Surf Forecasts:
Sponge bay surf forecast from 15 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Friday 21 Aug, 3PM (local time) - 5ft (1.5m), 16s period, SSE swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Thursday 20 Aug, 12AM (local time) - 11ft (3.5m), 14s period, S swell with 4,704 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Thursday 20 Aug, 9PM (local time) - 5.5ft (1.7m), 11s 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 Thursday (Aug 20) at 9PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.7m and 11s period with a secondary swell of 0.4m 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 3.5m 14s and forecast to arrive on Thursday (Aug 20) at 12AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.4m 8s period and expected on Monday (Aug 17) at 3AM.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 9PM (Thu 20th Aug) | 5.5ft (1.7m) 11s |
| Best Surf | 3PM (Fri 21st Aug) | 5ft (1.5m) 16s |
| Most Powerful | 12AM (Thu 20th Aug) | 11ft (3.5m) 14s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Sponge bay over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Grab your board and let’s talk Sponge Bay (Sponge-Bay) – it’s a beach and reef setup that’s fairly consistent, but honestly, the next week-plus is going to test your patience. The water’s running about 55°F, which is a bit colder than normal for this time of year, so suit up warm.
The first stretch, from Saturday the 15th through Thursday the 20th, is pretty much a write-off. We’ve got a mix of rain, fresh to near-gale winds swinging onshore or cross-onshore, and lumpy, chopped-up surf. Swell heights bounce around 4ft to 13ft, but it’s all over the place and messy – not worth paddling out. Even the bigger pulses, like Monday the 17th with 8ft–10ft from the SSE/SE and solid energy (2162 and 1852), are blown out by strong winds. The same goes for Wednesday the 19th, when that 13ft S swell rolls in with 6036 energy – huge, but it’s cross-onshore and lumpy. This is more kite-surfing weather than paddle surfing, to be honest.
Now, here’s the light at the end of the tunnel. Friday the 21st is your standout. Morning brings a clean 5ft SSE swell with a 12-second period, light cross-offshore wind from the NW, and energy of 800 – proper clean conditions. By afternoon, it gets even better: 5ft SSE, period stretching to 16 seconds, and energy jumping to 1987. That’s a long-period groundswell with light offshore breeze – glassy and lined up. This is the pick of the whole window, especially for the more experienced surfers. Keep in mind, the long period might make it a bit walled at the beach break, but the reef sections should handle it sweet.
After that, Saturday the 22nd has a small 3ft SSE swell in the morning with clean conditions and a cross-offshore breeze, but it’s weak (276 energy) – fun for a grovel, but nothing to write home about. Then we hit a real lull from Sunday the 23rd all the way through to Friday the 28th. Swell drops to 0.7ft–2ft, energy mostly below 100, and even though some mornings are glassy or with light cross-offshore winds, there’s just not enough push. The period stays long – 10 to 17 seconds – but the size is tiny.
