Sponge bay Surf Break

Lat Long: 38.70° S 178.06° E

Issued: 11 am 07 Jul 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's Sponge bay sea temperature is
13.5° C

1.2°C colder than average for this time of year

Sponge bay surf forecast is for near shore open water. Breaking waves will often be smaller at less exposed spots.


Sponge bay surf forecast from 7 Jul 2026:

  • Best quality surf: Thursday 9 Jul, 12PM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 10s period, SSW swell with cross-onshore winds.
  • Most powerful swell: Friday 10 Jul, 9AM (local time) - 11ft (3.5m), 11s period, SE swell with 2,985 kJ wave energy.
  • Next surfable swell (1★+): Thursday 9 Jul, 6AM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.4m), 10s period with ESE swell.

Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Sponge bay this week:

The surf forecast for Sponge bay over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Thursday (Jul 09) at 6AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.4m and 10s period with a secondary swell of 0.6m and 9s. Another secondary swell of 0.7m and 4s is also forecast. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.

The most powerful waves expected at Sponge bay in the next 16 days are 3.5m 11s and forecast to arrive on Friday (Jul 10) at 9AM. Winds are predicted to be onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.8m 4s period and expected on Monday (Jul 13) at 9PM.

Wave TypeTime (NZST) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+) 6AM (Thu 9th Jul)4.5ft (1.4m) 10s
Best Surf12PM (Thu 9th Jul)10ft (3.0m) 10s
Most Powerful 9AM (Fri 10th Jul)11ft (3.5m) 11s

Table - best surf conditions forecast for Sponge bay over the next 16 days.


Updates in  hr  min  s Forecast update imminent

Alright, Rusty here again, running through it in feet and knots.

So, Sponge Bay (Sponge-Bay) has a bit of everything. The real gem is early Tuesday, July 7th morning. We get a glassy 4ft E swell with near-calm offshore winds. Water temp is about 56°F, running a bit colder than average by about 2°F. Combined wave energy sits at 320, so moderate juice. That morning is the highlight of the whole outlook: clean, smooth, and some solid chest-high sets.

Wind shifts later Tuesday and the surf gets crappy through Wednesday. Thursday morning, July 9th, cleans up with a 5ft SSW swell and a light cross-off – energy jumps to 864. It’s a nice window, but still just a warm-up.

Then the wind goes nuts. Friday July 10th through the weekend, we’ve got 10 to 12ft SE swell with onshore winds screaming over 27 knots. Wave energy hits 3156 – that’s heavy. This is big, messy, and dangerous for all but experts. If you’re a kiter, this might be your jam.

The lull comes early the next week. Monday July 13th has a clean 4ft ESE swell – surfable but average. The big standout in the second week comes Wednesday July 15th and Thursday July 16th. That long-period groundswell (14–16 seconds) brings 5 to 5ft from the ESE with clean, light cross-off winds. Energy is in the 900 range, and the quality should be excellent. That long period will make the sets more lined up, but at a beach-and-reef spot like Sponge Bay, it could be a bit straight. Still, it’s the best bet after that first Tuesday.

There’s a gap after Thursday until the next Tuesday, July 21st, which offers another glassy 3ft ESE morning with moderate energy at 425. A nice little session to wrap things up.

Best on offer: the Tuesday July 7th dawn patrol, hands down. The Thursday July 16th window is a strong second, just further out so keep an eye on it.

Rusty.

Short Range Forecast

Moderate rain (total 13mm), heaviest on Thu night. Very mild (max 13°C on Wed afternoon, min 10°C on Tue morning). Winds increasing (calm on Tue morning, near gales from the S by Thu night).

Days 4-6 Weather Summary

Moderate rain (total 11mm), heaviest on Fri morning. Very mild (max 12°C on Fri morning, min 8°C on Sun night). Winds decreasing (strong winds from the S on Fri morning, calm by Sun afternoon).

