
Surf Forecasts:
Rolling Stones surf forecast from 28 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Wednesday 29 Jul, 6AM (local time) - 6ft (1.9m), 13s period, SE swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Tuesday 4 Aug, 6PM (local time) - 8ft (2.5m), 16s period, S swell with 3,614 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Wednesday 29 Jul, 6AM (local time) - 6ft (1.9m), 13s 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 (Jul 29) at 6AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.9m and 13s period with a secondary swell of 0.4m and 10s. 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 2.5m 16s and forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Aug 04) at 6PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.7m 4s period and expected on Wednesday (Jul 29) at 9PM.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 6AM (Wed 29th Jul) | 6ft (1.9m) 13s |
| Best Surf | 6AM (Wed 29th Jul) | 6ft (1.9m) 13s |
| Most Powerful | 6PM (Tue 4th Aug) | 8ft (2.5m) 16s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Rolling Stones over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright surfers, Rusty here, breaking down the next couple of weeks.
We’re starting on Tuesday the 28th of July, and the water is sitting at 54°, which is about 3° colder than usual for this time of year. You’ll be wanting that thick rubber.
Rolling Stones is a proper advanced reef, and we’ve got some solid energy coming through. The first couple of days are a write-off, with a messy 8ft SE swell and onshore wind on Tuesday morning spoiling things. It cleans up nicely on Wednesday the 29th. On Wednesday morning, the wind swings to a clean offshore from the NNW, and we’re looking at a rocking 6ft SE groundswell (13-second period). It’s a touch on the big side for beginners, but for the experienced crew, this is the pick of the window. The combined energy is moderate (1043), and it’s clean. The afternoon stays decent with a cross-offshore breeze, but the morning is the real standout.
Thursday the 30th keeps the good run going. The swell drops to 5ft, but it’s coming from the ESE with a light offshore wind out of the NW. The morning session will be clean and fun, with gentle offshore winds. By the afternoon, the swell is down to 4ft, but it’s still clean and rideable. You’ll be sharing the lineup as crowds are sometimes an issue here, but it won’t be a zoo.
Things get more complicated from Friday the 31st. The swell drops off to 3ft, and the wind goes cross-offshore. It’s surfable, but not the main event. Saturday the 1st of August is a complete washout with strong onshore winds and lumpy, messy conditions. Sunday the 2nd of August picks up a serious 10ft to 12ft S swell, but the wind is all wrong – cross-shore and onshore, making it a choppy, blown-out mess. The combined energy is huge (2671), but it’s not for paddle surfing; this setup is looking more interesting for kite surfing.
Monday the 3rd of August offers a glimmer of hope. The swell drops to 8ft from the S, and while the morning has a cross-shore wind, the afternoon turns glassy with zero wind. That’s a rare moment of calm – 7ft of clean, glassy S swell. It’s a solid window for the experts.
The second week gets rowdy. Tuesday the 4th of August brings a 8ft S swell with a very long 20-second period. That’s serious groundswell energy (3649), but it’s paired with a cross-shore wind and chop. Long-period swells like this can break a bit straight at beach breaks, but Rolling Stones is a reef, so it should handle it. The problem is that the wind is not great.
From Wednesday the 5th of August onward, it’s a battle. The wind cranks up, with strong onshore and cross-shore winds dominating. The swell gets absolutely massive – we’re talking 21ft SSW on Thursday the 6th of August – but that’s simply too big for this break, even for the experts. It’s a pure, massive energy event (26003), but it’s dangerous and blown out. This continues through the end of the forecast period, with relentless onshore winds and big, messy conditions. The 12th of August is more of the same – fresh cross-shore winds and a messy 5ft swell.
So, to wrap it up: your best bet is Wednesday the 29th of July morning for that clean, offshore 6ft SE groundswell, and the glassy window on Monday the 3rd of August afternoon. The rest is a mix of blown-out or way too big.
