Surf Forecasts:
Rolling Stones surf forecast from 23 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Wednesday 29 Jul, 12AM (local time) - 6ft (1.9m), 13s period, SE swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Tuesday 28 Jul, 3AM (local time) - 7.5ft (2.3m), 13s period, SE swell with 1,677 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Saturday 25 Jul, 3AM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.7m), 10s period with E 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 Saturday (Jul 25) at 3AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.7m and 10s 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 2.3m 13s and forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Jul 28) at 3AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.2m 6s period and expected on Saturday (Jul 25) at 3AM.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 3AM (Sat 25th Jul) | 2.5ft (0.7m) 10s |
| Best Surf | 12AM (Wed 29th Jul) | 6ft (1.9m) 13s |
| Most Powerful | 3AM (Tue 28th Jul) | 7.5ft (2.3m) 13s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Rolling Stones over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, let’s talk about Rolling Stones. This reef setup is going to be a bit of a mixed bag over the next couple of weeks. The water’s sitting at about 54°, which is a bit colder than normal for this time of year – you’ll want a good 4/3 or even a hood. The first few days are pretty gutless. Friday the 24th and Saturday the 25th have tiny, weak swell with poor conditions, so don’t bother. Sunday the 26th and Monday the 27th see some bigger energy but it’s all cross‑onshore and choppy – not worth paddling out.
Tuesday the 28th is still messy, but by Wednesday the 29th things start looking up. Wednesday morning brings clear skies, a light offshore from the north, and a clean 6 ft south‑east swell with a period of 13 seconds. That’s a proper groundswell, waves will have shape, and the energy is moderate (1001). The afternoon stays clean with a cross‑offshore breeze. Thursday the 30th morning is also clean – offshore NNW wind, 5 ft south‑east swell, period 12 seconds. That’s another solid session. Friday the 31st is still okay but a bit smaller. Through the weekend the swell drops, but Sunday August 2nd morning is a special one: glassy conditions, 8 ft south swell, but only 8 seconds period. That’s short‑period stuff – it’ll be a bit fat and sectiony, but if you’re into a punchy beach‑break feel, it’ll be fun. The combined energy is strong (1031).
The real standout, though, is Saturday August 8th morning. The swell builds to 10 ft from the south‑southwest, period 9 seconds, and the wind is a light cross‑offshore from the west‑northwest. The forecast says “excellent surf conditions for experienced surfers” – and that’s exactly what it is. Big, powerful waves, clean faces, and a reef that handles that size. The energy is very strong (1816). This is the one to circle on the calendar. Keep in mind that after that, the swell holds but the wind turns south and onshore in the afternoon, so morning sessions are your best bet.
So overall, there’s a slow start, a few decent mid‑week days, then a glassy 8 ft Sunday, and the big prize on the 8th. Don’t sleep on that last one.
