
Surf Forecasts:
Rolling Stones surf forecast from 10 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Thursday 16 Jul, 12PM (local time) - 4ft (1.2m), 17s period, SE swell with offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Friday 10 Jul, 9PM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 10s period, SSE swell with 1,707 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Sunday 12 Jul, 6PM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 13s period with S 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 Sunday (Jul 12) at 6PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.9m and 13s period with a secondary swell of 1.1m and 9s. 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 3.0m 10s and forecast to arrive on Friday (Jul 10) at 9PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.6m 4s period and expected on Tuesday (Jul 14) at 9AM.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 6PM (Sun 12th Jul) | 3ft (0.9m) 13s |
| Best Surf | 12PM (Thu 16th Jul) | 4ft (1.2m) 17s |
| Most Powerful | 9PM (Fri 10th Jul) | 10ft (3.0m) 10s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Rolling Stones over the next 16 days.
Right. G’day, I’m Rusty. Let’s have a look at what’s on offer for Rolling Stones.
First up, no point sugar-coating it – the start of this run is a write-off. Through Friday and Saturday of the 10th and 11th, we’ve got a solid 13ft swell on Friday morning from the SSE at 10 seconds, but the wind is howling southerly at 22 mph, blowing straight onshore. The water’s a bit colder than normal at 56°, about 3° below average. It’s a mess. The combined energy is huge (3496) but it’s just a washing machine. That’s kite-surfing territory, not proper surfing. Saturday isn’t much better, still cross-on and lumpy. You’d be mad to paddle out.
Sunday the 12th starts to drop. The swell is down to 5ft from the SE, but the wind is light WSW cross-shore, with a combined energy of 742. It’s marginal, but at least you’re not getting blown off the face. The period is short at 9 seconds, so the waves will be a bit crumbly. It’s a “maybe” session for a desperate surfer.
Monday the 13th sees the swell fade to 3ft, but the wind finally swings to a light offshore from the NNW, glassing it up. The period is a middling 10 seconds, and the combined energy is weak (265). It’s clean, but tiny. A longboard or a foamie might get a few knee-high runners.
Tuesday the 14th is even smaller – 2ft in the morning, 1ft in the arvo. Clean, but basically flat. The energy is a measly 122 and 63. Time to clean the wax off your board.
Wednesday the 15th is glassy, with a 1ft ESE swell at 11 seconds (energy 47-49). Nothing to report.
Then Thursday the 16th brings a bit of life. The swell jumps to 3ft in the morning, building to 5ft in the afternoon, from the SE with a very long period of 17-18 seconds. That’s proper groundswell. The energy climbs to 1084 by the arvo. Wind is offshore from the NW at 12 mph, so it’s clean. Now, an 18-second period at a reef break like Rolling Stones is a good thing – it’ll wrap in with proper power and shape. It’s a touch small for advanced, but you’ll get some clean, lined-up sets. This is the first real standout of the run.
Friday the 17th builds to 6ft from the SE with a 15-second period, but the wind swings to a strong WSW cross-shore, then SW at 22 mph, blowing a cross-chop through it. The energy is in the 1300s, but the wind kills it. This is a watch-and-see.
The weekend of the 19th and 20th sees a drop in size, with a 3ft SSW swell on Sunday the 19th morning, 15-second period, light W cross-off wind. Clean, but small. The 20th Monday afternoon brings a spike to 7ft from the E at 9 seconds, but the wind is light cross-on, making it choppy. Not great.
Now, the real standout is the 22nd of July (Wednesday morning). A 15ft swell from the SSE at 10 seconds, and the wind is glassy from the NNW. The combined energy is massive at 6272. This is a serious, expert-only swell. For a reef break like Rolling Stones, that’s heavy, powerful, and will be breaking well overhead. The glassy conditions will make it perfect. The 10-second period means it’s not a drawn-out groundswell, so it’ll be a bit more dumpy and punchy – still incredible for the experienced crew. This is the best on offer, no question. The 23rd and 24th are still solid (10ft, 10-11 seconds) but with a bit more cross-off or cross-shore wind, so the 22nd morning is the golden window.
The 25th of July (Saturday) sees a cleanup to 5ft from the SE at 10 seconds, with light WNW cross-off wind and a combined energy of 825. It’s clean and very good. A nice, solid, manageable wave for the weekend warriors.
