Surf Forecasts:
Bay of Plenty surf forecast from 26 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Tuesday 28 Jul, 8PM (local time) - 5ft (1.6m), 7s period, S swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Thursday 30 Jul, 5AM (local time) - 5.5ft (1.7m), 15s period, SSW swell with 1,158 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Monday 27 Jul, 5AM (local time) - 5.5ft (1.7m), 6s period with NE 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 Monday (Jul 27) at 5AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.7m and 6s period with a secondary swell of 1.0m and 6s. Another secondary swell of 0.6m and 8s is also forecast. 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 1.7m 15s and forecast to arrive on Thursday (Jul 30) 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 1.2m 5s period and expected on Thursday (Jul 30) at 2AM.
| Wave Type | Time (SAST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 5AM (Mon 27th Jul) | 5.5ft (1.7m) 6s |
| Best Surf | 8PM (Tue 28th Jul) | 5ft (1.6m) 7s |
| Most Powerful | 5AM (Thu 30th Jul) | 5.5ft (1.7m) 15s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Bay of Plenty over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, mates, let's talk about the Bay of Plenty. Rusty here, and I'm not gonna sugarcoat it – this forecast is a real rollercoaster. We've got some decent swell coming, but the wind is gonna mess with the quality for most of it. The water is 73°F, which is normal for the season, so no worries there.
The first chance to paddle out is on the morning of Sunday, July 27th. There's a 5 ft swell from the NE, but it's got a short period of 7 seconds, so it's gonna be a bit weak and messy. The wind is a light 3 mph from the ESE, which is onshore, but it's so light it might be rideable. It's a marginal call, so don't get your hopes up.
Things get real on Wednesday, July 29th. We're looking at a solid 8 ft swell from the SSE, with a 9-second period. The energy is strong (1789), and the wind is a clean 19 mph cross-offshore from the SW. Bay of Plenty is an exposed beach/jetty, so it'll be handling that size. But 8 ft is big for a beginner spot – that's expert-only territory. The marginal rating says the shape isn't perfect, but if you're a local who knows the sandbars, it could be a wild, powerful session. Thursday the 30th holds similar size at 8 ft, but the wind turns to a lumpy cross-shore, making it a lot less appealing.
The real standout is the morning of Sunday, August 2nd. The swell drops to 5 ft from the ESE with an 8-second period, but the wind is the star – it's a glassy 3 mph breeze from the SSW. That's a beautiful morning. The energy is moderate (288), and with glassy conditions, the waves will be clean and fun. It's the best call of the whole outlook. This spot can get crowded sometimes, so get there early.
After that, we're in a long stretch of poor conditions. The wind just won't play nice. You'll see a flicker of hope on August 7th with a 4 ft SSW groundswell of 16 seconds, but it's a messy cross-onshore 6 mph NE breeze, and the energy is moderate (833). That long period will make it break a bit straight at the beach, but the light wind is your only friend. The rest of the second week is a complete washout with gusty winds and choppy surf.
