Rolling Stones Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. It’s a bit of a slow burn to start, but there’s a solid pulse of swell coming through later on. Let’s break down the next couple of weeks.

The surf is pretty small right now, but it’s clean. We’re looking at a couple of days of rideable, smaller waves before things get a bit wild and mixed up. Then, there’s a window of bigger, more powerful surf that’s worth paying attention to, especially for the more experienced crew.

Kicking things off on Tuesday the 25th at Rolling Stones (Big Island), the waves are a touch undersized but the conditions are perfect for what’s there. There’s a clean 4ft swell with a 12-second period, and the water is running a bit colder than usual for this time of year, so you’ll want a slightly thicker suit. A light offshore wind is keeping the surface glassy. We’re looking at moderate wave energy (466) here, and it’s a nice, mellow introduction. The swell drops a bit on Wednesday the 26th, but we get a bump in period to 18 seconds, which brings in that long-period groundswell. It’s still on the smaller side, around 3ft in the morning, but with glassy conditions and that long-period energy (531-563), the lines will be clean and well-defined. The crowd factor is always a possibility at this spot.

Thursday the 27th is when things start to get a bit more interesting. We see a significant bump in size, with the swell jumping to 5ft in the morning and 7ft in the afternoon. The combined energy is starting to build strongly (1693 to 2485). However, the wind turns onshore, and the quality drops right off. It’s going to be lumpy and onshore, making it a bit of a messy, challenging day. This is more of a look-and-see day than a go-out-and-score day. The strong energy and onshore wind at a break like this could make it more interesting for the kite crew than for paddle surfers.

Friday the 28th is a return to form. The swell eases off to a cleaner 5ft, but more importantly, the wind swings offshore again. The morning has a cross-off breeze and the afternoon looks clean with a gentle offshore wind. The period is a more manageable 13 seconds. It’s not the biggest day, but the quality is there for a fun session.

The weekend sees the swell fade into the background. Saturday the 29th has some small, clean, but very ordinary waves, and by Sunday the 30th, it’s dropping out quickly—nothing worth getting excited about. The energy is weak, and we’re looking at a flat spell.

Then, on Monday the 31st, the ocean gets angry. A big, powerful swell rolls in, pushing 13ft to 15ft. This is serious, heavy water. But, the wind is a fresh, strong cross-onshore, and the energy readings are through the roof (2748 to 4308). The surf quality is rated as poor because of the wind. This is a big, stormy, chaotic mess. Not a day for the faint of heart, and honestly, not a day for most of us.

The payoff comes on Tuesday, September 1st. This is the standout. The swell settles from that big pulse down to a solid 7ft, the period is a clean 10 seconds, and the wind goes light and offshore, leaving the surf clean and lined up. The energy is strong (1389), and we’re looking at a proper, meaty session. It’s a powerful wave, so it’s for experienced surfers only, but for them, this will be excellent.

After that, things start to settle down again. Wednesday the 2nd is still rideable but the energy drops and a moderate offshore wind makes it a bit tricky. We then hit another poor run from Thursday the 3rd through to Sunday the 7th, with minimal swell and poor winds. It’s a flat, blank stretch.

Looking into the second week, there’s a tease. On Tuesday the 8th, a fresh, short-period SSW swell moves in. It’s only around 4ft in the morning with glassy conditions, but it builds to 7ft by the afternoon. The energy is moderate, but it’s a new pulse. Then on Wednesday the 9th, it bumps up to 8ft with an 11-second period. This recent pulse is from a different direction and looks to have some punch, but the winds are a bit cross-shore. It’s promising, but the long-range forecast is always less certain. It’s one to watch, but the real, clean, quality window is definitely that Tuesday.

For my money, the standout of the entire run is Tuesday, September 1st at Rolling Stones. Solid 7ft of south swell, light offshore wind, and the break’s a reef, so that long-period energy will be channeled nicely. The other one to keep in mind is Wednesday the 9th, but that one’s a bit more of a gamble.

The stretch from the 3rd to the 7th is going to be a bit of a flat, quiet period, but that’s how it goes sometimes. It never stays poor for long, though.

Always, Rusty.

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