Surf Forecasts:
Rolling Stones surf forecast from 14 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Friday 21 Aug, 12AM (local time) - 7ft (2.2m), 12s period, S swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Wednesday 19 Aug, 12AM (local time) - 18ft (5.5m), 12s period, S swell with 7,894 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Saturday 15 Aug, 6PM (local time) - 7ft (2.2m), 9s 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 (Aug 15) at 6PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 2.2m and 9s period with a secondary swell of 0.3m and 18s. 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 5.5m 12s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Aug 19) at 12AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.9m 8s period and expected on Sunday (Aug 16) at 9AM.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 6PM (Sat 15th Aug) | 7ft (2.2m) 9s |
| Best Surf | 12AM (Fri 21st Aug) | 7ft (2.2m) 12s |
| Most Powerful | 12AM (Wed 19th Aug) | 18ft (5.5m) 12s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Rolling Stones over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at the surf over the next couple of weeks for Rolling Stones. It’s a reef break that’s fairly consistent, but it’s going to be a real mixed bag. We’ve got a rough start, but the back half of the window is where the magic is hiding.
The first week is pretty much a write-off. From this Friday the 14th right through to Thursday the 20th of August, it’s a battle. The wind is mostly cross or cross-onshore, and it’s strong – we’re talking 15 to 28 mph. The swell energy is moderate to very strong, hitting values like 739 to 4040, but it’s all blown out. The water is a bit colder than normal at 53.6°, about 3.2° cooler than usual for this time of year. You’ll be fighting a messy cross-chop and lumpy conditions. It’s poor surf, simple as that. If you’re a kite surfer, the big swell and strong cross-wind from the 16th to the 19th might look interesting, but for a paddle surfer, it’s a hard pass.
Then we get a break in the clouds. Friday the 21st of August is when it turns on. The morning brings a clean 5.9 ft swell from the south with a 12-second period, a light offshore wind from the NNW at only 3 mph, and the wave energy is a solid 1003. This is the standout. This is the session you wait for. The afternoon cleans up even more, going glassy with 4.9 ft of south swell at 13 seconds. It’s going to be clean and fun.
Saturday the 22nd of August is still very good, with 4.9 ft of south swell and a 14-second period, light offshore again in the morning, and the wave energy is 898. The wind shifts a bit in the afternoon, but it’s still cross-offshore and clean. This is the best two-day run in the whole forecast.
After that, it trails off. Sunday the 23rd drops to 2.3 ft, and the energy is weak at 122. The rest of the week into the end of August is small, with swells under 3.6 ft and weak energy. It’s clean, but it’s small. The 28th and 29th of August have a little bump from the south with 3.6 ft and 3.0 ft, and light offshore winds, but it’s not the same as that Friday and Saturday blast.
Bottom line: suffer through the first week, then lock in Friday the 21st and Saturday the 22nd of August. That’s your window.
Short Range ForecastHeavy rain (total 77mm), heaviest during Sun afternoon. Very mild (max 13°C on Fri night, min 8°C on Sun night). Winds increasing (calm on Sat afternoon, strong winds from the SW by Sun afternoon). | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryModerate rain (total 12mm), heaviest on Tue night. Very mild (max 11°C on Thu afternoon, min 7°C on Mon night). Winds decreasing (strong winds from the SSW on Tue night, light winds from the SSW by Thu afternoon). | ||||||||||||||||||
Saturday 15 | Sunday 16 | Monday 17 | Tuesday 18 | Wednesday 19 | Thursday 20 | ||||||||||||||
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) | E 8 | E 9 | E 9 | ESE 8 | SSW 17 | SSW 8 | S 10 | S 10 | S 10 | SSE 10 | S 9 | S 9 | S 12 | S 11 | S 11 | S 14 | S 10 | S 10 | S 12 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 634 | 803 | 1121 | 534 | 307 | 1454 | 3721 | 4187 | 3555 | 2127 | 1337 | 2510 | 7894 | 4764 | 4498 | 5273 | 1476 | 1277 | 1324 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross | cross-on | on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross | cross-on | cross-off |
High Tide | 7:19AM1.73m | 7:41PM1.84m | 8:11AM1.75m | 8:31PM1.81m | 9:00AM1.76m | 9:21PM1.76m | 9:46AM1.75m | 10:10PM1.71m | 10:33AM1.72m | 10:59PM1.67m | 11:22AM1.67m | 11:48PM1.62m | |||||||
Low Tide | 1:11AM0.09m | 1:24PM0.08m | 2:02AM0.11m | 2:17PM0.13m | 2:51AM0.16m | 3:09PM0.20m | 3:39AM0.22m | 4:01PM0.28m | 4:27AM0.30m | 4:51PM0.34m | 5:15AM0.36m | 5:41PM0.40m | |||||||
 |  | | |  | |  | | |  |  |  | | | |  | | |  | |
 | — | 6:56 | — | — | 6:54 | — | — | 6:52 | — | — | 6:52 | — | — | 6:50 | — | — | 6:48 | — | — |
 | — | — | 5:30 | — | — | 5:30 | — | — | 5:31 | — | — | 5:32 | — | — | 5:34 | — | — | 5:35 | — |
mm | 10 | 5 | 4 | 10 | 13 | 14 | 16 | 3 | 2 | 2 | — | — | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 11 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 9 |
Feels °C | 8 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | -1 | 0 | -1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 14 | SE 13 | E 9 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 9 | ESE 8 | ESE 9 | — | SSW 14 | SSE 9 | SE 18 | — | SE 14 | S 15 | — | S 10 | S 10 | S 12 |
| kJ | 18 | 7 | 715 | 534 | 284 | 243 | 277 | 257 | — | 297 | 1032 | 12 | — | 50 | 1010 | — | 1476 | 1277 | 1324 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 15 | S 16 | S 18 | SSW 18 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | SSW 19 | SSW 16 | — | E 9 | ENE 8 | — | — | — | SE 13 | — | SE 14 | SE 14 | SE 14 |
| kJ | 18 | 21 | 25 | 104 | 123 | 62 | 280 | 427 | — | 61 | 24 | — | — | — | 43 | — | 30 | 32 | 29 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 15 | — | SE 14 | SSW 18 | SSW 17 | ENE 10 | SE 15 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ESE 11 | S 18 | SE 13 |
| kJ | 22 | — | 7 | 270 | 307 | 35 | 9 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 12 | 6 | 40 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 8 | E 9 | E 9 | — | SSW 6 | SSW 8 | S 10 | S 10 | S 10 | SSE 10 | S 9 | S 9 | S 12 | S 11 | S 11 | S 14 | — | — | — |
| kJ | 634 | 803 | 1121 | — | 214 | 1454 | 3721 | 4187 | 3555 | 2127 | 1337 | 2510 | 7894 | 4764 | 4498 | 5273 | — | — | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 129 | 129 | 4 | 4 | 7 | 113 | 145 | 158 | 267 | 162 | 93 | 113 | 93 | 78 | 169 | 162 | 84 | 78 | 95 |
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