Surf Forecasts:
Rolling Stones surf forecast from 27 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Monday 31 Aug, 12PM (local time) - 8ft (2.5m), 11s period, S swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Tuesday 1 Sep, 6AM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 15s period, SSW swell with 4,394 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Friday 28 Aug, 6PM (local time) - 4ft (1.2m), 12s 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 Friday (Aug 28) at 6PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.2m and 12s period. The wind is predicted to be offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Rolling Stones in the next 16 days are 3.0m 15s and forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Sep 01) at 6AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.4m 7s period and expected on Sunday (Aug 30) at 12AM.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 6PM (Fri 28th Aug) | 4ft (1.2m) 12s |
| Best Surf | 12PM (Mon 31st Aug) | 8ft (2.5m) 11s |
| Most Powerful | 6AM (Tue 1st Sep) | 10ft (3.0m) 15s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Rolling Stones over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright mate, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s cookin’ for Rolling Stones.
First up, the water is sitting at 54°, which is a bit colder than normal for this time of year – so you’ll want a decent wetsuit, no question.
Right now, there’s a bit of a slow start. Thursday morning (27th August) we’ve got a 5ft south swell at a very long 18 seconds, but the wind is cross-on and the energy is pumping (1410), yet the conditions are just marginal. It’s not really worth paddling out for. That energy stays high through Thursday afternoon (1929) but the swell is cross and still just marginal. Friday morning (28th) sees the swell drop to 5ft, period down to 13 seconds, and the wind is cross-off, so it’s clean, but the energy (915) is moderate and the surf is still only marginal. Friday afternoon gets smaller (4ft, 551 energy) and stays clean but still marginal.
Saturday morning (29th) is where things start to look a bit more interesting. The swell drops to 3ft from the south, period 12 seconds, and the wind is offshore from the north – clean as a whistle. Energy is down at 270 (moderate), but the forecast says “expect good surf conditions.” That’s a small but clean wave for the patient ones. It stays clean through the afternoon but the energy drops further (247).
Sunday (30th) is small – 2ft – and the morning is clean with a light cross-off, but the energy is weak (117). Not much to write home about. The afternoon turns cross-shore and choppy.
Monday (31st) sees a big jump: morning swell hits 8ft from the SSW, period 9 seconds – that’s a short period, so it’ll be a bit crumbly, but the energy is strong (2022). The wind is cross-off and clean, but it’s marginal surf. The afternoon gets bigger – 10ft south at 13 seconds, energy 2571 – but the wind goes cross-shore with some chop. This is getting into expert territory, especially if you’re not comfortable in overhead waves.
Tuesday (1st September) morning is still solid: 8ft south at 15 seconds, energy 2753, but the wind is cross-on and choppy. Afternoon jumps to 12ft south, 14 seconds, energy a massive 4320 – that’s serious power. The wind is light cross-on, so it’s not glassy, but for a big wave charger, that’s the standout of the whole run. The forecast says this is the best call. If you’re an advanced surfer, this is the session to aim for, but be aware of the crowds (sometimes) and the very long period groundswell – it’s going to be a bit heaving at a reef setup like Rolling Stones, so it’s not for the faint-hearted.
The swell eases through Wednesday (2nd) – 6ft south, period 12 seconds, energy 1085, clean cross-off wind – but still only marginal. Thursday (3rd) is small and clean but poor. Friday (4th) onward is tiny, with energy dropping to double digits for most of the second week. There’s a little spike on Sunday (6th September) morning with 2ft south at 15 seconds, energy 274, offshore wind, and “expect good surf conditions” – but it’s a small groundswell, so it’ll be clean and long period, but not much push.
The rest of the run through to 11th September is mostly small, clean, but weak. Not worth getting excited about.
