Sponge bay Surf Break

Lat Long: 38.70° S 178.06° E

Sponge bay Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Issued: 11 am 18 Jul 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's Sponge bay sea temperature is
13.5° C
1.0° 

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 18 Jul 2026:

  • Best quality surf: Saturday 18 Jul, 9PM (local time) - 5ft (1.6m), 22s period, SSE swell with cross-offshore winds.
  • Most powerful swell: Monday 20 Jul, 9PM (local time) - 6ft (1.9m), 19s period, SSE swell with 2,696 kJ wave energy.
  • Next surfable swell (1★+): Saturday 18 Jul, 9PM (local time) - 5ft (1.6m), 22s period with SSE 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 Saturday (Jul 18) at 9PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.6m and 22s period with a secondary swell of 1.2m and 14s. 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 1.9m 19s and forecast to arrive on Monday (Jul 20) at 9PM. 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 6s period and expected on Friday (Jul 24) at 6PM.

Wave TypeTime (NZST) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+) 9PM (Sat 18th Jul)5ft (1.6m) 22s
Best Surf 9PM (Sat 18th Jul)5ft (1.6m) 22s
Most Powerful 9PM (Mon 20th Jul)6ft (1.9m) 19s

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


The Lowdown

Sponge Bay’s got a mixed bag over the next couple of weeks, but there’s some real juice if you time it right. The water’s sitting at 56.3° – a bit colder than normal for this time of year, so don’t forget a warmer spring suit. The break itself is a beach-and-reef setup, fairly consistent, and it’s exposed enough to pick up most swells. Crowds are possible, but nothing too hectic. The optimum swell direction is SSE, which we’ll see a good dose of.

Let’s start with the first window. Saturday morning, July 18 – clean conditions with a light NW cross-off breeze, 4.3ft of ESE swell coming in at 14 seconds. The combined energy is 932 – solid moderate, with a nice push. That’s a great all-rounder for a beginner to intermediate session, waves are clean and the size is friendly. The afternoon gets questionable with a shifting wind, so make the most of the morning.

Sunday morning, July 19 – now we’re talking. Swell builds to 4.9ft from the SSE (right on the optimum direction), period stretches to a very long 18 seconds – that’s groundswell with serious grunt. Combined energy jumps to 1734, strong. Wind is WNW cross-off, so the face stays clean. This is excellent for experienced surfers – the long period means better shape and more power, but it might wall up on the beach section; the reef part should handle it nicely. The afternoon gets blown out by a strong onshore breeze, so grab the early session.

Things drop off after that. Monday July 20 through to Thursday July 24 is mostly poor – onshore winds, small weak swell, or messy conditions. There’s a little window Wednesday morning July 22 with 3.0ft SSE, 13s, light NW cross-off, energy 299 – that’s surfable but ordinary, only worth it if you’re desperate. Friday July 24 and Saturday July 25 are a write-off with strong cross-onshore winds. Sunday July 26 sees near gale

Short Range Forecast

Light rain (total 2mm), mostly falling on Sun night. Very mild (max 14°C on Sun morning, min 8°C on Sat night). Wind will be generally light.

Days 4-6 Weather Summary

Mostly dry. Very mild (max 14°C on Thu afternoon, min 8°C on Tue night). Wind will be generally light.

Saturday
18
Sunday
19
Monday
20
Tuesday
21
Wednesday
22
Thursday
23
Friday
24
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
Rating
(10 max)
3
2
4
4
0
1
0
0
3
4
2
2
2
0
1
1
1
0
0
0
0
Swell
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Wave
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
1.3
ESE
14
1.3
ESE
14
1.6
SSE
21
1.5
SSE
18
1.2
SSE
17
1
SSE
16
1
SSE
15
1.3
SSE
19
1.9
SSE
19
1.6
SSE
16
1.4
SSE
15
1.1
SSE
14
0.9
SSE
13
0.8
SSE
12
0.7
SSE
12
0.5
SSE
11
0.4
SSE
10
0.4
SSE
12
0.2
ESE
10
0.2
ESE
11
0.2
ESE
10
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
732
586
2124
1377
908
540
487
1133
2558
1310
856
453
253
184
119
69
38
56
10
11
10
Wind (km/h)
10
NW
10
SSE
10
NW
10
NW
25
SSW
15
SW
20
S
20
SSW
10
S
5
WNW
10
E
15
NW
10
NW
5
ESE
10
WNW
15
NW
15
NE
20
NW
15
NW
5
E
15
NW
Wind State
cross-off
on
cross-off
cross-off
on
cross-on
on
on
on
cross-off
cross
cross-off
cross-off
cross-on
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
High Tide
9:21PM2.12m
9:45AM2.01m
10:13PM2.11m
10:36AM2.00m
11:02PM2.08m
11:25AM1.98m
11:47PM2.03m
12:13PM1.94m
00:29AM1.96m
12:59PM1.88m
1:10AM1.87m
1:42PM1.82m
1:52AM1.78m
Low Tide
3:01PM0.47m
3:41AM0.52m
3:54PM0.50m
4:31AM0.53m
4:45PM0.54m
5:19AM0.54m
5:32PM0.59m
6:06AM0.56m
6:19PM0.64m
6:49AM0.58m
7:05PM0.70m
7:32AM0.62m
7:52PM0.75m
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
rain showers
cloud
part cloud
rain showers
clear
clear
cloud
part cloud
clear
clear
clear
part cloud
part cloud
clear
part cloud
part cloud
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
7:20
7:20
7:18
7:18
7:18
7:16
7:16
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
5:07
5:07
5:07
5:08
5:09
5:09
5:10
 mm
1
1
Temp °C
11
11
10
14
13
12
12
11
11
11
12
10
11
11
10
12
14
9
14
15
10
Feels °C
9
8
8
11
8
9
7
6
8
10
9
7
9
9
8
9
10
5
10
13
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
How to use the Wavefinder 
submit an eyeball surf report

Quick surf report for Sponge bay:

join our community of surf reporters

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 Sponge bay 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 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.

Nearest locationNearest