Surf Forecasts:
Bay of Plenty surf forecast from 17 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Monday 20 Jul, 2AM (local time) - 5.5ft (1.7m), 12s period, SSE swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Monday 20 Jul, 8AM (local time) - 6ft (1.9m), 12s period, SE swell with 993 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Saturday 18 Jul, 2AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.0m), 10s period with E 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 Saturday (Jul 18) at 2AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.0m and 10s period with a secondary swell of 0.7m and 13s. The wind is predicted to be offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Bay of Plenty in the next 16 days are 1.9m 12s and forecast to arrive on Monday (Jul 20) at 8AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.9m 4s period and expected on Thursday (Jul 23) at 2AM.
| Wave Type | Time (SAST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 2AM (Sat 18th Jul) | 3.5ft (1.0m) 10s |
| Best Surf | 2AM (Mon 20th Jul) | 5.5ft (1.7m) 12s |
| Most Powerful | 8AM (Mon 20th Jul) | 6ft (1.9m) 12s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Bay of Plenty over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, let’s break this down in feet and miles per hour.
The Bay of Plenty water temp is about average for the time of year, no big anomaly. The spot is a beach and jetty break that’s fairly consistent.
The first few days are small. Saturday 18th July kicks off with a 3ft swell from the east at 10 seconds, cross-shore wind at 6 mph. Energy is weak. Sunday the 19th brings 6ft from the SSE at 12 seconds with a 6 mph cross-on wind – energy jumps to moderate. Monday the 20th sees 6ft from the SE at 12 seconds with a 6 mph cross breeze, but it’s not clean.
The real standout is Saturday 25th July. That morning we’ve got a 5ft swell from the SSW with a massive 20-second period. The combined energy is 1582 – that’s strong. The wind is light at 3 mph from the ENE, cross-on but almost glassy. That’s a groundswell that’ll have plenty of power. It’s a bit big for beginners, but for anyone else, that’s the one. That long period will make it smooth and lined up, but might get a bit straight at the beach.
After that, Tuesday 28th July shows 8ft from the SE but with a short 8-second period and a fresh 19 mph cross-on wind – that’s choppy and messy. Wednesday 29th is 7ft from the east at 8 seconds with a light 6 mph cross breeze in the morning, but it’s short-period and falls apart.
From Thursday 30th July on, it fades. 6ft on Thursday morning but with a 7-second period and onshore wind – not good. By Sunday 2nd August, it’s only 3ft from the south at 11 seconds with a 3 mph cross-on breeze.
Best bet: Saturday 25th July – that long-period SSW groundswell with the light wind. That’s the one to get excited about.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 22°C on Sat afternoon, min 17°C on Fri night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 26°C on Wed morning, min 16°C on Tue morning). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||
Saturday 18 | Sunday 19 | Monday 20 | Tuesday 21 | Wednesday 22 | Thursday 23 | ||||||||||||||
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) | E 10 | E 10 | S 13 | S 12 | SSE 12 | SSE 12 | SSE 12 | SE 12 | SE 12 | SE 12 | SE 11 | SE 11 | SE 12 | SE 12 | SE 12 | SE 12 | SE 12 | SE 11 | S 13 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 192 | 156 | 170 | 387 | 807 | 787 | 878 | 993 | 910 | 672 | 461 | 363 | 293 | 224 | 228 | 167 | 110 | 82 | 336 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | off | cross | cross-on | cross-off | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off | cross | cross-on | cross-off | cross-on | cross | cross-off | cross | cross | cross-off | cross | cross-on | glassy |
High Tide | 6:11AM1.82m | 6:38PM1.88m | 6:48AM1.71m | 7:14PM1.78m | 7:24AM1.59m | 7:52PM1.65m | 8:03AM1.46m | 8:36PM1.52m | 8:51AM1.33m | 9:34PM1.41m | 10:13AM1.23m | 11:07PM1.35m | |||||||
Low Tide | 00:10AM0.32m | 12:21PM0.26m | 00:48AM0.41m | 12:56PM0.37m | 1:26AM0.52m | 1:31PM0.50m | 2:06AM0.65m | 2:09PM0.64m | 2:56AM0.77m | 2:58PM0.77m | 4:10AM0.86m | 4:18PM0.88m | |||||||
 |  |  | | | |  | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
 | — | 6:48 | — | — | 6:48 | — | — | 6:48 | — | — | 6:47 | — | — | 6:47 | — | — | 6:46 | — | — |
 | 5:14 | — | 5:15 | — | — | 5:15 | — | — | 5:15 | — | — | 5:15 | — | — | 5:16 | — | — | 5:17 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 19 | 21 | 22 | 19 | 20 | 20 | 19 | 20 | 20 | 19 | 19 | 21 | 20 | 26 | 22 | 19 | 21 | 21 | 21 |
Feels °C | 19 | 19 | 20 | 17 | 19 | 18 | 20 | 19 | 19 | 18 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 22 | 20 | 19 | 19 | 18 | 21 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | S 12 | SSE 12 | SSE 12 | SSE 12 | SE 12 | SE 12 | SE 12 | SE 11 | SE 11 | ENE 7 | SE 12 | SE 12 | ENE 8 | SE 12 | S 6 | S 13 |
| kJ | 192 | 156 | 156 | 387 | 807 | 787 | 878 | 993 | 910 | 672 | 461 | 363 | 105 | 224 | 228 | 67 | 110 | 66 | 336 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 13 | SSW 10 | S 13 | E 10 | E 10 | S 11 | S 10 | E 10 | SSW 10 | E 9 | ENE 5 | SSW 16 | SE 12 | ENE 7 | ENE 7 | SE 12 | ENE 8 | SE 11 | SE 11 |
| kJ | 165 | 110 | 170 | 118 | 92 | 151 | 102 | 47 | 75 | 15 | 19 | 90 | 293 | 53 | 57 | 167 | 33 | 82 | 43 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | S 15 | S 9 | SSE 14 | S 11 | E 10 | E 10 | S 10 | E 10 | SSW 9 | E 9 | E 9 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | SSW 12 | NE 7 | E 7 |
| kJ | — | 69 | 56 | 178 | 38 | 94 | 69 | 31 | 28 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 76 | 167 | 154 | 98 | 29 | 13 | 9 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | NE 6 | NE 4 | NE 5 | ENE 6 | NE 7 | NE 7 | — | SSW 4 | S 6 | SE 5 | — |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 5 | 11 | 45 | 29 | 261 | 103 | — | 25 | 92 | 14 | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 48 | 0 | 155 | 685 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Durban/KwaZulu-Natal South Coast | |||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in South Africa | |||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||
- Map Icons:
Break
Live Wave Height (m)
Live Wind Speed (km/h)
Surf Rating (10 Max)
Ocean Swells (m)- Wind Speed (km/h)
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