Stay safe out there.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Very mild (max 16°C on Thu afternoon, min 8°C on Tue night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryModerate rain (total 16mm), heaviest on Sun night. Very mild (max 15°C on Fri morning, min 6°C on Sat night). Mainly strong winds. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Tuesday 28 | Wednesday 29 | Thursday 30 | Friday 31 | Saturday 1 | Sunday 2 | Monday 3 | |||||||||||||||
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) | SE 13 | SE 13 | SE 13 | SE 13 | SE 12 | ESE 12 | ESE 12 | ESE 11 | ESE 11 | ESE 11 | ESE 11 | ESE 11 | SSW 8 | SSW 9 | S 10 | S 12 | S 11 | S 10 | S 11 | S 10 | SSE 11 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
2140 | 1730 | 1326 | 1003 | 933 | 722 | 518 | 379 | 302 | 239 | 190 | 105 | 192 | 1592 | 1700 | 2346 | 2664 | 2047 | 1246 | 899 | 531 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | off | cross-off | off | off | off | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-on | cross | cross | cross-on | on | cross | glassy | cross-off |
High Tide | 4:53PM1.55m | 5:09AM1.43m | 5:37PM1.55m | 5:56AM1.42m | 6:22PM1.55m | 6:43AM1.44m | 7:06PM1.57m | 7:30AM1.47m | 7:50PM1.58m | 8:14AM1.51m | 8:34PM1.61m | 8:57AM1.55m | 9:19PM1.63m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 10:40AM0.45m | 11:08PM0.46m | 11:24AM0.41m | 11:53PM0.41m | 12:05PM0.37m | 00:38AM0.36m | 12:47PM0.33m | 1:23AM0.32m | 1:30PM0.31m | 2:07AM0.29m | 2:15PM0.29m | 2:50AM0.27m | 3:02PM0.29m | ||||||||
7:15 | — | — | 7:13 | — | — | 7:13 | — | — | 7:11 | — | — | 7:11 | — | — | 7:11 | — | — | 7:09 | — | — | |
— | 5:15 | — | — | 5:15 | — | — | 5:15 | — | — | 5:16 | — | — | 5:17 | — | — | 5:19 | — | — | 5:20 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | — | 2 | 1 | 4 | 7 | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 9 | 11 | 10 | 13 | 14 | 10 | 15 | 16 | 13 | 15 | 15 | 11 | 8 | 9 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 9 |
Feels °C | 5 | 7 | 7 | 10 | 10 | 6 | 11 | 12 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 5 | 1 | 0 | -1 | 2 | -2 | 1 | 6 | 8 | 5 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 13 | SE 13 | SE 13 | SE 13 | SE 12 | ESE 12 | ESE 12 | ESE 11 | ESE 11 | ESE 11 | ESE 11 | ESE 11 | SE 16 | ESE 10 | SE 14 | E 16 | NE 15 | E 14 | S 11 | S 10 | SSE 11 |
2140 | 1730 | 1326 | 1003 | 933 | 722 | 518 | 379 | 302 | 239 | 190 | 105 | 119 | 20 | 125 | 5 | 8 | 4 | 1246 | 899 | 531 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 12 | SSW 11 | SSW 10 | SSW 10 | SSW 10 | S 18 | S 16 | S 15 | SSW 14 | NNE 5 | NE 5 | SE 16 | ESE 11 | E 17 | E 16 | ENE 16 | S 19 | S 19 | S 22 | S 20 | S 18 |
27 | 37 | 36 | 34 | 20 | 162 | 183 | 109 | 36 | 18 | 5 | 61 | 37 | 6 | 5 | 24 | 7 | 7 | 37 | 68 | 56 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 11 | — | — | S 18 | S 16 | SSW 18 | — | NE 12 | S 16 | SSW 14 | SE 15 | NE 6 | NE 6 | ENE 17 | E 10 | — | — | S 24 | E 13 | E 13 | S 12 |
46 | — | — | 6 | 5 | 106 | — | 6 | 21 | 38 | 37 | 5 | 1 | 29 | 18 | — | — | 11 | 3 | 3 | 11 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 8 | S 8 | — | — | — | NNW 3 | NNW 3 | NNE 4 | NNE 5 | NW 3 | WNW 3 | WNW 3 | SSW 8 | SSW 9 | S 10 | S 12 | S 11 | S 10 | — | — | — |
497 | 227 | — | — | — | 1 | 3 | 1 | 23 | 3 | 3 | 7 | 192 | 1592 | 1700 | 2346 | 2664 | 2047 | — | — | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 7 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 33 | 33 | 7 | 88 | 93 | 65 | 1 | 167 | 245 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
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.










