Surf Forecasts:
Rolling Stones surf forecast from 2 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Friday 7 Aug, 6PM (local time) - 6ft (1.8m), 16s period, S swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Wednesday 5 Aug, 3AM (local time) - 18ft (5.5m), 12s period, S swell with 8,615 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Monday 3 Aug, 3AM (local time) - 6ft (1.9m), 11s period with S 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 Monday (Aug 03) at 3AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.9m and 11s 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 5.5m 12s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Aug 05) at 3AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.4m 3s period and expected on Monday (Aug 03) at 9AM.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 3AM (Mon 3rd Aug) | 6ft (1.9m) 11s |
| Best Surf | 6PM (Fri 7th Aug) | 6ft (1.8m) 16s |
| Most Powerful | 3AM (Wed 5th Aug) | 18ft (5.5m) 12s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Rolling Stones over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Righto, surfers, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s on the cards for the next couple of weeks.
This is a bit of a strange one, to be honest. The region's only real option, Rolling Stones, is a tricky reef break that’s a bit of a beast. It’s not a beginner’s wave at all, and it’s fairly consistent, but the wind and swell are going to be all over the place. The water is a bit colder than normal for this time of year at 13°.
The first real surfable window comes on Sunday, the 2nd of August, with a clean 2.2m S swell and light cross-shore wind. The energy is solid (1425), but it’s a bit of a tester, and the report says the tide might be an issue. That’s the best we’ve got for a few days.
Monday the 3rd starts clean and glassy in the morning, with a 1.7m WNW offshore wind. That’s a nice combo, but the swell’s a bit smaller. The afternoon turns cross-on.
Then it gets ugly. From Tuesday the 4th through to Wednesday the 5th, the swell absolutely hammers in, hitting 5.0m and 6640 energy, but it's all being trashed by strong, cross-onshore winds. That’s not paddle surfing; that’s kite-surfing territory if you’re into that.
Thursday the 6th is still messy and lumpy, but the swell drops to 2.5m. Not great.
Friday the 7th is where it gets interesting. The morning is glassy with a glass-off WNW wind, and a 1.7m SSE swell. The report says "very good surf conditions," and that’s a standout. The afternoon has a massive 17-second period groundswell, which is long-period energy, but it’s cross-on, so it’ll be a bit wonky.
The real highlight, though, is Sunday, the 9th of August. The morning has a glassy, light offshore wind from the NW, a 1.3m SSE swell, but with a very long 16-second period. The report calls it "excellent surf conditions for experienced surfers." That’s the one to circle on the calendar. The afternoon gets a bit of a bump in size to 2.5m, but it’s cross-shore.
From the 10th through the 12th, things are okay but nothing special. The 11th of August morning has a clean 1.6m SSE swell with a long 14-second period, which is good.
After the 12th, it all falls apart. The swell drops right off, and the wind is all over the place. From the 13th of August onwards, it’s essentially flat or blown out for the rest of the forecast period. The last gasp is Sunday the 16th with a tiny 0.9m S swell, but even that’s poor.
So, the standout is undeniably Sunday, the 9th of August morning. The glassy conditions, light offshore, and that long-period SSE swell will be a dream for the experienced crew at Rolling Stones, but it’s likely to be a bit inconsistent at that spot. The 7th of August morning is a close second for that glassy session.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastHeavy rain (total 21mm), heaviest during Tue morning. Very mild (max 15°C on Mon afternoon, min 5°C on Tue night). Winds increasing (calm on Sun afternoon, strong winds from the SSW by Tue afternoon). | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 5mm), mostly falling on Wed afternoon. Very mild (max 14°C on Sat morning, min 5°C on Thu night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the SSW on Wed afternoon, calm by Fri morning). | |||||||||||||||||||
Sun 2 | Monday 3 | Tuesday 4 | Wednesday 5 | Thursday 6 | Friday 7 | Saturday 8 | ||||||||||||||
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 11 | S 11 | S 10 | SSE 11 | S 12 | S 8 | S 10 | S 12 | S 12 | S 12 | S 12 | S 11 | S 11 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | S 17 | S 15 | S 13 | S 12 | S 11 |
Wave Graph  | ||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 1179 | 862 | 627 | 292 | 563 | 1329 | 4346 | 8248 | 6640 | 4520 | 2798 | 1548 | 1102 | 850 | 610 | 1311 | 1853 | 1207 | 841 | 545 |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross | off | cross-off | cross-on | cross-off | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross-off | glassy | cross-on | off | off | cross-off | cross-off |
High Tide | 8:34PM1.61m | 8:57AM1.55m | 9:19PM1.63m | 9:39AM1.59m | 10:04PM1.65m | 10:22AM1.63m | 10:51PM1.66m | 11:10AM1.67m | 11:41PM1.67m | 12:04PM1.70m | 00:33AM1.67m | 1:01PM1.74m | 1:29AM1.67m | |||||||
Low Tide | 2:50AM0.27m | 3:02PM0.29m | 3:34AM0.27m | 3:49PM0.29m | 4:19AM0.27m | 4:38PM0.30m | 5:05AM0.28m | 5:29PM0.31m | 5:54AM0.28m | 6:23PM0.31m | 6:46AM0.27m | 7:22PM0.29m | ||||||||
 |  | | |  |  | |  | | | |  | | | | |  | |  |  | |
 | — | — | 7:09 | — | — | 7:07 | — | — | 7:07 | — | — | 7:05 | — | — | 7:05 | — | — | 7:03 | — | — |
 | 5:19 | — | — | 5:20 | — | — | 5:21 | — | — | 5:21 | — | — | 5:22 | — | — | 5:22 | — | — | 5:23 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | 1 | 5 | 4 | 9 | 2 | 2 | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 4 |
Temp °C | 10 | 9 | 14 | 15 | 11 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 7 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 14 | 15 | 12 |
Feels °C | 6 | 5 | 12 | 12 | 7 | -1 | -4 | -3 | -1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 10 | 11 | 9 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 11 | S 11 | S 10 | SSE 11 | S 12 | E 12 | ENE 12 | — | — | — | SE 16 | S 11 | S 11 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | S 17 | S 15 | S 13 | S 12 | S 11 |
| kJ | 1179 | 862 | 627 | 292 | 563 | 3 | 14 | — | — | — | 10 | 1548 | 1102 | 850 | 610 | 1311 | 1853 | 1207 | 841 | 545 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 15 | ENE 14 | S 22 | S 13 | S 18 | — | — | — | — | — | — | SE 15 | SSE 10 | E 16 | S 13 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | NE 14 | E 13 | SSE 15 |
| kJ | 242 | 21 | 36 | 168 | 152 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 35 | 532 | 5 | 87 | 338 | 271 | 7 | 3 | 21 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 15 | — | ENE 13 | SSW 9 | ENE 13 | — | — | — | — | — | — | E 18 | NE 17 | NE 16 | SE 13 | SSW 10 | SSW 9 | — | NE 13 | E 13 |
| kJ | 4 | — | 17 | 68 | 16 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 6 | 12 | 10 | 78 | 131 | 92 | — | 7 | 3 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | NW 3 | — | WNW 2 | S 8 | S 10 | S 12 | S 12 | S 12 | S 12 | SSW 11 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | — | — | 2 | — | 1 | 1329 | 4346 | 8248 | 6640 | 4520 | 2798 | 1256 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 131 | 326 | 169 | 258 | 162 | 78 | 41 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 33 | 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.
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