Bay of Plenty Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, this is Rusty, and I’m looking at the Bay of Plenty surf forecast. It’s a mixed bag, but the first thing to say is that we’ve got a solid, long period groundswell in the water, and the general feeling is that there’s some decent potential – but it’s not going to be a total classic.

The main event is a building swell pattern that starts to show its teeth late next week. The initial days are a bit rough, with the first window of clean, surfable waves locking in on Thursday the 30th of July. That’s our standout moment. The morning of the 30th, the wind goes glassy, just a light air from the SSW, and we’re looking at a 7ft swell from the SE with a period of 9 seconds. The energy is solid at 842 (moderate), so it’s got some push. The water is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year, around 73°, which is a nice bonus for an early morning session. The Bay of Plenty is a beach and jetty setup, so with that period around 9 seconds, it’s not going to be too straight or hard to handle – it’s a good, manageable size for most surfers, though at 7ft it’s heading into the territory where beginners might want to be careful on the bigger sets.

The next real highlight is Saturday morning, the 1st of August. Again, we’re looking at glassy conditions, this time with a complete calm wind, and the same 7ft swell from the ESE, period bumping up to 10 seconds. The energy is even higher at 927 (moderate). That’s a really clean-looking window. The swell direction (ESE) is matching the optimum swell direction for the Bay of Plenty, which is a big plus. Expect some proper, clean lines.

Monday morning the 27th of July is a bit of a tease – a 5ft NE swell with a very short period of 7 seconds, and light onshore wind. The energy is low at 342 (weak), so it’s not going to be offering much in the way of quality. The rest of the first week is a lot of cross-shore winds and messy conditions, so we’re really waiting for that Thursday.

Looking further out, there’s a promising window on Friday the 31st of July morning, with a 6ft SE swell, 10 seconds, and an offshore wind from the west. That’s clean, but the swell is a touch smaller than the Saturday peak. The energy is 742 (moderate).

The second week, from the 2nd of August onwards, the swell holds around 7ft from the ESE, but the wind shifts to a cross and cross-onshore pattern, and the quality drops off. The swell is still there, but the conditions get messy. The crowd factor at the Bay of Plenty can be ‘sometimes’ busy, so on those clean Thursday and Saturday mornings, expect a few other keen locals out there with you.

So, to sum it up: the best on offer is the Thursday 30th of July morning, with glassy conditions and a solid 7ft SE swell. That’s the pick for a quiet, clean session. The Saturday 1st of August morning is also a standout, with completely calm winds and that same clean swell. After that, the window closes up a bit with onshore winds, and the very end of the forecast shows a return to long period SSW groundswell, but it’s small and cross-on, so not much to get excited about until the following week.

Rusty out.

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