Surf Forecasts:
Sponge bay surf forecast from 11 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Sunday 13 Sep, 12AM (local time) - 7ft (2.1m), 15s period, SSE swell with offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Sunday 13 Sep, 3AM (local time) - 7ft (2.1m), 15s period, SSE swell with 1,976 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Saturday 12 Sep, 9PM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.4m), 15s 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 (Sep 12) at 9PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.4m and 15s period with a secondary swell of 1.1m and 7s. 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 2.1m 15s and forecast to arrive on Sunday (Sep 13) at 3AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.9m 5s period and expected on Wednesday (Sep 16) at 3AM.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 9PM (Sat 12th Sep) | 4.5ft (1.4m) 15s |
| Best Surf | 12AM (Sun 13th Sep) | 7ft (2.1m) 15s |
| Most Powerful | 3AM (Sun 13th Sep) | 7ft (2.1m) 15s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Sponge bay over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s look at what’s coming our way for Sponge Bay. It’s a bit of a slow start this week, but there are a couple of sweet windows on the horizon that’ll get you frothing.
The first few days are a write-off really. Saturday the 12th is a total no-go with a messy cross-onshore wind and weak, short-period swell so don’t even bother paddling out. Sunday morning the 13th is where things start to turn. We get a solid pulse of 6 ft from the SSE with a very long period of 15 seconds, and the morning glass-off with a light WNW offshore. That’s clean, powerful, groundswell energy (combined energy of 1275). The moderate wave height and long-period combo should produce some proper lines, so if you’re a competent surfer, get on it early before the winds swing onshore in the arvo.
Monday the 14th is a gem for the learner crew. The swell drops to a friendly 5 ft from the SSE, but it’s still got a respectable 12-second period. The absolute standout is the glassy conditions on Monday morning with a NNE wind of only 3 mph. That is as clean as it gets (combined energy of 612). It’s a perfect, user-friendly wave for the beginners and longboarders. Tuesday morning the 15th is also clean, but the swell drops right back.
We then hit a long, dry spell. From Tuesday afternoon right through to Friday the 26th of September, the surf is either too small, too messy, or blown out. There’s a brief glimmer on Saturday the 19th with a clean morning and a 3 ft SSE swell, but it’s not worth hanging your hat on.
Now, the real standout of the whole 16-day run lands on Saturday the 26th of September. This is the one to circle on your calendar. We get a solid 5 ft swell from the SSE, but the period is a very long 18 seconds, with glassy conditions from a light NNW wind. The combined energy jumps to 1485, which is proper. This is a beautiful, powerful groundswell with no wind. It’s not for the groms at that size, but for anyone with a bit of experience, this is premium. Sunday the 27th also shapes up nicely with another glassy morning and a clean 4 ft, 13-second swell. That’s a solid backup.
So, the call is easy: ignore this week until Sunday morning the 13th, and then save your energy for the weekend of the 26th and 27th. That’s the gold.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 2mm), mostly falling on Sat morning. Very mild (max 14°C on Sun morning, min 8°C on Sat night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Very mild (max 18°C on Thu morning, min 9°C on Tue night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||
Saturday 12 | Sunday 13 | Monday 14 | Tuesday 15 | Wednesday 16 | Thursday 17 | ||||||||||||||
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 18 | SSE 17 | SSE 16 | SSE 15 | SSE 15 | S 14 | SSE 11 | SSE 12 | SSE 12 | SSE 12 | SSE 11 | SE 11 | SSE 10 | SE 9 | SE 9 | SSE 13 | SE 12 | SE 11 | SE 10 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 102 | 94 | 359 | 1900 | 1271 | 1487 | 638 | 608 | 551 | 275 | 190 | 117 | 64 | 41 | 29 | 17 | 38 | 31 | 15 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | cross-on | on | off | cross-off | on | cross-off | glassy | cross-off | off | off | cross-off | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off |
High Tide | 6:33AM1.95m | 6:53PM2.05m | 7:17AM1.99m | 7:34PM2.05m | 8:00AM2.01m | 8:14PM2.02m | 8:43AM2.00m | 8:56PM1.97m | 9:25AM1.96m | 9:40PM1.91m | 10:09AM1.91m | 10:25PM1.84m | |||||||
Low Tide | 00:26AM0.48m | 12:37PM0.42m | 1:10AM0.44m | 1:23PM0.42m | 1:52AM0.42m | 2:08PM0.44m | 2:32AM0.43m | 2:52PM0.48m | 3:13AM0.47m | 3:37PM0.54m | 3:56AM0.53m | 4:21PM0.61m | |||||||
 |  | |  |  | | |  |  | | | | | | | | | | | |
 | — | 6:13 | — | — | 6:11 | — | — | 6:09 | — | — | 6:09 | — | — | 6:07 | — | — | 6:05 | — | — |
 | — | — | 5:54 | — | — | 5:54 | — | — | 5:55 | — | — | 5:57 | — | — | 5:58 | — | — | 5:59 | — |
mm | — | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 12 | 12 | 11 | 9 | 14 | 13 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 14 | 14 | 12 | 15 | 15 | 13 | 18 | 18 | 14 |
Feels °C | 9 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 12 | 12 | 9 | 14 | 13 | 10 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 7 | SSE 17 | SSE 6 | SSE 15 | SSE 15 | SSE 14 | SSE 11 | SSE 12 | SSE 12 | SSE 12 | SSE 11 | SE 11 | SSE 10 | SE 9 | SE 9 | SE 8 | SE 12 | SE 11 | SE 10 |
| kJ | 24 | 94 | 72 | 1900 | 1271 | 886 | 638 | 608 | 551 | 275 | 190 | 117 | 64 | 41 | 29 | 11 | 38 | 31 | 15 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 18 | ESE 7 | SSE 16 | E 8 | E 8 | E 12 | E 12 | E 9 | NE 12 | E 10 | E 9 | S 15 | ENE 5 | ENE 5 | ENE 5 | ENE 4 | E 4 | S 14 | ENE 6 |
| kJ | 102 | 4 | 359 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 18 | 9 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 16 | 3 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 7 | ENE 8 | E 8 | E 12 | E 12 | SE 11 | SE 10 | E 9 | E 8 | E 13 | E 13 | E 13 | S 14 | S 14 | S 13 | SSE 13 | S 14 | — | ESE 12 |
| kJ | 12 | 7 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 16 | 4 | 4 | 17 | 4 | — | 15 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | S 6 | S 6 | — | — | S 14 | — | — | — | NE 3 | NNE 3 | NE 3 | NE 5 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | — | 19 | 138 | — | — | 1487 | — | — | — | 1 | 1 | 3 | 28 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 53 | 44 | 0 | 0 | 349 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 46 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 36 | 3 | 3 | 9 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Gisborne and Mahia | |||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in New Zealand | |||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||
- Map Icons:
Break
Live Wave Height (m)
Live Wind Speed (km/h)
Surf Rating (10 Max)
Ocean Swells (m)- Wind Speed (km/h)
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