Surf Forecasts:
Bay of Plenty surf forecast from 23 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Wednesday 29 Jul, 11AM (local time) - 11ft (3.5m), 10s period, S swell with cross-onshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Wednesday 29 Jul, 8PM (local time) - 11ft (3.5m), 11s period, S swell with 2,966 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Thursday 23 Jul, 8PM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 13s period with SSW 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 Thursday (Jul 23) at 8PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.9m and 13s period with a secondary swell of 0.8m and 12s. 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 3.5m 11s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Jul 29) at 8PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.8m 5s period and expected on Tuesday (Jul 28) at 8AM.
| Wave Type | Time (SAST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 8PM (Thu 23rd Jul) | 3ft (0.9m) 13s |
| Best Surf | 11AM (Wed 29th Jul) | 11ft (3.5m) 10s |
| Most Powerful | 8PM (Wed 29th Jul) | 11ft (3.5m) 11s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Bay of Plenty over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
G'day, Rusty here, lookin' at the Bay of Plenty surf outlook for the next couple of weeks. Straight up, it's a bit of a rough patch for the Bay. The water's sittin' at about 72°, which is pretty standard for this time of year – nothing crazy going on with the temps.
We're looking at a solid gap of a few days with no real surf worth paddling out for. The first real stir of energy doesn't hit until the 29th of July, but there's a major catch. The swell is predicted to be too big for this break.
On Wednesday morning the 29th, we get a big 10ft southerly swell with a 10-second period, but the energy is massive – a reading of 2793 (moderate to strong wave energy). The wind is a light cross-onshore from the ENE, which would normally be alright, but the size of it is just too much for the Bay of Plenty. It's only for the experts, and even then, it's a serious call. Thursday the 30th morning is a similar story, with a 10ft SSE swell and a whopping 3870 energy reading, but again, it's too big for the break. The wind is an onshore cross from the NNE, so it's not gonna be clean anyway.
The standout, if you're an absolute charger, looks like Friday the 31st of July. The morning has a 10ft SSE swell with a 10-second period and a massive 3452 energy reading, but the wind is a gentle cross-shore from the SSW. The forecast does say it's too big for the break, so it's a real "know your limits" situation. The afternoon sees it drop to 8ft from the SE with a 1453 energy reading, and the wind is a gentle cross-shore from the S. It's still a big swell, but the energy drops off a bit, making it a more manageable, though still hefty, proposition.
The rest of the run into the first week of August is filled with smaller, messy swells and poor wind conditions, mostly cross-on or cross-shore with a chop. There's a moment on Monday the 3rd of August morning with a 6ft easterly swell and a 722 energy reading, and a clean cross-offshore breeze from the NNE. That's the best it'll be for a while, but it's still a marginal call.
Honestly, the Bay of Plenty is a tough call for the next two weeks. The big swells are too big, and the small ones are a mess. It's a waiting game for a better window.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 20°C on Thu morning, min 14°C on Sat night). Winds decreasing (strong winds from the S on Fri afternoon, calm by Sat night). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 20°C on Mon afternoon, min 14°C on Sun morning). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Thursday 23 | Friday 24 | Saturday 25 | Sunday 26 | Monday 27 | Tuesday 28 | Wednesday 29 | |||||||||||||||
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) | SE 12 | SE 12 | SSW 6 | S 10 | S 10 | SSE 9 | SSE 9 | SSE 10 | SSE 9 | SE 9 | SE 9 | NE 6 | NE 6 | NE 6 | E 8 | E 9 | E 9 | S 10 | S 10 | S 11 | S 11 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 167 | 164 | 161 | 1745 | 2047 | 564 | 495 | 563 | 431 | 260 | 172 | 224 | 157 | 77 | 97 | 127 | 155 | 248 | 2357 | 2653 | 2479 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross | cross-on | cross-off | cross | cross | cross-off | cross | on | cross-off | cross | cross | cross-off | cross-on | cross | cross-off | on | on | off | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off |
High Tide | 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 | 3:38PM1.73m | 3:44AM1.75m | 4:07PM1.83m | 4:14AM1.81m | |||||||
Low Tide | 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 | 9:25AM0.43m | 9:42PM0.47m | 9:54AM0.34m | 10:13PM0.39m | ||||||||
 | |  |  | |  | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
 | 6:46 | — | — | 6:46 | — | — | 6:45 | — | — | 6:45 | — | — | 6:43 | — | — | 6:43 | — | — | 6:43 | — | — |
 | — | 5:17 | — | — | 5:17 | — | — | 5:19 | — | — | 5:19 | — | — | 5:20 | — | — | 5:20 | — | — | 5:21 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 20 | 20 | 19 | 20 | 19 | 18 | 17 | 18 | 17 | 17 | 19 | 18 | 18 | 20 | 19 | 20 | 20 | 19 | 20 | 20 | 19 |
Feels °C | 17 | 19 | 19 | 11 | 10 | 13 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 13 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 19 | 20 | 19 | 18 | 18 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ENE 7 | SE 12 | SE 12 | SE 11 | SE 11 | SSE 9 | SSE 9 | SSE 10 | SSE 9 | SE 9 | SE 9 | ENE 6 | ENE 6 | ENE 6 | E 8 | E 9 | E 9 | S 10 | SSW 16 | E 9 | SSE 10 |
| kJ | 77 | 164 | 106 | 61 | 59 | 564 | 495 | 563 | 431 | 260 | 172 | 100 | 88 | 42 | 97 | 127 | 125 | 244 | 333 | 79 | 1870 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 12 | S 8 | NE 6 | ENE 8 | SSW 19 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SE 8 | SE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 10 | SSW 5 | SSW 16 | E 9 | E 9 | S 19 | SSW 16 |
| kJ | 167 | 57 | 10 | 6 | 125 | 269 | 169 | 174 | 118 | 187 | 137 | 68 | 22 | 35 | 33 | 10 | 155 | 160 | 103 | 175 | 337 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 15 | ENE 7 | E 9 | S 22 | — | SE 11 | E 10 | E 9 | E 9 | E 8 | — | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | ESE 10 | S 11 | SSW 18 | S 11 | S 18 | — | E 9 | E 9 |
| kJ | 71 | 41 | 6 | 9 | — | 31 | 2 | 6 | 6 | 5 | — | 49 | 28 | 18 | 21 | 104 | 61 | 248 | — | 99 | 76 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 4 | — | SSW 6 | S 10 | S 10 | — | — | — | — | NE 3 | ENE 5 | NE 6 | NE 6 | NE 6 | SW 3 | SSW 6 | S 6 | — | S 10 | S 11 | S 11 |
| kJ | 29 | — | 161 | 1745 | 2047 | — | — | — | — | 4 | 48 | 224 | 157 | 77 | 3 | 41 | 11 | — | 2357 | 2653 | 2479 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 130 | 1 | 353 | 684 | 696 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 701 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 88 | 0 | 106 | 714 | 0 |
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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