Bay of Plenty Surf Break

Lat Long: 29.84° S 31.04° E

Bay of Plenty Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Issued: 7 pm 21 Jul 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's Bay of Plenty sea temperature is
22.7° C
1.0° 

Bay of Plenty surf forecast is for near shore open water. Breaking waves will often be smaller at less exposed spots.


Bay of Plenty surf forecast from 21 Jul 2026:

  • Best quality surf: Wednesday 22 Jul, 11PM (local time) - 7ft (2.2m), 7s period, NE swell with cross-offshore winds.
  • Most powerful swell: Friday 24 Jul, 8PM (local time) - 8ft (2.5m), 10s period, S swell with 1,439 kJ wave energy.
  • Next surfable swell (1★+): Wednesday 22 Jul, 2AM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.3m), 12s period with SE 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 Wednesday (Jul 22) at 2AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.3m and 12s period with a secondary swell of 0.5m and 4s. Another secondary swell of 0.9m and 4s 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 2.5m 10s and forecast to arrive on Friday (Jul 24) at 8PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives.

Wave TypeTime (SAST) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+) 2AM (Wed 22nd Jul)4.5ft (1.3m) 12s
Best Surf11PM (Wed 22nd Jul)7ft (2.2m) 7s
Most Powerful 8PM (Fri 24th Jul)8ft (2.5m) 10s

Table - best surf conditions forecast for Bay of Plenty over the next 16 days.


The Lowdown

Alright, this is Rusty, your local surf reporter, bringing you the surf outlook for the Bay of Plenty.

Alright, looking at the next 16 days, it's a bit of a mixed bag for the Bay of Plenty. We've got some swell on the horizon, but the wind is going to be a real pain for most of it. The water temp is sitting pretty average for this time of year, so nothing wild there.

The first real chance to get wet comes in on Wednesday, July 22nd. It's not going to be a classic, but it's something. The Bay of Plenty is a beach/jetty setup, and there's a 4ft SE swell with a 12-second period, so some decent energy (652). The wind is a cross-shore from the NE at 9 mph, which will put a bit of a chop on the face. It's a beginner-friendly spot, but the conditions are a bit marginal. The afternoon sees the wind pick up to 16 mph, making it messier, so the morning is your best bet for a few grovelly ones.

The rest of the week and into the next is pretty bleak. Thursday the 23rd and Friday the 24th are write-offs. Friday will see an 8ft S swell (1082) but with a 22 mph cross-shore wind, it'll be a lumpy, wind-affected mess. Saturday the 25th is a bit smaller, 5ft, but the wind is onshore, so it's not going to be clean.

We have a long stretch of poor conditions from the 26th of July right through to the 1st of August. The wind is just not playing ball. There's a small window on the morning of the 30th, with a 5ft SSE swell (739) and a light cross-shore, but it's still marginal.

Now, the standout. If you're looking for something to get excited about, mark your calendar for Tuesday, August 4th. The afternoon is looking *very* interesting. The wind is predicted to be glassy, absolutely dead calm, with a 6ft easterly swell (962). That's a recipe for clean, fun waves at the Bay of Plenty. The swell period is 9 seconds, so a bit of a shorter period, but with that wind, it’ll be a whole lot of fun. This is the best on offer in the whole outlook.

The 5th and 6th of August then bring a bigger swell, pushing 8ft from the ENE, but the wind is back onshore or cross-shore, so it won't be the clean, epic day we were hoping for. The energy is strong (up to 2625), but the conditions will make it a challenge. For the average surfer, that 8ft with a cross-shore is going to be a messy, lumpy affair.

So, to sum it up: ride the small, choppy windows on Wednesday the 22nd and Saturday the 25th if you're desperate, but the real golden ticket is the glassy afternoon on Tuesday, August 4th.

Rusty.

Short Range Forecast

Mostly dry. Warm (max 22°C on Wed afternoon, min 17°C on Tue night). Winds increasing (light winds from the N on Tue night, fresh winds from the SSW by Fri morning).

Days 5-7 Weather Summary

Mostly dry. Warm (max 21°C on Mon afternoon, min 14°C on Sun morning). Winds increasing (calm on Fri night, fresh winds from the NE by Sun afternoon).

Wednesday
22
Thursday
23
Friday
24
Saturday
25
Sunday
26
Monday
27
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
Rating
(10 max)
3
2
1
3
0
0
0
1
1
3
2
0
2
0
0
2
0
0
2
Swell
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Wave
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
1.3
SE
12
1.2
SE
12
1.1
SE
12
1.8
NE
7
0.8
SE
12
0.8
SE
12
1.7
S
6
2.5
S
9
2.3
S
10
1.5
S
9
1.4
SSE
9
1.3
SSE
9
1.2
SE
9
0.7
SSW
13
1.6
ENE
6
2.1
NE
7
1.6
NE
7
1.5
ENE
7
1.1
ENE
7
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
486
403
319
296
167
164
225
1018
958
359
287
257
226
184
179
420
273
230
121
Wind (km/h)
10
N
15
NE
25
NE
10
NNW
20
SSW
15
S
30
SSW
35
SSW
25
S
5
N
10
ENE
15
NE
15
N
25
NE
30
NE
15
N
10
NE
20
NE
5
NW
Wind State
cross-off
cross
cross
cross-off
cross
cross-on
cross
cross
cross
glassy
cross-on
cross-on
cross-off
cross
cross-on
cross-off
cross-on
cross
glassy
High Tide
8:36PM1.52m
8:51AM1.33m
9:34PM1.41m
10:13AM1.23m
11:07PM1.35m
12:17PM1.23m
00:47AM1.38m
1:42PM1.33m
1:52AM1.47m
2:30PM1.47m
2:37AM1.57m
3:06PM1.60m
3:13AM1.67m
Low Tide
2:56AM0.77m
2:58PM0.77m
4:10AM0.86m
4:18PM0.88m
6:01AM0.86m
6:17PM0.89m
7:26AM0.78m
7:39PM0.81m
8:16AM0.66m
8:30PM0.69m
8:53AM0.54m
9:09PM0.58m
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
part cloud
clear
clear
part cloud
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
6:47
6:46
6:46
6:45
6:45
6:43
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
5:15
5:16
5:17
5:17
5:19
5:19
5:20
 mm
Temp °C
20
20
22
20
20
20
19
20
19
19
18
18
17
18
20
18
19
21
20
Feels °C
20
18
19
19
18
17
19
13
13
16
17
16
15
14
14
13
16
18
19
  • Map Icons:
  • Break
  • Live Wave Height (m)
  • Live Wind Speed (km/h)
  • Surf Rating (10 Max)
  • Ocean Swells (m)
  • Wind Speed (km/h)
Map placeholder
How to use the Wavefinder 
submit an eyeball surf report

Quick surf report for Bay of Plenty:

join our community of surf reporters

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 Bay of Plenty 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 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.

Nearest locationNearest