Mount Maunganui Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right then, let’s have a look at what’s on offer for the Tauranga coast over the next couple of weeks. I’ll be honest, the outlook is a bit of a mixed bag, with plenty of small, sleepy days, but there are a couple of windows that could be worth paddling out for.

The first real chance to get a wave happens on Tuesday, the 8th of September. Mount Maunganui will see a small, weak NNE swell sneaking in – around 3ft with a short, choppy 8-second period. The combined energy is only moderate at 116, so it’s not going to be a world-beater. The wind is a light SSW offshore, which will keep the surface clean, but the swell is too small and weak to get excited about. It’s surfable, but very ordinary.

Wednesday the 9th drops right off. We’re looking at tiny, glassy conditions with a 0.7ft to 1ft NNE swell, but the period is a whopping 15 seconds – that’s a long-period groundswell, but there’s simply no energy behind it (combined energy of 39 and 58). It’s essentially flat. Thursday and Friday stay in the same boat, with barely a ripple and wave heights stuck around 1ft to 1ft. The water temperature is about average for the time of year, nothing unusual there.

The weekend and the start of the following week are a write-off. From Saturday the 12th right through to Monday the 15th, we’ve got a run of tiny, weak swell with strong cross-offshore winds, mostly from the WSW at 15 mph. The combined energy is pathetic, dropping as low as 15 by Tuesday afternoon. It’s a bleak stretch for surfers.

Then things get a bit weird. On Wednesday the 16th, a short-period NNW windswell bumps up to 4ft in the morning, but the period is a terrible 6 seconds. The combined energy jumps to 168, but the conditions are still poor, with a strong cross-offshore wind. By Thursday afternoon the 17th, the swell hits 7ft from the NNW with a period of only 7 seconds, and the combined energy spikes to 494. That’s a lot of lumpy, wind-affected water, but with a fresh breeze and a short period, it’s going to be a messy, choppy mess. At over 8ft, this is strictly for experienced surfers, but honestly, the setup looks more interesting for a kite surfer than a paddle surfer.

The only real standout, and I mean the *only* one, is a promising window that’s a full two weeks away. On Wednesday the 23rd of September, we finally see some quality. The swell builds to 6ft from the NNE, with a period of 9 seconds – that’s a solid groundswell with decent energy. The combined energy is a strong 633, and the wind is a light, cross-shore breeze from the east at just 6 mph. The wave comment even calls it “marginal surf forecast or questionable tide conditions,” but looking at the numbers, it’s the best we’ve got. Mount Maunganui will be worth a look, but with a 6ft swell, it’s edging into the too-big-for-beginners territory. The long period (9 seconds) is good for shape, but at a beach break, those longer-period swells can sometimes close out, so keep that in mind.

So, to sum it up: the next week and a half is a slow, frustrating grind of tiny surf and strong winds. Don’t bother. Pin your hopes on that Wednesday the 23rd of September. It’s a long way off, so the forecast could change, but right now, that’s the one day that looks like it could deliver a few proper waves at The Mount.

Rusty.

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