
Surf Forecasts:
Rolling Stones surf forecast from 8 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Sunday 13 Sep, 3AM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 16s period, S swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Sunday 13 Sep, 3AM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 16s period, S swell with 4,537 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Wednesday 9 Sep, 6AM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.4m), 8s 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 (Sep 09) at 6AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.4m and 8s period with a secondary swell of 0.7m 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 16s and forecast to arrive on Sunday (Sep 13) at 3AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.5m 4s period and expected on Wednesday (Sep 09) at 9PM.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 6AM (Wed 9th Sep) | 4.5ft (1.4m) 8s |
| Best Surf | 3AM (Sun 13th Sep) | 10ft (3.0m) 16s |
| Most Powerful | 3AM (Sun 13th Sep) | 10ft (3.0m) 16s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Rolling Stones over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
G’day, Rusty here. Let’s be straight with you: the next week and a half is pretty grim for Rolling Stones. There’s a lot of swell on the cards, but the wind’s going to be all over the shop, most of it onshore or cross, and that’s going to chop things up something fierce. You’re looking at a few days of waiting before anything close to clean shows its face.
We got a bit of southwest wind and rain with a lumpy cross-onshore 8ft of SSE swell this Tuesday morning, but it’s all over the place. The energy is moderate at 1013, and the water is sitting at 55°, about average for this time of year. Not worth paddling out. Tuesday afternoon is more of the same, cross-onshore and choppy, with the swell holding at 8ft.
Wednesday morning, though, is the first real bright spot. The wind drops right out, goes glassy, and the swell drops to 5ft from the southeast. It’s not big, but it’ll be clean. The energy is moderate at 330. That’s your window if you’re desperate, but it’s only a 2 out of 10, so don't get your hopes up too high. Wednesday afternoon, the wind swings around to a cross-off and drops the swell a touch, but it’s marginal. Thursday is flat and small, not worth a look.
Friday the wind turns back onshore and we get a bump of 8ft south swell, but with that cross-on wind it’s going to be messy. The energy is moderate at 636. Saturday is a write-off—tiny and cross-shore. Sunday morning is the first proper standout.
Sunday the 13th, we see a big jump. An 8ft south swell with a 16-second period rolls in, and the wind is offshore from the west. It’s going to be clean, with strong wave energy of 3657. This is a proper groundswell, long period, and it’s going to be pumping. Now, the caveat with a 16-second period is it can get a bit walled at a beach break, but this is a reef, so it should hold up nicely. The morning is the pick here, but by afternoon the wind goes cross-on and it gets a bit lumpy. This is the standout of the first week. It’s over 8ft, so this is experts-only territory. It’s big and it’s powerful.
Monday the 14th drops off to 6ft of south swell, with an onshore wind in the morning, but it’s still not ideal. The energy is strong at 1153, but the conditions are marginal.
Tuesday the 15th is the next real highlight. We’ve got 6ft of south swell with a 12-second period, and the wind is cross-off from the northwest. It’s clean. The energy is moderate at 916. It’s a solid day, not as big as Sunday but with better conditions. This is one to pencil in. Afternoon it drops a bit and gets more marginal.
Wednesday the 16th the swell backs off, but the wind goes offshore and it’s clean with 3ft. Too small to be exciting. Thursday the 17th picks up again, 6ft in the morning, and the wind is cross-off, so it’s clean. But the afternoon jumps to a solid 10ft with a 10-second period. That’s a lot of juice, but the shorter period makes it a bit less appealing than the long-period stuff. Still, it’s clean and pumping. Energy is strong at 1675. Another experts-only day if you’re keen.
Friday the 18th is messy. Cross-shore wind and 8ft of south swell, not great. Saturday the 19th gets blown out with a strong breeze hitting 25 mph. Don’t even bother. Sunday the 20th is small and clean, glassy, but just 3ft. Not worth the paddle.
Now, for the second week, it’s about the long-range promise. Monday the 21st looks like a good one. The swell is 4ft from the south with a 16-second period, and the wind is offshore. It’s clean and glassy. The energy is moderate at 692. It's not huge, but the conditions are there. This one is more promising than certain, but it has the right ingredients.
After that, it falls apart. Tuesday the 22nd the wind goes near gale force from the southwest. Wednesday the 23rd stays windy and messy. It’s not good.
So, bottom line: the two standouts are Sunday the 13th morning for the big, powerful, clean groundswell, and Tuesday the 15th morning for the better overall conditions with a solid swell. Both are on the reef at Rolling Stones. The rest is mostly wind-blown slop. If you’re a beginner, Sunday is way too big, and Tuesday is also pushing it past your comfort zone. This is a spot for the experienced crew. Be patient, pick your window, and don’t get skunked chasing the bumps.
