Surf Forecasts:
Bay of Plenty surf forecast from 11 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Wednesday 12 Aug, 11PM (local time) - 7ft (2.2m), 9s period, SE swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Wednesday 12 Aug, 2PM (local time) - 8ft (2.5m), 9s period, SE swell with 1,089 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Wednesday 12 Aug, 11PM (local time) - 7ft (2.2m), 9s 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 (Aug 12) at 11PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 2.2m and 9s period with a secondary swell of 0.3m and 11s. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Bay of Plenty in the next 16 days are 2.5m 9s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Aug 12) at 2PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.5m 4s period and expected on Monday (Aug 17) at 5AM.
| Wave Type | Time (SAST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 11PM (Wed 12th Aug) | 7ft (2.2m) 9s |
| Best Surf | 11PM (Wed 12th Aug) | 7ft (2.2m) 9s |
| Most Powerful | 2PM (Wed 12th Aug) | 8ft (2.5m) 9s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Bay of Plenty over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, Rusty here, and I'm looking at the Bay of Plenty for the next couple of weeks. To be honest, it’s a pretty tough outlook. The water temp is sitting around 71.1°, which is about average for this time of year, so no surprises there. But the surf... well, it’s mostly a no-go.
We’ve got a long stretch of poor conditions kicking things off. There’s a real gap here with no decent surf on offer from the start right through until the afternoon of Thursday the 13th. That’s a solid few days of waiting.
Thursday afternoon on the 13th is the first little glimmer. Bay of Plenty is showing a small 5.2ft swell from the ESE, with a period of 8 seconds. The energy is weak, only 425. But the wind goes glassy, dead flat. That’s the only positive; the wave quality is nothing special for a board, but if you’re desperate it'll be clean.
After that, it's back to poor calls. There is a bit of a pulse on Saturday the 15th, with a 6.2ft swell from the East and a longer 12-second period. The energy jumps to moderate at 970, so there’s some grunt there. But the wind is a cross-shore from the NE, which will put a chop on the face. It's not all-time, but that Saturday morning is the best you'll see. It’s still only a marginal call for a beginner with that size.
The rest of the second week is a right-off. We get a big jump in swell on the 20th, with 11.5ft from the South and a combined energy of 2482. That is serious power, but it’s coming with a fresh onshore wind, making it a lumpy, choppy mess – unless you’re a kite surfer, that’s not a paddle session. The winds stay strong and messy all the way through to the end of the 16 days.
So, to wrap it up: wait for the glass-off on the 13th afternoon for a clean, small wave, or take a punt on the Saturday 15th morning for the biggest, cleanest swell of the window. Everything else is best left to the wind.
Short Range ForecastHeavy rain (total 31mm), heaviest during Tue afternoon. Very mild (max 17°C on Tue night, min 14°C on Tue morning). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the SW on Tue morning, calm by Wed night). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 20°C on Sat afternoon, min 15°C on Fri morning). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Tuesday 11 | Wednesday 12 | Thursday 13 | Friday 14 | Saturday 15 | Sunday 16 | Monday 17 | |||||||||||||||
AM | 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) | SSE 8 | SE 8 | ESE 9 | ESE 9 | SE 9 | ESE 9 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | E 10 | ESE 8 | ESE 10 | E 11 | E 12 | E 11 | E 11 | E 11 | E 11 | E 11 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 705 | 418 | 846 | 866 | 973 | 707 | 409 | 331 | 252 | 235 | 410 | 849 | 946 | 875 | 785 | 676 | 663 | 566 | 443 | 424 | 354 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | off | cross-on | glassy | off | cross | cross-on | cross-off | cross | cross | cross-off | cross-on | cross | cross-off | on | cross | cross |
High Tide | 3:12PM1.86m | 3:25AM1.88m | 3:50PM2.00m | 4:03AM1.96m | 4:26PM2.07m | 4:37AM2.00m | 4:59PM2.09m | 5:10AM1.98m | 5:30PM2.06m | 5:41AM1.91m | 6:00PM1.97m | 6:10AM1.80m | 6:29PM1.85m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 8:56AM0.33m | 9:21PM0.35m | 9:36AM0.20m | 9:59PM0.24m | 10:12AM0.12m | 10:35PM0.18m | 10:45AM0.09m | 11:08PM0.18m | 11:17AM0.12m | 11:39PM0.23m | 11:47AM0.20m | 00:10AM0.33m | 12:15PM0.32m | 00:39AM0.45m | |||||||
 |  |  |  | |  |  | |  |  | | | | | | | | | | | | |
 | 6:33 | — | — | 6:31 | — | — | 6:31 | — | — | 6:30 | — | — | 6:28 | — | — | 6:28 | — | — | 6:28 | — | — |
 | — | 5:29 | — | — | 5:29 | — | — | 5:30 | — | — | 5:30 | — | — | 5:30 | — | — | 5:30 | — | — | 5:31 | — |
mm | 3 | 6 | 10 | 4 | 3 | 5 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 15 | 16 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 18 | 18 | 20 | 18 | 20 | 20 | 18 | 20 | 20 | 18 |
Feels °C | 9 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 17 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 15 | 17 | 17 | 18 | 17 | 17 | 19 | 18 | 16 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 8 | E 10 | ESE 9 | ESE 9 | SE 9 | ESE 9 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | E 10 | ESE 8 | ESE 10 | E 11 | E 12 | E 11 | E 11 | E 11 | E 11 | E 11 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 |
| kJ | 587 | 307 | 846 | 866 | 973 | 707 | 409 | 331 | 252 | 235 | 410 | 849 | 946 | 875 | 785 | 676 | 663 | 566 | 443 | 424 | 354 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 10 | SSW 11 | S 10 | S 10 | S 24 | SSW 10 | S 11 | S 10 | SE 8 | S 8 | SSE 8 | S 15 | S 14 | S 14 | S 12 | S 12 | S 11 | S 10 | S 10 | S 10 | S 9 |
| kJ | 228 | 158 | 345 | 426 | 11 | 36 | 83 | 47 | 112 | 29 | 19 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 2 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | SSW 12 | SSW 24 | S 14 | S 23 | SSW 22 | S 10 | SSW 18 | S 9 | SW 15 | S 14 | S 9 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 12 | S 11 | S 11 | SW 15 |
| kJ | 68 | 163 | 102 | 14 | 55 | 34 | 41 | 47 | 45 | 31 | 7 | 36 | 4 | 1 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 9 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 8 | SE 8 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | NE 4 | NE 4 | NE 4 | NNE 4 | N 4 | NE 4 | NE 4 | ENE 5 | NE 5 |
| kJ | 705 | 418 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 16 | 16 | 19 | 13 | 4 | 20 | 20 | 37 | 83 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 779 | 1240 | 907 | 907 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 1 |
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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