So, bottom line: the first week is mostly a bust. The 16th Thursday afternoon is a solid, clean, long-period option. The absolute standout is the 22nd of July, Wednesday morning, with a massive, glassy, 15ft swell at Rolling Stones – that’s for experts only. The 25th Saturday is a clean, fun-sized option to finish the run.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 9mm), mostly falling on Fri morning. Very mild (max 11°C on Fri morning, min 8°C on Sat night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the S on Fri morning, calm by Sun afternoon). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Very mild (max 17°C on Tue afternoon, min 10°C on Mon morning). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Friday 10 | Saturday 11 | Sunday 12 | Monday 13 | Tuesday 14 | Wednesday 15 | Thursday 16 | |||||||||||||||
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 10 | SSE 10 | SE 10 | SE 9 | SE 9 | SE 9 | SE 9 | S 13 | S 12 | SE 9 | ESE 9 | S 13 | S 12 | S 10 | SE 10 | ESE 11 | ESE 11 | ESE 13 | SE 18 | SE 17 | SE 16 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
3207 | 2304 | 929 | 822 | 606 | 471 | 351 | 345 | 213 | 133 | 94 | 166 | 73 | 35 | 27 | 46 | 44 | 109 | 600 | 1000 | 1267 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross-off | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | off | cross-off | glassy | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off |
High Tide | 1:22PM1.70m | 1:49AM1.70m | 2:19PM1.77m | 2:46AM1.73m | 3:16PM1.84m | 3:46AM1.75m | 4:14PM1.90m | 4:46AM1.78m | 5:14PM1.94m | 5:45AM1.79m | 6:14PM1.96m | 6:44AM1.79m | 7:11PM1.96m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 7:39PM0.34m | 8:00AM0.29m | 8:39PM0.30m | 8:58AM0.26m | 9:39PM0.25m | 10:00AM0.22m | 10:38PM0.19m | 11:01AM0.15m | 11:37PM0.13m | 11:59AM0.08m | 00:36AM0.09m | 12:53PM0.04m | 1:34AM0.06m | ||||||||
7:26 | — | — | 7:26 | — | — | 7:26 | — | — | 7:24 | — | — | 7:24 | — | — | 7:24 | — | — | 7:24 | — | — | |
— | 5:00 | — | — | 5:01 | — | — | 5:01 | — | — | 5:02 | — | — | 5:04 | — | — | 5:04 | — | — | 5:05 | — | |
mm | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 5 |
Temp °C | 11 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 8 | 13 | 15 | 13 | 16 | 17 | 13 | 15 | 16 | 13 | 15 | 15 | 11 |
Feels °C | 4 | 4 | 4 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 5 | 9 | 12 | 10 | 13 | 15 | 10 | 13 | 15 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 6 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 18 | S 17 | SE 10 | SE 9 | SE 9 | SE 9 | SE 9 | SE 9 | SE 9 | SE 9 | ESE 9 | S 13 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | NE 5 | ESE 11 | ESE 11 | ESE 13 | SE 18 | SE 17 | SE 16 |
107 | 147 | 929 | 822 | 606 | 471 | 351 | 202 | 198 | 115 | 94 | 166 | 47 | 26 | 8 | 46 | 44 | 109 | 600 | 1000 | 1267 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 18 | S 17 | S 15 | S 10 | S 18 | S 16 | S 15 | S 13 | S 12 | S 10 | S 10 | ESE 9 | S 12 | S 10 | SE 10 | ENE 5 | ENE 5 | ESE 16 | S 18 | S 17 | SSE 6 |
182 | 147 | 121 | 55 | 248 | 334 | 343 | 345 | 213 | 133 | 90 | 55 | 73 | 35 | 27 | 2 | 2 | 27 | 24 | 24 | 143 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | SSW 15 | SSW 16 | S 10 | SSW 10 | SSW 7 | ESE 11 | E 12 | S 15 | S 14 | E 11 | E 11 | E 11 | ESE 7 | S 9 | S 16 | ENE 5 | ENE 5 | — | S 16 |
— | — | 135 | 48 | 51 | 32 | 48 | 68 | 3 | 17 | 33 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 2 | — | 20 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | SSW 7 | S 7 | — | SSW 6 | — | — | — | — | NNE 3 | NE 4 | NE 4 | NE 4 | NW 3 | WNW 2 | WNW 3 | NW 3 | SSW 3 | S 5 | — |
3207 | 2304 | 302 | 166 | — | 70 | — | — | — | — | 4 | 9 | 10 | 13 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 60 | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 162 | 158 | 82 | 47 | 11 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 8 | 33 | 33 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Gisborne and Mahia | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in New Zealand | |||||||||||||||||||||
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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.










