Bay of Plenty Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s see what the Bay of Plenty has got cookin’ for us over the next couple of weeks. Gotta be honest, it’s lookin’ pretty bleak for paddle surfing. The whole sixteen-day window is a mess of poor surf conditions, strong winds, and lumpy, choppy seas. There’s a big gap of several days with no recommendation at all, and the few moments that might have a wave are battling tough winds.

We start off Friday, August 7th, with a tiny 2 ft easterly swell, but it’s got no form and the easterly wind is onshore. It’s not worth getting wet for. Saturday, August 8th, the wind cranks up from the northeast, 15-19 mph, and the swell gets messy, especially with that short period of 6 seconds on Saturday afternoon – just a jumbled mess of a sea. That combined swell energy on Saturday afternoon hits 334 (moderate energy), but the fresh cross-shore wind rips it apart.

Sunday the 9th ain't any better, with cross-onshore winds and a drop in swell size. Then Monday, August 10th, things get serious – we’ve got a 10 ft southerly swell rollin’ in, but the wind is screaming at 25-28 mph from the SSW. That’s huge energy (1896 on Monday morning), but for the Bay of Plenty, a beach/jetty setup with that much wind and size is just a washing machine. That’s more of a kite surfer’s dream than a paddle surfer’s.

A couple of days in the middle of the week, like Wednesday, August 12th, show a bit of a cleaner window with cross-offshore southwest winds. The swell is still big – 10 ft in the afternoon – and the period is a solid 10 seconds, but the comment says it’s predicted to be too big for this break. The energy reading of 1657 backs that up; that’s strong to very strong energy. It’s an expert-only day if you’re game, with the swell coming from the SE. The wind is clean, but the power is intimidating.

The rest of that week and into the next carries on with clean winds and big swell, like the 8 ft on Saturday, August 15th, but the period stretches to 11 seconds. That’s a long-period groundswell, and at a beach setup, that stuff can stand up straight and close out fast. The energy is huge (1830 on Saturday morning). It’s a far cry from a good day.

Water temps are about normal for the time of year, sittin’ around 71°F, so nothing wild there.

To be straight with you, there is no standout day in this window. If you’re desperate, Wednesday, August 12th afternoon has the cleanest winds and the biggest, most powerful swell, but it’s a long shot for even the experienced crew. For most of us, this is a 16-day window to give the board a rest, or wait for the forecasts to shift. Keep an eye on it, because it tends not to stay this poor for long.

Stay salty.
Rusty

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