So, to wrap it up: Sunday morning August 2nd is your golden ticket for clean, fun waves. Wednesday July 29th is for the brave and experienced. The rest... well, forecasts can change, but right now it's looking like a lot of time on the sand.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastHeavy rain (total 44mm), heaviest during Tue night. Warm (max 20°C on Mon afternoon, min 15°C on Sun night). Winds increasing (light winds from the NNW on Mon morning, strong winds from the SW by Tue night). | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 7mm), mostly falling on Wed night. Very mild (max 19°C on Thu afternoon, min 15°C on Wed night). Mainly fresh winds. | |||||||||||||||||||
Sun 26 | Monday 27 | Tuesday 28 | Wednesday 29 | Thursday 30 | Friday 31 | Saturday 1 | ||||||||||||||
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) | SSW 13 | NE 6 | NE 7 | ENE 7 | S 12 | SSW 18 | S 7 | S 8 | SSE 9 | S 9 | SSE 9 | S 9 | SSE 9 | SSE 9 | SSE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | E 9 | E 9 | ESE 8 |
Wave Graph  | ||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 229 | 224 | 240 | 66 | 76 | 174 | 146 | 941 | 892 | 1134 | 690 | 854 | 637 | 416 | 315 | 433 | 216 | 119 | 169 | 237 |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross | cross-off | on | cross | cross-off | cross | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross | cross-off | cross | cross | cross-off | cross | cross-on | off |
High Tide | 2:30PM1.47m | 2:37AM1.57m | 3:06PM1.60m | 3:13AM1.67m | 3:38PM1.73m | 3:44AM1.75m | 4:07PM1.83m | 4:14AM1.81m | 4:36PM1.91m | 4:43AM1.85m | 5:04PM1.95m | 5:11AM1.85m | 5:33PM1.96m | |||||||
Low Tide | 8:30PM0.69m | 8:53AM0.54m | 9:09PM0.58m | 9:25AM0.43m | 9:42PM0.47m | 9:54AM0.34m | 10:13PM0.39m | 10:23AM0.27m | 10:43PM0.34m | 10:50AM0.23m | 11:12PM0.31m | 11:18AM0.21m | 11:41PM0.32m | |||||||
 |  | | |  |  | |  |  |  | |  | |  | | | | | | | |
 | — | — | 6:43 | — | — | 6:43 | — | — | 6:43 | — | — | 6:41 | — | — | 6:41 | — | — | 6:41 | — | — |
 | 5:19 | — | — | 5:20 | — | — | 5:20 | — | — | 5:21 | — | — | 5:22 | — | — | 5:22 | — | — | 5:22 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | 3 | 2 | 2 | 37 | — | 2 | 5 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 19 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 19 | 18 | 17 | 17 | 16 | 18 | 19 | 18 | 17 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 |
Feels °C | 14 | 15 | 17 | 19 | 17 | 18 | 16 | 17 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 15 | 10 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 17 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 9 | ENE 6 | ENE 7 | ENE 7 | ENE 6 | SSW 18 | SSW 16 | E 10 | SSE 8 | SSE 9 | SSE 9 | SSE 9 | E 9 | SSE 9 | SSE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | E 9 | E 9 | ESE 8 |
| kJ | 159 | 75 | 105 | 66 | 21 | 174 | 146 | 68 | 694 | 666 | 690 | 630 | 64 | 416 | 315 | 433 | 216 | 119 | 169 | 237 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 13 | SE 9 | SE 8 | SSW 14 | S 12 | E 9 | E 10 | SSW 15 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | SSW 14 | E 10 | E 10 | SSW 13 | E 8 | SSE 7 | SSE 8 | S 12 |
| kJ | 229 | 62 | 24 | 63 | 76 | 41 | 44 | 126 | 85 | 85 | 81 | 61 | 147 | 71 | 98 | 70 | 86 | 46 | 56 | 3 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 8 | S 12 | SSW 12 | SSW 11 | ESE 10 | S 11 | SSW 11 | — | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | — | SSW 16 | SSW 14 | — | SSW 13 | SE 8 | SW 12 | S 12 |
| kJ | 5 | 75 | 44 | 42 | 31 | 39 | 40 | — | 118 | 77 | 81 | 121 | — | 144 | 118 | — | 33 | 32 | 6 | 3 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ENE 4 | NE 6 | NE 7 | SSW 2 | S 5 | S 6 | S 7 | S 8 | SSE 9 | S 9 | SW 5 | S 9 | SSE 9 | WSW 5 | — | — | — | — | — | N 3 |
| kJ | 18 | 224 | 240 | 1 | 42 | 57 | 130 | 941 | 892 | 1134 | 76 | 854 | 637 | 27 | — | — | — | — | — | 1 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 687 | 1 | 5 | 58 | 2 | 48 | 48 | 219 | 54 | 219 | 1 | 238 | 238 | 1 | 54 | 907 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
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.
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