
Surf Forecasts:
Sponge bay surf forecast from 8 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Saturday 8 Aug, 9PM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.1m), 11s period, SE swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Saturday 15 Aug, 6PM (local time) - 8ft (2.5m), 9s period, SSW swell with 1,027 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Saturday 8 Aug, 9PM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.1m), 11s period with SE 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 (Aug 08) at 9PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.1m and 11s period with a secondary swell of 0.4m and 15s. 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 2.5m 9s and forecast to arrive on Saturday (Aug 15) at 6PM. Winds are predicted to be onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.6m 6s period and expected on Thursday (Aug 13) at 6PM.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 9PM (Sat 8th Aug) | 3.5ft (1.1m) 11s |
| Best Surf | 9PM (Sat 8th Aug) | 3.5ft (1.1m) 11s |
| Most Powerful | 6PM (Sat 15th Aug) | 8ft (2.5m) 9s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Sponge bay over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, this is Rusty. Let's have a look at what Sponge Bay has got cooking for us over the next couple of weeks.
Alright, so overall, Sponge Bay is a bit of a mixed bag. The water's sitting at 55°, which is a bit colder than normal for this time of year – you'll feel that in the morning. The real story here is that we get a nice little window of clean, surfable waves right at the start, but then things go pretty flat and choppy for a long stretch before a massive, messy swell rolls in that's only for the brave.
Our best bet kicks off this Saturday, August 8th. It’s not going to be huge, with an SSE swell coming in at 4ft and a solid 12-second period. That longer period means good shape and some proper energy behind it (combined energy of 866). The morning is looking sweet with a cross-off NW breeze at 9 mph, keeping things clean. The afternoon gets a bit tricky with an ENE wind, but it's still rideable. That's the standout window for the whole 16 days.
Sunday the 9th is still pretty good, but smaller. We've got clean offshore winds and a dropping swell from the SE, around 3ft in the morning and 3ft in the afternoon. It's consistent enough to have a fun session.
After that, we hit a real lull. From Monday the 10th through to Saturday the 15th, the energy just drops off a cliff. We're looking at weak, short-period swell and a lot of poor, choppy conditions with onshore winds. There are a few moments with glassy conditions on Monday afternoon, but the swell is tiny, maybe 2ft. It's a frustrating stretch, honestly.
Then things get weird. On Sunday, August 16th, a bigger SSE swell starts showing up, but the wind is a mess, so don't get too excited. The real monster arrives on Monday, August 17th. We're talking a 15ft S swell in the morning with a massive combined energy of 6128. The wind is offshore, so it looks clean, but that's way too big for Sponge Bay. This is expert-only territory, and even then, it's probably going to be shutting the place down. The afternoon gets even uglier with a strong cross-onshore wind. The rest of that week is just big, windy, and messy – honestly, that setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing. The swell stays huge and onshore right through to the end of the forecast. There's a flicker of hope on Sunday, August 23rd, with a 5ft S swell and a cross-shore wind, but it's a long way off and the onshore wind returns in the afternoon.
So, to sum it up: get it this weekend, that's the time. After that, it’s a long haul of poor conditions or dangerously big surf.
- Rusty
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 2mm), mostly falling on Sun night. Very mild (max 17°C on Mon afternoon, min 7°C on Sat morning). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 7mm), mostly falling on Wed night. Very mild (max 14°C on Thu morning, min 9°C on Tue morning). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Saturday 8 | Sunday 9 | Monday 10 | Tuesday 11 | Wednesday 12 | Thursday 13 | Friday 14 | |||||||||||||||
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) | SSE 12 | SSE 12 | SE 11 | SE 11 | SE 10 | SE 12 | SE 10 | SE 10 | SE 9 | SSW 8 | SSE 11 | SSE 11 | SE 10 | SE 9 | ESE 10 | ESE 9 | ESE 8 | E 6 | E 7 | E 8 | ESE 8 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
521 | 480 | 283 | 229 | 160 | 192 | 89 | 79 | 55 | 335 | 270 | 151 | 173 | 196 | 200 | 135 | 82 | 98 | 126 | 135 | 284 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | off | off | off | cross-off | glassy | cross-on | cross | on | cross-off | off | cross-off | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off |
High Tide | 1:05PM1.89m | 1:22AM1.83m | 1:58PM1.86m | 2:20AM1.79m | 2:55PM1.84m | 3:29AM1.77m | 4:07PM1.85m | 4:46AM1.79m | 5:27PM1.91m | 5:54AM1.85m | 6:28PM2.00m | 6:51AM1.92m | 7:19PM2.07m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 7:14PM0.57m | 7:47AM0.47m | 8:12PM0.60m | 8:44AM0.49m | 9:16PM0.63m | 9:49AM0.51m | 10:31PM0.63m | 11:01AM0.49m | 11:47PM0.60m | 12:04PM0.45m | 00:48AM0.54m | 12:58PM0.43m | 1:39AM0.49m | ||||||||
7:01 | — | — | 7:01 | — | — | 7:00 | — | — | 6:58 | — | — | 6:58 | — | — | 6:56 | — | — | 6:54 | — | — | |
— | 5:23 | — | — | 5:24 | — | — | 5:25 | — | — | 5:27 | — | — | 5:27 | — | — | 5:28 | — | — | 5:29 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 5 | 1 | — | — | 7 | 1 | 1 |
Temp °C | 10 | 11 | 10 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 14 | 17 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 10 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 12 |
Feels °C | 7 | 7 | 6 | 11 | 12 | 9 | 10 | 15 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 13 | 11 | 12 | 10 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 12 | SSE 12 | SE 11 | SE 11 | SE 10 | SE 12 | SE 10 | SE 10 | SE 9 | SSE 9 | SSE 11 | SSE 11 | SE 10 | SE 9 | ESE 10 | ESE 9 | ESE 8 | E 6 | E 7 | E 8 | ESE 8 |
521 | 480 | 283 | 229 | 160 | 192 | 89 | 79 | 55 | 181 | 270 | 151 | 173 | 196 | 200 | 135 | 82 | 98 | 126 | 135 | 284 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 16 | SSE 15 | SE 15 | SE 15 | SE 14 | NE 6 | ENE 6 | ENE 6 | SE 12 | SE 12 | S 15 | S 20 | S 18 | S 16 | — | ESE 14 | SSE 9 | ESE 13 | ESE 14 | ESE 14 | NNE 8 |
258 | 240 | 56 | 104 | 147 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 55 | 90 | 38 | 8 | 6 | 5 | — | 18 | 8 | 17 | 19 | 20 | 42 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 12 | SE 11 | SE 11 | E 13 | — | E 12 | S 17 | S 16 | S 5 | S 16 | NNE 6 | NE 11 | S 11 | S 16 | NE 10 | S 19 | ESE 13 | S 16 | SE 10 | S 16 | SE 8 |
87 | 41 | 19 | 13 | — | 3 | 5 | 5 | 13 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 57 | 5 | 4 | 7 | 16 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 3 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | NNE 3 | NNE 3 | NNE 3 | — | — | — | SSW 5 | SSW 8 | S 8 | — | NE 6 | N 6 | NE 4 | ENE 5 | ENE 6 | NE 6 | NE 6 | — | NNE 7 |
— | — | 3 | 1 | 4 | — | — | — | 28 | 335 | 142 | — | 1 | 1 | 22 | 30 | 38 | 112 | 186 | — | 51 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 36 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 88 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Gisborne and Mahia | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in New Zealand | |||||||||||||||||||||
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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.











