
Surf Forecasts:
Bay of Plenty surf forecast from 14 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Monday 20 Jul, 5AM (local time) - 8ft (2.5m), 12s period, S swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Monday 20 Jul, 5AM (local time) - 8ft (2.5m), 12s period, S swell with 1,920 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Tuesday 14 Jul, 8PM (local time) - 7ft (2.1m), 10s period with E swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Bay of Plenty this week:
The surf forecast for Bay of Plenty over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Jul 14) at 8PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 2.1m and 10s period with a secondary swell of 0.4m and 10s. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Bay of Plenty in the next 16 days are 2.5m 12s and forecast to arrive on Monday (Jul 20) at 5AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.7m 5s period and expected on Thursday (Jul 16) at 2AM.
| Wave Type | Time (SAST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 8PM (Tue 14th Jul) | 7ft (2.1m) 10s |
| Best Surf | 5AM (Mon 20th Jul) | 8ft (2.5m) 12s |
| Most Powerful | 5AM (Mon 20th Jul) | 8ft (2.5m) 12s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Bay of Plenty over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a proper look at what’s coming up for the Bay of Plenty.
Right off the bat, I gotta be straight with you – the next week and a half is a bit of a struggle. We’ve got a slow start, and the best windows are scattered. The standout window looks like Thursday morning, the 16th of July, when the stars briefly align, and then we’ve got a promising, but more distant, option on Wednesday the 22nd if you’re willing to gamble on a big groundswell.
The water temp is sitting right around average for this time of year at 71°, so nothing unusual there.
Let’s break it down. Tuesday the 14th and Wednesday the 15th are write-offs. The swell is there, around 6 ft to 7 ft, but it’s coming from the east with a cross-onshore wind making everything messy and choppy. Not worth paddling out for.
Then we get our best bet. Thursday morning, the 16th of July. The wind drops out completely – glassy conditions. The swell drops to a clean 5 ft from the east, with a period of 10 seconds. The energy is moderate (560). This is your window for a clean, fun session at Bay of Plenty (beach/jetty). It’s not a massive swell, but with that glassy surface, it’ll be smooth and user-friendly for the beginner-friendly setup. Just be aware the crowds can show up sometimes. The wind picks up again in the afternoon, so make it a dawny.
After that, things get poor again. Friday through to Tuesday the 21st is small, weak, and choppy. Not worth the effort.
Now, for the more experienced crew looking for a punch, keep an eye on Wednesday the 22nd of July. We’ve got a very long-period groundswell arriving from the SSW, with a 17-second period! That’s a lot of energy (1972). The swell is 6 ft. The problem is the wind is cross-shore, so it won’t be perfect. This kind of long-period swell can be tricky on a beach break, but it’ll offer some proper grunt if you can find a bank. The wind is light though, so it might clean up in the morning. It’s a gamble, but the potential is there.
The rest of the run into the end of the month is mostly messy with onshore winds or tiny surf. Thursday the 28th has a bit of size again (7 ft) but with a fresh 19 mph wind, it’s a kite-surfing kind of day, not a paddle-surfing one.
