Surf Forecasts:
Sponge bay surf forecast from 1 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Sunday 2 Aug, 3AM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 13s period, S swell with cross-onshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Tuesday 4 Aug, 6PM (local time) - 15ft (4.5m), 13s period, S swell with 7,834 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Sunday 2 Aug, 3AM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 13s period with S 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 Sunday (Aug 02) at 3AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 3.0m and 13s period with a secondary swell of 2.1m and 13s. Another secondary swell of 0.1m and 16s is also forecast. The wind is predicted to be cross-onshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Sponge bay in the next 16 days are 4.5m 13s and forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Aug 04) at 6PM. 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 3s period and expected on Monday (Aug 03) at 9AM.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 3AM (Sun 2nd Aug) | 10ft (3.0m) 13s |
| Best Surf | 3AM (Sun 2nd Aug) | 10ft (3.0m) 13s |
| Most Powerful | 6PM (Tue 4th Aug) | 15ft (4.5m) 13s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Sponge bay over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Righto, Rusty here. Let's have a look at what's on offer at Sponge Bay.
First up, the water is sitting at 55°, which is a bit colder than normal for this time of year – so factor that into your wetsuit choice. It's a quiet start to the outlook. The next few days are a write-off. We've got a big, messy, onshore wind swell that's just too lumpy and blown out to bother with. You can pretty much write off Saturday, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday – that's a solid five days of poor conditions. The swell energy is there, with readings over 2000 on Saturday afternoon and even hitting 10968 on Tuesday afternoon, but it's all wind-affected junk.
The real action starts to shape up on Thursday the 6th of August. Thursday morning we see a clean-up with clear skies and a light cross-off breeze from the WNW at 6 mph. Swell is a manageable 5 ft from the SSE, and the combined energy is moderate (742). The vibe is good, clean waves. But the standout session of the whole outlook is Friday the 7th of August afternoon. That's the one to circle. The swell is 5 ft from the SSE, but the period jumps to a very long 17 seconds – that's proper groundswell energy. With a light cross-off breeze from the ENE making it clean, and the combined energy reading 1348, this is excellent surf for experienced surfers. Keep in mind that long-period swell like this can make beach breaks a bit hard to handle, but it will shape up nicely at the point or reef sections.
Saturday the 8th of August morning is also a solid option with clean 5 ft surf and moderate energy, but the Friday afternoon is the pick.
The second week gets a bit more mixed. There's a nice glassy session on Tuesday the 11th of August morning with 6 ft swell from the east, but the period is a short 7 seconds, so it'll be a bit weak. The swell builds again later in the week, but it starts to get too big. By Thursday the 13th of August morning, the swell is 10 ft with a 12-second period, and the forecast says it's too big for this break. That's expert-only territory. The energy is strong (2678). The tail end of the outlook on Sunday the 16th of August morning brings a clean 8 ft swell from the south with a 9-second period, which is excellent for experienced surfers, and the afternoon sees a 7 ft swell with a gentle offshore wind.
Overall, the best bet is that Friday afternoon session on the 7th of August – it's a proper standout.
Rusty
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 4mm), mostly falling on Tue morning. Very mild (max 16°C on Mon afternoon, min 6°C on Sun morning). Winds increasing (calm on Sun afternoon, fresh winds from the SSW by Tue morning). | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 9mm), mostly falling on Tue afternoon. Very mild (max 10°C on Thu afternoon, min 5°C on Tue night). Winds decreasing (strong winds from the SW on Tue night, calm by Fri morning). | |||||||||||||||||||
Sat 1 | Sunday 2 | Monday 3 | Tuesday 4 | Wednesday 5 | Thursday 6 | Friday 7 | ||||||||||||||
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) | S 10 | S 13 | SSE 12 | SE 11 | SE 11 | SSE 11 | SSE 10 | SSE 12 | S 9 | S 13 | S 13 | S 13 | SSE 12 | SSE 12 | SE 11 | SE 11 | SE 11 | SE 10 | SSE 17 | SSE 15 |
Wave Graph  | ||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 1449 | 2522 | 952 | 626 | 439 | 305 | 220 | 283 | 1204 | 7260 | 6372 | 5256 | 1390 | 1005 | 685 | 382 | 249 | 217 | 1120 | 1447 |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | cross-on | cross | on | cross-off | cross-off | cross-on | cross | on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross-off | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off |
High Tide | 8:24PM1.93m | 8:38AM1.87m | 9:03PM1.97m | 9:19AM1.89m | 9:43PM1.98m | 10:00AM1.91m | 10:23PM1.98m | 10:42AM1.92m | 11:05PM1.95m | 11:28AM1.91m | 11:47PM1.92m | 12:16PM1.90m | 00:32AM1.88m | |||||||
Low Tide | 2:41AM0.63m | 2:43PM0.56m | 3:20AM0.58m | 3:24PM0.54m | 4:00AM0.54m | 4:05PM0.52m | 4:41AM0.50m | 4:47PM0.51m | 5:24AM0.47m | 5:31PM0.52m | 6:09AM0.46m | 6:20PM0.54m | ||||||||
 |  |  | |  | | |  |  | | | |  | | | | | | | | |
 | — | — | 7:09 | — | — | 7:07 | — | — | 7:07 | — | — | 7:05 | — | — | 7:05 | — | — | 7:03 | — | — |
 | 5:17 | — | — | 5:19 | — | — | 5:20 | — | — | 5:20 | — | — | 5:21 | — | — | 5:22 | — | — | 5:22 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 |
Temp °C | 10 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 9 | 14 | 16 | 11 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 7 | 9 | 10 | 10 |
Feels °C | 2 | 3 | 6 | 7 | 5 | 11 | 14 | 6 | 0 | -2 | -3 | -1 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 7 | 3 | 6 | 6 | 5 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 10 | SSE 13 | SSE 12 | SE 11 | SE 11 | SSE 11 | SSE 10 | SSE 12 | SSE 8 | SSE 13 | SSE 14 | SSE 13 | SSE 12 | SSE 12 | SE 11 | SE 11 | SE 11 | SE 10 | SSE 17 | SSE 15 |
| kJ | 692 | 1487 | 952 | 626 | 439 | 305 | 220 | 283 | 528 | 3708 | 3572 | 1974 | 1390 | 1005 | 685 | 382 | 249 | 217 | 1120 | 1447 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 12 | E 16 | SE 14 | SE 15 | E 14 | S 22 | S 20 | SSE 18 | SSE 15 | — | — | NE 12 | NE 11 | NE 11 | SE 15 | SE 6 | SE 6 | SE 13 | SE 10 | NE 14 |
| kJ | 46 | 5 | 91 | 55 | 4 | 9 | 31 | 33 | 318 | — | — | 5 | 5 | 5 | 57 | 46 | 30 | 79 | 184 | 8 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 16 | ENE 16 | ENE 16 | SE 13 | ENE 14 | E 13 | SE 12 | E 12 | E 12 | — | — | — | SE 18 | NE 11 | NE 11 | SE 15 | ESE 14 | SSE 19 | SE 13 | — |
| kJ | 40 | 25 | 24 | 28 | 20 | 3 | 6 | 3 | 3 | — | — | — | 12 | 5 | 5 | 56 | 71 | 69 | 44 | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 10 | S 13 | — | — | — | WNW 3 | — | SW 6 | S 9 | S 13 | S 13 | S 13 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | 1449 | 2522 | — | — | — | 3 | — | 25 | 1204 | 7260 | 6372 | 5256 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 68 | 53 | 1 | 36 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 53 | 333 | 125 | 125 | 125 | 5 | 0 | 36 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
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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