Rusty out.
Short Range ForecastModerate rain (total 10mm), heaviest on Thu night. Very mild (max 16°C on Thu morning, min 8°C on Tue night). Winds increasing (calm on Tue night, fresh winds from the SSW by Thu night). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 8mm), mostly falling on Fri morning. Very mild (max 14°C on Sun morning, min 8°C on Fri night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the SSW on Fri morning, calm by Sun night). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Tuesday 8 | Wednesday 9 | Thursday 10 | Friday 11 | Saturday 12 | Sunday 13 | Monday 14 | |||||||||||||||
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 8 | SSE 9 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 7 | SE 8 | S 21 | S 7 | S 8 | S 18 | SSW 17 | S 16 | S 14 | S 16 | S 16 | S 15 | S 13 | S 13 | S 12 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
987 | 877 | 456 | 270 | 260 | 149 | 65 | 55 | 77 | 636 | 442 | 156 | 96 | 198 | 3249 | 3657 | 2290 | 1450 | 1138 | 1145 | 1129 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | glassy | cross-off | off | cross-off | glassy | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | off | cross | cross-on | off | cross-off | cross-on | glassy | on | cross-on | off |
High Tide | 2:43PM1.74m | 3:14AM1.61m | 3:41PM1.74m | 4:12AM1.62m | 4:37PM1.75m | 5:08AM1.63m | 5:33PM1.75m | 6:03AM1.67m | 6:25PM1.75m | 6:56AM1.71m | 7:15PM1.74m | 7:45AM1.75m | 8:04PM1.73m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 9:05PM0.15m | 9:27AM0.13m | 10:02PM0.13m | 10:25AM0.11m | 10:59PM0.13m | 11:19AM0.11m | 11:53PM0.14m | 12:11PM0.13m | 00:45AM0.17m | 1:02PM0.18m | 1:33AM0.22m | 1:52PM0.24m | 2:19AM0.27m | ||||||||
6:20 | — | — | 6:18 | — | — | 6:18 | — | — | 6:16 | — | — | 6:15 | — | — | 6:13 | — | — | 6:11 | — | — | |
— | 5:52 | — | — | 5:52 | — | — | 5:53 | — | — | 5:53 | — | — | 5:54 | — | — | 5:55 | — | — | 5:57 | — | |
mm | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 9 | 5 | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | 2 | 3 | — | — |
Temp °C | 10 | 10 | 10 | 13 | 12 | 10 | 16 | 16 | 12 | 10 | 10 | 8 | 11 | 12 | 10 | 14 | 14 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 10 |
Feels °C | 4 | 4 | 6 | 11 | 8 | 7 | 13 | 14 | 9 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 8 | 5 | 10 | 11 | 10 | 8 | 8 | 7 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NNE 8 | SE 9 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 7 | SE 8 | SE 7 | ENE 13 | S 18 | S 7 | SSW 7 | S 16 | S 14 | S 16 | S 16 | S 15 | E 12 | S 13 | S 12 |
7 | 655 | 456 | 270 | 260 | 149 | 65 | 55 | 34 | 34 | 248 | 97 | 55 | 198 | 3249 | 3657 | 2290 | 1450 | 11 | 1145 | 1129 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 15 | NE 9 | SSW 10 | S 9 | S 8 | SSW 8 | S 8 | S 8 | SSW 15 | NE 13 | ENE 13 | ESE 7 | SSW 17 | E 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 12 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | E 15 | E 12 | S 15 |
21 | 3 | 31 | 56 | 36 | 24 | 22 | 12 | 72 | 44 | 35 | 29 | 96 | 6 | 7 | 29 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 11 | 227 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 16 | NE 7 | NE 9 | E 15 | E 15 | NE 4 | ENE 8 | NE 7 | S 21 | ENE 7 | NE 9 | S 18 | SE 5 | ENE 13 | ENE 12 | ENE 12 | ENE 12 | E 12 | NE 12 | — | E 8 |
5 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 8 | 77 | 5 | 12 | 156 | 10 | 16 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 3 | 5 | — | 1 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 8 | SSE 9 | — | — | — | NW 3 | NNW 3 | — | NW 2 | S 7 | S 8 | — | WSW 2 | S 6 | — | — | — | — | S 13 | — | — |
987 | 877 | — | — | — | 2 | 6 | — | 1 | 636 | 442 | — | 1 | 130 | — | — | — | — | 1138 | — | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 82 | 93 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 7 | 91 | 110 | 0 | 41 | 12 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 41 | 1 | 0 |
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.










