Sponge bay Surf Break

Lat Long: 38.70° S 178.06° E

Sponge bay Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Issued: 5 pm 12 Jul 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's Sponge bay sea temperature is
13.7° C
0.8° 

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 12 Jul 2026:

  • Best quality surf: Sunday 19 Jul, 6AM (local time) - 5ft (1.6m), 21s period, SSE swell with glassy winds.
  • Most powerful swell: Sunday 19 Jul, 3PM (local time) - 6.5ft (2.0m), 17s period, SSE swell with 2,303 kJ wave energy.
  • Next surfable swell (1★+): Monday 13 Jul, 12AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.0m), 10s period with ESE 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 Monday (Jul 13) at 12AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.0m and 10s period with a secondary swell of 0.5m and 12s. 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 2.0m 17s and forecast to arrive on Sunday (Jul 19) at 3PM. Winds are predicted to be offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.5m 5s period and expected on Tuesday (Jul 14) at 6AM.

Wave TypeTime (NZST) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+)12AM (Mon 13th Jul)3.5ft (1.0m) 10s
Best Surf 6AM (Sun 19th Jul)5ft (1.6m) 21s
Most Powerful 3PM (Sun 19th Jul)6.5ft (2.0m) 17s

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


Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what Sponge Bay is cooking up over the next couple of weeks.

Right now, the surf is pretty slim. We’ve got a bit of a flat spell to kick things off. From Sunday the 12th right through to Thursday the 16th, it’s mostly small and weak, with the odd tiny wave but nothing worth getting wet for. The combined energy is way down in the dumps (37 to 312), so you’re looking at knee-high slop at best. The water temp is sitting at 57°F, which is about 1°F cooler than average for this time of year, so it’s a touch nippy but nothing crazy.

The real action starts to build on Friday the 17th. That morning, we’ve got a solid ESE groundswell pushing in at 5ft with a 15-second period. The wind is light and cross-offshore, so the wave quality is going to be excellent. The combined energy jumps up to 964, which is a solid moderate pulse. This is the first real standout window. It’s a beginner-friendly spot, but with the swell bumping up to 5ft by the afternoon, it’s starting to get a bit more push, so less-experienced surfers should be mindful. The wind stays light and cross-off, so it’ll be clean all day.

Saturday the 18th holds similar size (5ft) and the same long period, but the morning is the call. By the afternoon, a strong SSW wind kicks up to 22 mph, turning it into a lumpy, cross-onshore mess. Get your session in before lunch.

Now, the big one. Sunday the 19th is the standout of the entire outlook. The swell picks up to 6ft in the morning, then 7ft in the afternoon, from the SSE with a very long period of 17 to 20 seconds. That’s genuine groundswell. The wind goes offshore all day, light to gentle, and the combined energy hits 2505 to 2616, which is strong. This is excellent surf, but it’s firmly in the experienced surfer zone. The long period will make it bend and wrap nicely at Sponge Bay, but expect some lulls between sets. Crowds are possible here, so keep an eye out.

The swell eases a bit into Monday the 20th and Tuesday the 21st, with 4ft to 5ft waves and still decent periods. The wind gets a bit tricky, with cross-onshore and cross-shore conditions, so the quality drops off. Still surfable, but nothing special.

Then we hit a rough patch from Wednesday the 22nd through to Friday the 24th. The swell gets huge – 8ft up to 12ft – but it’s blown out. Strong onshore winds from the SSE and ESE are hammering the coast, making it a total mess. The combined energy is through the roof (1357 to 3768), but the conditions are poor. This is definitely more of a kite-surfing setup than a paddle-surfing one. Steer clear unless you’ve got a 5m kite.

The end of the outlook brings a glimmer of hope. On Saturday the 25th, the swell drops to 8ft, but the wind is still cross-onshore, so it’s choppy. However, Sunday the 26th is a cracker. The morning shows 8ft of ESE swell with glassy conditions – a light SW breeze of just 3 mph. The energy is 1449, and the wave quality is rated excellent for experienced surfers. That’s your second standout. It’s a big swell, but those glassy conditions will make it epic for the crew who can handle it.

Finally, Monday the 27th keeps the run going with 7ft waves from the east and clean, cross-offshore winds. The energy is 1623. Another excellent session for the experienced bunch.

So, to wrap it up: the first week is slim pickings, but Friday the 17th and Saturday the 18th mornings are your early windows. The absolute standout is Sunday the 19th – that’s the session to circle on the calendar. Then, if you’re brave, Sunday the 26th morning with glassy 8ft waves is a serious reward for waiting out the stormy middle week.

Rusty.

Short Range Forecast

Mostly dry. Very mild (max 15°C on Tue morning, min 8°C on Sun night). Wind will be generally light.

Days 5-7 Weather Summary

Mostly dry. Very mild (max 16°C on Wed afternoon, min 9°C on Fri night). Wind will be generally light.

Sun
12
Monday
13
Tuesday
14
Wednesday
15
Thursday
16
Friday
17
Saturday
18
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
Rating
(10 max)
1
2
1
1
1
1
0
0
0
0
1
1
1
3
3
3
2
3
0
1
4
Swell
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Wave
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
1.1
SE
9
1
ESE
10
0.8
ESE
9
0.8
ESE
9
0.6
ESE
9
0.3
SSE
12
0.4
ESE
10
0.4
ESE
10
0.4
ESE
11
0.3
ESE
10
0.4
ESE
13
0.5
ESE
15
0.6
ESE
19
1.1
ESE
16
1.4
ESE
15
1.5
ESE
15
1.6
ESE
15
1.5
ESE
15
1.3
ESE
14
1.5
SSE
22
1.7
SSE
20
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
174
196
100
90
58
29
37
34
40
22
56
121
271
651
953
1051
1024
911
722
1957
2248
Wind (km/h)
10
SSE
15
NW
15
NW
15
N
10
N
10
N
15
NNW
20
NW
10
WNW
5
SE
15
NW
10
WNW
10
SE
5
W
10
NNW
5
NE
20
NW
10
WNW
35
SSW
15
SSE
10
N
Wind State
on
cross-off
cross-off
off
off
off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-on
cross-off
cross-off
cross-on
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-on
cross-on
off
High Tide
3:12PM1.90m
3:39AM1.84m
4:14PM1.90m
4:47AM1.84m
5:25PM1.93m
5:56AM1.87m
6:35PM1.99m
7:00AM1.91m
7:34PM2.06m
7:58AM1.95m
8:28PM2.11m
8:53AM1.99m
9:21PM2.12m
9:45AM2.01m
Low Tide
9:28PM0.56m
10:01AM0.43m
10:33PM0.58m
11:06AM0.44m
11:47PM0.59m
12:10PM0.44m
00:58AM0.57m
1:10PM0.44m
1:58AM0.54m
2:07PM0.45m
2:51AM0.53m
3:01PM0.47m
3:41AM0.52m
clear
clear
clear
clear
part cloud
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
part cloud
part cloud
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
rain showers
light rain
clear
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
7:22
7:22
7:22
7:22
7:20
7:20
7:20
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
5:01
5:02
5:04
5:04
5:05
5:06
5:07
5:07
 mm
2
2
Temp °C
11
9
12
14
12
15
15
14
15
16
15
15
15
13
14
16
11
14
12
10
10
Feels °C
8
6
8
10
9
11
12
11
14
14
12
13
12
12
12
14
7
9
5
3
7
  • 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