Today's Sponge bay sea temperature is 15.2 °C
(Normal for this time of year)
| Mean: | 15.6 °C | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Range: | 14.4 °C to 17.2 °C | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Statistics for 09 Jun (1981–2005) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Today, many surfers would wear a spring wetsuit, a neoprene hood, gloves and boots.
The water temperature (15 °C) at Sponge bay is fairly cool. Despite the sun, a windchill factor of (7 °C) means that surfers will need a good quality spring wetsuit, a neoprene hood. Some surfers would wear gloves and boots.
 Map of current New Zealand Surface Water Temperatures (based on measurements from oceanographic satellites) |  Map of current New Zealand Sea Water Temperature Anomalies (compared with long term averages at this time of year) |
click thumbnails to expand
Below is a graph of Historical Sea Surface Temperature for Sponge bay. This has been derived from analysis of two decades of oceanographic satellite measurements of nearby open water. We have calculated the average water temperature variation around the year as well as the extremes that have been observed on each date.
All of the graphs for the surf breaks presented on Surf-Forecast.com are on the same scale to enable comparison between locations around the world.
Sponge bay sea temperatures peak in the range 18 to 21°C (64 to 70°F) on around the 7th of February and are at their minimum on about the 23rd of August, in the range 13 to 15°C (55 to 59°F). The highest Sponge bay sea temperatures in the first part of February require something like a 3/2mm fully sealed wetsuit. The minimum sea temperatures at Sponge bay in the fourth week of August are ideally suited to a 4/3mm wetsuit + 3mm boots, although a 5/3mm wetsuit may be preferable for longer sessions and cold windy days.
Actual sea surface water temperatures close to shore at Sponge bay can vary by several degrees compared with these open water averages. This is especially true after heavy rain, close to river mouths or after long periods of strong offshore winds. Offshore winds cause colder deep water to replace surface water that has been warmed by the sun. Air temperature, wind-chill and sunshine should also be considered before deciding on the kind of wetsuit needed to stay warm when surfing at Sponge bay. Refer to our detailed weather forecasts for this information.
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