Straight after that, Sunday the 23rd morning still looks okay with a 5ft SSE swell and clean light breeze from the NNE, energy at 596. But the real prize is Monday afternoon, the 24th of August. The wind drops to near glassy from the north, and the swell is 4ft from the SSE with a very long 14-second period. That’s some proper south groundswell pushing in, with a combined energy of 986. It’s clean and the reef will make the most of it. Crowds can be an issue here sometimes, so go early.

And for the experienced crew, Tuesday morning the 25th of August looks excellent. Clean 7ft SSE swell with a 13-second period and cross-off wind. The energy jumps to 2094, which is strong, and it’s well-shaped. Perfect for the advanced guys, you’ll have plenty of power and long, reeling walls.

There is another nice window on Tuesday afternoon with a glassy 5ft SSE swell, still long period at 13 seconds and energy at 1170. Very clean.

After that, the conditions drop back off again on the 26th.

So, overall, the first week is a dead loss. The real action starts from the 22nd of August onwards. The best of the best is Tuesday the 25th of August morning for the advanced crew, but don’t sleep on the Monday 24th afternoon either. It's a promising second week, but that far out things can change.

Rusty.

Short Range Forecast

Heavy rain (total 31mm), heaviest during Fri morning. Very mild (max 14°C on Thu afternoon, min 9°C on Wed night). Wind will be generally light.

Days 5-7 Weather Summary

Heavy rain (total 45mm), heaviest during Fri afternoon. Very mild (max 13°C on Fri afternoon, min 7°C on Sun night). Winds increasing (calm on Sat morning, strong winds from the SSW by Sun morning).

Tue
11
Wednesday
12
Thursday
13
Friday
14
Saturday
15
Sunday
16
Monday
17
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
Rating
(10 max)
1
2
1
1
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
2
2
1
0
0
0
0
0
4
Swell
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Wave
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
1.8
SSW
8
0.9
SSE
10
1.4
SSE
8
1.4
SE
10
1.2
SE
9
1
SE
9
0.8
SE
8
0.9
SE
8
0.5
SE
7
0.2
S
16
1.6
E
7
1.6
E
8
1.7
E
8
1.3
E
8
3.5
SSW
8
4.5
S
10
5
S
11
5
S
11
5
S
11
4
SSE
11
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
439
191
245
416
247
152
97
98
28
20
236
283
320
193
1347
4032
5727
6336
5754
4432
Wind (km/h)
15
SW
5
NNW
15
NE
20
NE
20
NNE
15
NNE
20
NE
20
NNE
25
NE
25
NE
15
ENE
0
SSW
5
WSW
5
SSW
45
SSW
45
SSW
45
SSW
40
SSW
40
SSW
35
SW
Wind State
cross
glassy
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross
glassy
glassy
cross-on
cross-on
cross-on
cross-on
cross-on
cross-on
cross
High Tide
3:57PM1.84m
4:28AM1.70m
4:56PM1.86m
5:26AM1.71m
5:54PM1.87m
6:24AM1.72m
6:49PM1.87m
7:19AM1.73m
7:41PM1.84m
8:11AM1.75m
8:31PM1.81m
9:00AM1.76m
9:21PM1.76m
Low Tide
10:20PM0.15m
10:43AM0.10m
11:18PM0.11m
11:39AM0.06m
00:16AM0.09m
12:32PM0.05m
1:11AM0.09m
1:24PM0.08m
2:02AM0.11m
2:17PM0.13m
2:51AM0.16m
3:09PM0.20m
part cloud
part cloud
cloud
part cloud
rain showers
cloud
part cloud
rain showers
heavy rain
heavy rain
rain showers
light rain
cloud
mod rain
light rain
light rain
light rain
light rain
light rain
cloud
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
6:58
6:58
6:56
6:56
6:54
6:52
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
5:27
5:28
5:29
5:29
5:30
5:30
5:31
 mm
1
5
25
24
1
1
7
2
1
5
4
2
Temp °C
11
11
11
12
10
12
14
13
13
13
13
12
12
13
10
9
9
8
10
10
Feels °C
7
9
8
8
6
9
11
10
10
10
11
12
12
12
2
-1
-1
-1
2
3
  • Map Icons:
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  • Live Wave Height (m)
  • Live Wind Speed (km/h)
  • Surf Rating (10 Max)
  • Ocean Swells (m)
  • Wind Speed (km/h)
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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.

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