Sponge bay Surf Forecast and Surf Reports

(Gisborne and Mahia, New Zealand)

Forecast
- Hourly Forecast
- 16 Day Forecast
Maps
Live
Weather State
Spot Information

Sponge bay Surf Guide

Sponge bay in Gisborne is a reasonably exposed beach break that has fairly consistent surf and can work at any time of the year. Works best in offshore winds from the west. Groundswells more frequent than windswells and the ideal swell angle is from the south southeast. Waves at the beach break both left and right. When the surf is up, it can get quite busy in the water. Take care of rocks in the line up.

Sponge bay Spot Info

Type:	Rating:	Reliability:	Todays Sea Temp*:
Beach and reef	2	fairly consistent	16.0°C*ocean temperature recorded from satellite

Surfing Sponge bay:

The best conditions reported for surf at Sponge bay occur when a South-southeast swell combines with an offshore wind direction from the North.

Hourly Forecast

16 Day Forecast

What's the best time of year to surf Sponge bay (for consistent clean waves)?

aprilBest Season: autumn

The best time of year for surfing Sponge bay with consistent clean waves (rideable swell with light / offshore winds) is during Autumn and most often the month of April. Clean surfable waves are typically found 22% of the time in April while 35% of the time it tends to be blown out. For the remaining 43% of the time it is considered too small by most surfers but may still be OK for beginners and groms at times.

clean

22%

Surfable waves that hold up well for longer rides in prevailing cross-offshore, offshore or light wind conditions.

blown out

35%

Surfable sized waves that are of poorer quality due to prevailing onshore, cross-onshore or windy conditions (may be preferable for kitesurfing).

too small

43%

Waves usually considered too small for good surf. Some wave-magnet breaks may still work though if conditions are right (on occasion).

Explore Sponge bay Location Map

Interactive Sponge bay surf break location map. View information about nearby surf breaks, their wave consistency and rating compared to other spots in the region. Current swell conditions from local buoys are shown along with live wind speed and direction from nearby weather stations. Click icons on the map for more detail. The closest passenger airport to Sponge bay is Gisborne Airport (GIS) in New Zealand, 8 km (5 miles) away (directly). The second nearest airport to Sponge bay is Whakatane Airport (WHK), also in New Zealand, 132 km (82 miles) away.

Map Icons:
Break
Live Wave Height (m)
Live Wind Speed (km/h)
Surf Rating (10 Max)
Ocean Swells (m)
Wind Speed (km/h)

Please note that some surf spot locations are approximate to protect their exact location while others are not shown at close zoom level.

Sponge bay Surf Forecasts:

Hourly Forecast

16 Day Forecast

Todays Surf Summary
Wednesday, 6 May 2026, 04:45 Local Time

m, °C	Wednesday 06
ft, °F	3AM	6AM	9AM	12PM
Wave (m)	SSE	SSE	SSE	SSE
Period (s)	15	14	14	17
Wind (km/h)
Wind State	cross- off	cross- off	cross- off	cross- off

What does Sponge bay look like?

Latest photos from Sponge bay. Upload your own or view all photos on the gallery page.

Credit: Rob Davies Credit: Rob Davies

Tides at Sponge bay

Current tide and informaton

For Gisborne, New Zealand, 5 km from Sponge bay.

Next High Water: 08:50am | 1.71m

Next Low Water: 03:02pm | 0.67m

NEXT	IS AT (local time)	remaining
high tide
low tide

Sponge bay Sea Temperature

The water temperature at Sponge bay is rather cool (16.0 °C) and the air temperature will feel similar. A good quality spring wetsuit with optional neoprene boots should suffice. No need for wetsuit gloves.

Today, many surfers would wear a spring wetsuit and neoprene boots.