The last couple of days, Saturday the 29th and Sunday the 30th, stay small and messy with onshore winds picking up again. All in all, if you’re free on Friday the 21st, that’s your window. Otherwise, this stretch is mostly about watching the forecast and waiting for the next pulse.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastHeavy rain (total 46mm), heaviest during Sun afternoon. Very mild (max 14°C on Sat afternoon, min 7°C on Mon night). Winds increasing (light winds from the SW on Sat night, strong winds from the SW by Sun afternoon). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 9mm), mostly falling on Tue afternoon. Very mild (max 11°C on Thu morning, min 7°C on Thu night). Winds decreasing (near gales from the SSW on Tue night, light winds from the NW by Thu night). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Saturday 15 | Sunday 16 | Monday 17 | Tuesday 18 | Wednesday 19 | Thursday 20 | Friday 21 | |||||||||||||||
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) | E 9 | E 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | SSW 16 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | SE 10 | SSE 10 | S 9 | ESE 10 | SSE 11 | SSE 11 | S 11 | S 14 | S 9 | S 10 | SSE 12 | SSE 12 | SSE 16 | SSE 14 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 529 | 461 | 385 | 246 | 238 | 880 | 1450 | 1828 | 2128 | 642 | 319 | 2225 | 2241 | 3776 | 4704 | 1270 | 1325 | 686 | 527 | 1094 | 530 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | on | on | on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | on | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off |
High Tide | 8:05PM2.10m | 8:30AM2.01m | 8:51PM2.10m | 9:16AM2.02m | 9:37PM2.07m | 10:02AM2.01m | 10:22PM2.02m | 10:47AM1.96m | 11:06PM1.95m | 11:32AM1.90m | 11:48PM1.87m | 12:17PM1.84m | 00:30AM1.79m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 1:48PM0.42m | 2:26AM0.46m | 2:37PM0.43m | 3:10AM0.46m | 3:25PM0.47m | 3:54AM0.48m | 4:11PM0.52m | 4:39AM0.51m | 4:56PM0.58m | 5:24AM0.56m | 5:42PM0.65m | 6:09AM0.62m | 6:28PM0.72m | ||||||||
 | |  |  | | | | |  |  |  |  | | | |  | |  | | | | |
 | 6:54 | — | — | 6:52 | — | — | 6:52 | — | — | 6:50 | — | — | 6:48 | — | — | 6:48 | — | — | 6:46 | — | — |
 | — | 5:30 | — | — | 5:30 | — | — | 5:31 | — | — | 5:32 | — | — | 5:34 | — | — | 5:34 | — | — | 5:35 | — |
mm | 7 | 7 | 9 | 5 | 7 | 8 | 2 | 1 | — | — | 1 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 13 | 14 | 13 | 11 | 9 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 10 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 9 | 11 | 12 | 10 |
Feels °C | 8 | 11 | 11 | 3 | -2 | 4 | 1 | -1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | -4 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 9 | 9 | 7 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 16 | E 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 9 | ESE 8 | ESE 10 | ESE 11 | SE 10 | SE 9 | ESE 10 | SE 10 | E 9 | SSE 11 | SSE 15 | SSE 9 | SSE 10 | SSE 12 | SSE 12 | SSE 16 | SSE 14 |
| kJ | 5 | 461 | 385 | 246 | 238 | 361 | 399 | 24 | 1088 | 593 | 319 | 220 | 7 | 1766 | 2625 | 674 | 688 | 686 | 527 | 1094 | 530 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 15 | S 18 | SSE 18 | SSE 18 | SSE 16 | SSE 20 | SSW 17 | — | SSE 15 | SSE 14 | SSE 13 | — | — | SSE 15 | — | SSE 14 | SE 14 | SE 13 | SSE 16 | S 16 | SE 12 |
| kJ | 5 | 6 | 61 | 103 | 87 | 75 | 313 | — | 44 | 38 | 33 | — | — | 494 | — | 204 | 30 | 61 | 214 | 870 | 22 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | S 18 | — | S 18 | SSW 16 | SE 15 | — | — | — | — | E 18 | — | — | — | — | SE 13 | E 9 | — | SE 13 | SE 12 | E 12 |
| kJ | — | 24 | — | 160 | 229 | 9 | — | — | — | — | 6 | — | — | — | — | 61 | 1 | — | 59 | 23 | 3 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 9 | — | — | S 6 | S 7 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | SE 10 | SSE 10 | S 9 | S 8 | SSE 11 | SSE 11 | S 11 | S 14 | S 9 | S 10 | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | 529 | — | — | 74 | 144 | 880 | 1450 | 1828 | 2128 | 642 | 229 | 2225 | 2241 | 3776 | 4704 | 1270 | 1325 | — | — | — | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 46 | 42 | 3 | 68 | 118 | 118 | 121 | 121 | 68 | 68 | 118 | 294 | 118 | 68 | 68 | 68 | 125 | 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.
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