Tuesday
7
Wednesday
8
Thursday
9
Friday
10
Saturday
11
Sunday
12
Monday
13
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
Rating
(10 max)
2
1
1
0
0
1
3
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
1
1
2
2
1
1
Swell
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Wave
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
1.2
E
9
1.4
E
10
1.6
E
10
1.6
ESE
10
1.6
ESE
10
1.5
ESE
10
1.4
SSW
10
2.2
SSE
11
2.1
SSE
9
3.5
SE
11
3
SE
10
3.5
SSE
10
2.5
SE
10
2.5
SE
10
1.7
SE
10
1.5
ESE
10
1.4
ESE
9
1.3
ESE
9
1.1
ESE
10
1
ESE
9
0.9
ESE
9
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
241
356
520
473
480
416
356
1144
766
2985
1850
2179
1281
1324
580
421
334
261
221
141
146
Wind (km/h)
5
WNW
10
SE
10
SW
10
SW
15
SSW
10
W
10
WNW
20
SW
45
S
50
S
45
SSW
35
SSW
25
SSW
25
S
15
S
10
WSW
10
S
10
NW
15
NNW
10
NNE
10
NNW
Wind State
glassy
cross-on
cross-on
cross-on
cross-on
cross
cross-off
cross-on
on
on
on
cross-on
cross-on
on
on
cross
on
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
off
High Tide
11:12AM1.84m
11:39PM1.94m
11:56AM1.85m
00:18AM1.93m
12:42PM1.87m
00:59AM1.91m
1:30PM1.89m
1:45AM1.89m
2:19PM1.90m
2:38AM1.86m
3:12PM1.90m
3:39AM1.84m
4:14PM1.90m
Low Tide
5:18PM0.57m
5:59AM0.54m
6:00PM0.55m
6:40AM0.49m
6:45PM0.54m
7:24AM0.45m
7:35PM0.54m
8:10AM0.42m
8:29PM0.54m
9:01AM0.42m
9:28PM0.56m
10:01AM0.43m
10:33PM0.58m
clear
part cloud
rain showers
cloud
part cloud
part cloud
cloud
part cloud
heavy rain
mod rain
rain showers
part cloud
light rain
rain showers
light rain
cloud
part cloud
clear
clear
part cloud
cloud
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
7:24
7:24
7:24
7:24
7:24
7:24
7:22
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
4:59
5:00
5:00
5:00
5:01
5:01
5:02
 mm
1
12
7
1
1
1
1
Temp °C
11
12
12
12
13
11
13
13
13
12
11
10
11
11
11
10
10
10
12
14
11
Feels °C
10
10
9
10
10
8
9
9
7
3
2
2
5
5
7
8
8
7
8
10
8
Swell 1
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
1.2
E
9
1.4
E
10
1.6
E
10
1.6
ESE
10
1.6
ESE
10
1.5
ESE
10
1.3
E
10
2.2
SSE
11
1.6
ESE
10
0.9
E
10
3
SE
10
2.5
SE
10
2.1
SE
10
2
SE
10
1.7
SE
10
1.5
ESE
10
1.4
ESE
9
1.3
ESE
9
1.1
ESE
10
1
ESE
9
0.9
ESE
9
Energy kJ
241
356
520
473
480
416
346
1144
454
171
1850
1178
800
800
580
421
334
261
221
141
146
Swell 2
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
0.3
SSE
17
0.3
SSE
10
0.3
SSE
10
0.3
SSE
14
0.3
SSE
14
0.3
SSE
13
0.9
SSE
10
1.3
ESE
10
0.2
SSW
20
0.3
SSE
16
0.2
SSE
15
0.3
SSE
20
0.6
SSE
17
0.6
SSE
15
0.5
SSE
14
0.5
SSE
13
0.4
SSE
12
0.3
SSE
11
0.2
SSE
10
Energy kJ
58
20
18
41
36
32
137
356
38
48
23
75
216
174
118
99
46
24
10
Swell 3
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
0.3
S
11
0.3
SSE
16
0.3
SSE
16
0.3
SSE
9
0.4
SSW
14
0.4
NE
8
0.7
S
5
0.2
S
21
0.2
SSE
14
0.1
S
10
0.1
N
12
0.4
ESE
11
0.1
S
16
Energy kJ
21
51
48
16
61
15
25
35
21
2
3
48
5
Wind waves
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
0.6
SW
3
0.4
SSW
8
0.8
SSW
8
1.4
SSW
10
2.1
SSE
9
3.5
SE
11
0.2
SSE
18
3.5
SSE
10
2.5
SE
10
2.5
SE
10
0.5
NE
3
0.3
NNW
3
Energy kJ
7
22
64
356
766
2985
30
2179
1281
1324
5
2
Nearest Offshore or Glassy
Rating
(10 max)
2
2
3
3
3
3
3
4
1
1
2
4
5
4
3
3
3
2
2
1
1
Distance (km)
0
19
3
3
10
1
0
10
118
121
121
68
57
68
10
3
36
0
0
0
0
Best forecast wave conditions in Gisborne and Mahia
Rating
(10 max)
3
3
4
3
3
3
3
4
4
3
3
2
2
2
1
Best forecast wave conditions in New Zealand
Rating
(10 max)
4
4
4
3
4
4
6
7
5
5
5
5
5
5
4
4
4
3
2
2
4
Header Global
Rating
(10 max)
7
5
7
9
8
9
7
7
6
7
5
5
5
5
5
5
9
9
7
5
6
  • Map Icons:
  • Break
  • Live Wave Height (m)
  • Live Wind Speed (km/h)
  • Surf Rating (10 Max)
  • Ocean Swells (m)
  • Wind Speed (km/h)
Map placeholder
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Information about the Sponge bay Surf forecast

The above surf forecast table for Sponge bay provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Sponge bay can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Sponge bay 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 (Sponge bay) 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 Sponge bay 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 Gisborne and Mahia? If you are looking for accommodation near Sponge bay, camping, hotels and holiday cottages in Gisborne and Mahia, consider staying in Gisborne which is 8 km (5 miles) away.

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