So, to sum it up: Thursday morning the 16th is your clean, fun glass-off. Wednesday the 22nd is the one for the experienced crew chasing a serious, long-period groundswell, but keep your expectations in check with the cross-shore wind.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 20°C on Tue afternoon, min 16°C on Tue night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 24°C on Sun afternoon, min 16°C on Sat night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Tue 14 | Wednesday 15 | Thursday 16 | Friday 17 | Saturday 18 | Sunday 19 | Monday 20 | |||||||||||||||
PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | |
Swell Height Map | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 11 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | S 13 | S 12 | SSE 13 | SSE 13 | SSE 12 | SSE 12 | SE 12 | SE 11 | SE 11 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
861 | 792 | 716 | 770 | 736 | 541 | 458 | 327 | 279 | 230 | 198 | 149 | 326 | 449 | 767 | 998 | 843 | 769 | 614 | 369 | 245 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | cross-off | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off | glassy | on | off | cross-on | cross | off | cross-on | cross | cross-off | cross | cross | cross-off | cross | cross-on | glassy | on |
High Tide | 4:01PM1.92m | 4:14AM1.92m | 4:43PM1.98m | 4:55AM1.93m | 5:23PM2.00m | 5:34AM1.89m | 6:01PM1.96m | 6:11AM1.82m | 6:38PM1.88m | 6:48AM1.71m | 7:14PM1.78m | 7:24AM1.59m | 7:52PM1.65m | 8:03AM1.46m | |||||||
Low Tide | 10:08PM0.29m | 10:27AM0.16m | 10:51PM0.26m | 11:06AM0.15m | 11:31PM0.27m | 11:44AM0.18m | 00:10AM0.32m | 12:21PM0.26m | 00:48AM0.41m | 12:56PM0.37m | 1:26AM0.52m | 1:31PM0.50m | 2:06AM0.65m | ||||||||
— | — | 6:50 | — | — | 6:48 | — | — | 6:48 | — | — | 6:48 | — | — | 6:48 | — | — | 6:48 | — | — | 6:47 | |
5:13 | — | — | 5:13 | — | — | 5:14 | — | — | 5:14 | — | — | 5:15 | — | — | 5:15 | — | — | 5:15 | — | 5:15 | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 20 | 19 | 20 | 20 | 19 | 20 | 20 | 19 | 19 | 20 | 19 | 19 | 20 | 19 | 23 | 24 | 22 | 20 | 21 | 21 | 20 |
Feels °C | 18 | 19 | 19 | 18 | 19 | 21 | 19 | 20 | 18 | 19 | 19 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 19 | 20 | 22 | 20 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 11 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | S 13 | S 12 | SSE 13 | SSE 13 | SSE 12 | SSE 12 | SE 12 | SE 11 | SE 11 |
861 | 792 | 716 | 770 | 736 | 541 | 458 | 327 | 279 | 230 | 186 | 149 | 326 | 449 | 767 | 998 | 843 | 769 | 614 | 369 | 245 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 10 | SSW 10 | SSW 10 | SSW 9 | SSW 5 | SSE 9 | S 8 | SSW 7 | SSW 12 | SSW 9 | SSW 12 | S 10 | E 10 | SSE 14 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | S 8 | S 9 | NE 5 | SSW 13 |
48 | 19 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 16 | 33 | 18 | 52 | 15 | 198 | 135 | 116 | 195 | 122 | 92 | 45 | 169 | 106 | 14 | 176 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 10 | — | SW 16 | SE 11 | S 10 | S 4 | SSE 9 | SSW 14 | S 10 | S 10 | — | S 14 | SSW 10 | E 9 | S 11 | S 11 | S 11 | ENE 10 | E 9 | S 7 | ENE 6 |
18 | — | 10 | 5 | 17 | 3 | 7 | 19 | 2 | 2 | — | 65 | 83 | 111 | 112 | 21 | 21 | 31 | 27 | 23 | 12 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | S 4 | SSW 5 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | NE 3 | NE 4 | — | — | S 6 | — | NE 6 | NNE 5 | — |
— | — | — | 6 | 19 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | 20 | — | — | 166 | — | 1 | 56 | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 139 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 48 | 1 | 0 | 5 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Durban/KwaZulu-Natal South Coast | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in South Africa | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the Bay of Plenty Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Bay of Plenty provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Bay of Plenty can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Bay of Plenty 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 (Bay of Plenty) 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 Bay of Plenty 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.
Are you planning a holiday in Durban/KwaZulu-Natal South Coast? If you are looking for accommodation near Bay of Plenty, camping, hotels and holiday cottages in Durban/KwaZulu-Natal South Coast, consider staying in Durban which is 6 km (4 miles) away. Other places in and around Durban/KwaZulu-Natal South Coast where you can find information about places to rent, and car hire include Glenwood which is 6 km (4 miles) away, Kwamashu, Umhlanga and Mount Edgecombe.