So, the standout is clear: Tuesday 1st September afternoon. 12ft south swell, long period, massive energy, and a light cross-on breeze. It’s the biggest, most powerful swell of the window, and if you’re expert-level, that’s your moment. The water will still be cold, so don’t forget your rubber.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 4mm), mostly falling on Sat night. Very mild (max 17°C on Fri afternoon, min 10°C on Sat night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 2mm), mostly falling on Mon night. Very mild (max 16°C on Sun afternoon, min 8°C on Mon night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the WNW on Mon night, calm by Tue morning). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Thursday 27 | Friday 28 | Saturday 29 | Sunday 30 | Monday 31 | Tuesday 1 | Wednesday 2 | |||||||||||||||
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) | S 18 | S 17 | S 16 | S 13 | S 13 | S 12 | S 12 | S 11 | S 11 | S 11 | S 13 | SSW 12 | SSW 9 | S 13 | S 12 | S 15 | S 14 | S 13 | S 12 | S 12 | S 12 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
1357 | 1881 | 1750 | 901 | 543 | 350 | 216 | 202 | 119 | 82 | 123 | 155 | 1094 | 2571 | 1507 | 2753 | 4320 | 1980 | 1039 | 714 | 535 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | off | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off |
High Tide | 4:59PM1.50m | 5:22AM1.41m | 5:47PM1.53m | 6:11AM1.46m | 6:33PM1.57m | 6:58AM1.52m | 7:20PM1.62m | 7:44AM1.59m | 8:05PM1.66m | 8:29AM1.65m | 8:52PM1.69m | 9:13AM1.70m | 9:40PM1.69m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 10:48AM0.36m | 11:15PM0.34m | 11:32AM0.32m | 00:03AM0.30m | 12:17PM0.28m | 00:49AM0.26m | 1:02PM0.25m | 1:35AM0.24m | 1:48PM0.24m | 2:20AM0.23m | 2:37PM0.24m | 3:05AM0.23m | 3:28PM0.25m | ||||||||
6:39 | — | — | 6:37 | — | — | 6:35 | — | — | 6:35 | — | — | 6:33 | — | — | 6:31 | — | — | 6:30 | — | — | |
— | 5:40 | — | — | 5:42 | — | — | 5:43 | — | — | 5:44 | — | — | 5:45 | — | — | 5:45 | — | — | 5:45 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 12 | 12 | 11 | 15 | 17 | 14 | 15 | 14 | 13 | 14 | 16 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 13 | 8 | 11 | 9 | 18 | 19 | 16 |
Feels °C | 10 | 9 | 7 | 12 | 14 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 5 | 4 | 9 | 6 | 13 | 14 | 11 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 18 | S 17 | S 16 | S 13 | S 13 | S 12 | S 12 | S 11 | NE 7 | S 11 | S 13 | ENE 10 | S 9 | S 13 | S 12 | ENE 10 | S 14 | S 13 | S 12 | S 12 | S 12 |
1357 | 1881 | 1750 | 901 | 543 | 350 | 216 | 202 | 63 | 82 | 123 | 83 | 742 | 2571 | 1507 | 18 | 4320 | 1980 | 1039 | 714 | 535 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 7 | S 5 | ESE 10 | SE 12 | NE 6 | SE 14 | SE 13 | SE 12 | S 11 | ENE 6 | ENE 7 | SSW 12 | S 16 | NE 9 | ENE 10 | NE 9 | ENE 10 | ENE 9 | S 16 | S 16 | ENE 10 |
41 | 36 | 11 | 5 | 59 | 29 | 27 | 25 | 119 | 26 | 32 | 155 | 186 | 20 | 19 | 31 | 18 | 8 | 46 | 85 | 9 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 11 | ESE 11 | — | SE 15 | SE 15 | N 9 | SE 13 | S 16 | S 15 | S 14 | SSE 11 | SW 4 | ENE 9 | — | E 11 | — | — | — | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | SE 12 |
12 | 12 | — | 9 | 8 | 2 | 27 | 20 | 38 | 34 | 37 | 7 | 31 | — | 2 | — | — | — | 8 | 7 | 6 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | NE 4 | NE 5 | NE 6 | NE 6 | NE 6 | NE 6 | NE 7 | SSW 3 | — | WNW 3 | SSW 9 | — | WNW 3 | S 15 | — | — | NW 3 | — | WNW 3 |
— | — | 24 | 37 | 111 | 47 | 34 | 47 | 163 | 1 | — | 3 | 1094 | — | 12 | 2753 | — | — | 3 | — | 8 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 47 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 75 |
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.