Rusty
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 9mm), mostly falling on Sat afternoon. Very mild (max 16°C on Fri afternoon, min 5°C on Sun night). Mainly fresh winds. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Very mild (max 13°C on Wed afternoon, min 7°C on Mon morning). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Friday 24 | Saturday 25 | Sunday 26 | Monday 27 | Tuesday 28 | Wednesday 29 | Thursday 30 | |||||||||||||||
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 10 | S 9 | E 11 | E 11 | E 11 | SE 16 | SE 14 | ESE 14 | ESE 13 | SSE 13 | SE 12 | SE 13 | SE 13 | SE 13 | SE 13 | SE 13 | ESE 12 | ESE 12 | SE 12 | ESE 12 | ESE 12 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 30 | 27 | 57 | 163 | 160 | 245 | 346 | 486 | 451 | 1430 | 1366 | 1583 | 1521 | 1367 | 1182 | 981 | 835 | 669 | 597 | 545 | 429 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | off | off | off | off | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | glassy | cross-off | cross-off | off | off | cross | off |
High Tide | 1:46PM1.61m | 2:03AM1.55m | 2:36PM1.59m | 2:51AM1.51m | 3:22PM1.58m | 3:37AM1.48m | 4:08PM1.56m | 4:23AM1.45m | 4:53PM1.55m | 5:09AM1.43m | 5:37PM1.55m | 5:56AM1.42m | 6:22PM1.55m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 8:00PM0.47m | 8:15AM0.47m | 8:50PM0.50m | 9:04AM0.48m | 9:37PM0.50m | 9:53AM0.48m | 10:23PM0.49m | 10:40AM0.45m | 11:08PM0.46m | 11:24AM0.41m | 11:53PM0.41m | 12:05PM0.37m | 00:38AM0.36m | ||||||||
 |  |  |  |  |  |  | | | | | | | | | | |  | | | | |
 | 7:18 | — | — | 7:18 | — | — | 7:16 | — | — | 7:16 | — | — | 7:15 | — | — | 7:13 | — | — | 7:13 | — | — |
 | — | 5:10 | — | — | 5:12 | — | — | 5:13 | — | — | 5:14 | — | — | 5:15 | — | — | 5:15 | — | — | 5:15 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | 2 | 4 | 2 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 15 | 16 | 14 | 12 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 12 | 13 | 10 | 13 | 14 | 11 |
Feels °C | 11 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 7 | 9 | 9 | 6 | 11 | 12 | 7 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NE 6 | ENE 8 | E 11 | E 11 | E 11 | ESE 11 | SE 14 | ESE 14 | ESE 13 | SSE 13 | SE 12 | SE 13 | SE 13 | SE 13 | SE 13 | SE 13 | ESE 12 | ESE 12 | SE 12 | ESE 12 | ESE 12 |
| kJ | 9 | 21 | 57 | 163 | 160 | 156 | 346 | 486 | 451 | 1430 | 1366 | 1583 | 1521 | 1367 | 1182 | 981 | 835 | 669 | 597 | 545 | 429 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 10 | S 9 | S 9 | NE 7 | SE 17 | SE 16 | E 10 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 12 | SSW 11 | SSW 11 | SSW 12 | S 11 | SSW 11 | SSW 10 | SSW 10 | S 17 | S 16 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 |
| kJ | 30 | 27 | 14 | 28 | 106 | 245 | 75 | 44 | 36 | 30 | 41 | 39 | 109 | 63 | 39 | 20 | 10 | 210 | 251 | 118 | 33 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 10 | SE 12 | E 7 | ESE 18 | NE 5 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | E 13 | SSW 13 | — | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | — | — | — | — | S 17 | S 18 | — | — | S 16 |
| kJ | 10 | 21 | 4 | 32 | 4 | 53 | 25 | 55 | 59 | — | 33 | 35 | — | — | — | — | 23 | 160 | — | — | 20 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NNW 3 | NNE 4 | NE 5 | NW 2 | SSW 3 | SSW 6 | S 7 | S 8 | SSE 8 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | NNE 3 | NNE 4 | NW 3 | — | NW 4 |
| kJ | 2 | 3 | 43 | 1 | 10 | 212 | 226 | 358 | 395 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 7 | 14 | 2 | — | 10 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 3 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 88 | 65 | 47 | 113 | 47 | 41 | 91 | 7 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Gisborne and Mahia | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in New Zealand | |||||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||||
- Map Icons:
Break
Live Wave Height (m)
Live Wind Speed (km/h)
Surf Rating (10 Max)
Ocean Swells (m)- Wind Speed (km/h)
FREE! Surf-Forecast.com widget for your website
The surf report / weather widget below is available to embed on third party websites free of charge and provides a summary of our Rolling Stones surf forecast. Simply grab the html code snippet that we provide and paste it into your own site. You can choose your preferred language and metric/imperial units for the surf forecast feed to suit users of your site. Click here to get the code.
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.
Nearest