Surf Forecasts:
Tauranga Bay surf forecast from 15 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Saturday 18 Jul, 9PM (local time) - 7.5ft (2.3m), 17s period, WSW swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Saturday 18 Jul, 3PM (local time) - 7.5ft (2.3m), 17s period, WSW swell with 3,253 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Friday 17 Jul, 12AM (local time) - 7.5ft (2.3m), 14s period with WSW swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Tauranga Bay this week:
The surf forecast for Tauranga Bay over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Friday (Jul 17) at 12AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 2.3m and 14s period. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Tauranga Bay in the next 16 days are 2.3m 17s and forecast to arrive on Saturday (Jul 18) at 3PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.3m 9s period and expected on Thursday (Jul 23) at 3AM.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 12AM (Fri 17th Jul) | 7.5ft (2.3m) 14s |
| Best Surf | 9PM (Sat 18th Jul) | 7.5ft (2.3m) 17s |
| Most Powerful | 3PM (Sat 18th Jul) | 7.5ft (2.3m) 17s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Tauranga Bay over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
G’day, I’m Rusty. Let’s have a look at what’s coming up for Tauranga Bay.
Right off the bat, we’ve got a bit of a wait. The first couple of days are pretty rough – Thursday’s a write-off with strong cross-shore winds and messy conditions, so don’t even bother paddling out. The real action starts to show on Friday morning, 17 July. That’s where things get interesting.
Friday morning is the first standout. We’ve got a solid 8ft west-southwest swell rolling in with a 15-second period – that’s proper groundswell, lots of energy (combined energy of 2684). The wind is a light cross-offshore from the south, so the waves will be clean and well-shaped. This is excellent for experienced surfers, but at 8ft it’s too big for beginners. Tauranga Bay is a beach and point setup, so that long-period swell will be working well on the point.
Sunday morning, 19 July, is another cracker. The swell is still a strong 8ft from the west-southwest with a 16-second period (combined energy of 2545), and it’s glassy with a light cross-offshore from the southeast. Clean, powerful, and consistent – again, one for the experienced crew.
Monday morning, 20 July, drops a little to 6ft from the west, but it’s clean with offshore winds, making for a fun session for intermediate surfers.
The water temperature here is about average for this time of year, so nothing unusual – just your standard winter chill.
Looking further out, Tuesday morning, 28 July, and Wednesday, 29 July, both look excellent. Tuesday morning has 7ft west swell with a 14-second period and offshore winds (combined energy of 1787), and Wednesday morning has 7ft west swell, also offshore, with clean, glassy conditions by the afternoon. Those are both top-notch for experienced surfers.
Friday morning, 31 July, rounds it out with a 7ft west-southwest swell and clean offshore winds – another solid option.
Overall, the best of the best is Friday morning, 17 July, and Sunday morning, 19 July. Get out there if you’re comfortable in bigger surf.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 3mm), mostly falling on Thu afternoon. Very mild (max 13°C on Thu morning, min 10°C on Thu night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 4mm), mostly falling on Sun afternoon. Very mild (max 12°C on Sun afternoon, min 10°C on Mon night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Thursday 16 | Friday 17 | Saturday 18 | Sunday 19 | Monday 20 | Tuesday 21 | Wednesday 22 | |||||||||||||||
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) | W 15 | W 15 | WSW 14 | WSW 15 | WSW 15 | WSW 15 | WSW 14 | WSW 17 | WSW 17 | WSW 16 | WSW 15 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 | WSW 13 | WSW 13 | WSW 13 | W 12 | WSW 12 | W 12 | WSW 11 | W 11 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 2701 | 2089 | 2070 | 2684 | 2721 | 2203 | 1570 | 3253 | 2880 | 2335 | 1850 | 1526 | 972 | 849 | 679 | 572 | 446 | 355 | 274 | 205 | 149 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross-off | cross | cross | cross-off | cross | glassy | cross-off | glassy | cross | cross-off | glassy | glassy |
High Tide | 11:54AM2.98m | 00:15AM3.13m | 12:42PM2.93m | 1:02AM3.06m | 1:28PM2.84m | 1:48AM2.92m | 2:15PM2.71m | 2:35AM2.74m | 3:02PM2.56m | 3:23AM2.55m | 3:52PM2.41m | 4:15AM2.38m | 4:47PM2.30m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 6:02PM0.03m | 6:32AM-0.05m | 6:50PM0.07m | 7:19AM0.03m | 7:36PM0.17m | 8:06AM0.17m | 8:23PM0.31m | 8:52AM0.34m | 9:12PM0.48m | 9:40AM0.52m | 10:04PM0.65m | 10:32AM0.69m | 11:00PM0.79m | ||||||||
 |  |  |  | | | | |  |  | |  | | | | | |  | | | | |
 | 7:56 | — | — | 7:56 | — | — | 7:54 | — | — | 7:54 | — | — | 7:54 | — | — | 7:52 | — | — | 7:52 | — | — |
 | — | 5:22 | — | — | 5:23 | — | — | 5:24 | — | — | 5:25 | — | — | 5:25 | — | — | 5:27 | — | — | 5:28 | — |
mm | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | — | 1 | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 13 | 13 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 11 |
Feels °C | 8 | 8 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 7 | 7 | 9 | 11 | 7 | 9 | 9 | 9 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 15 | W 15 | WSW 14 | WSW 15 | WSW 15 | WSW 15 | WSW 14 | WSW 17 | WSW 17 | WSW 16 | WSW 15 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 | WSW 13 | WSW 13 | WSW 13 | W 12 | WSW 12 | W 12 | WSW 11 | W 11 |
| kJ | 2701 | 2089 | 2070 | 2684 | 2721 | 2203 | 1570 | 3253 | 2880 | 2335 | 1850 | 1526 | 972 | 849 | 679 | 572 | 446 | 355 | 274 | 205 | 149 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | NW 6 | — | WSW 18 | — | — | — | NNW 12 | NNW 11 | NNW 10 | NNW 10 | NNW 10 | NNW 10 | WSW 18 | WSW 16 | WSW 15 | WSW 15 | WSW 13 |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | 2 | — | 823 | — | — | — | 13 | 24 | 37 | 20 | 19 | 19 | 60 | 51 | 72 | 42 | 35 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | W 22 | W 21 | W 20 | WSW 19 | NNW 10 | N 10 | N 9 | N 10 | N 10 |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 9 | 8 | 30 | 35 | 18 | 7 | 6 | 8 | 17 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 159 | 159 | 189 | 12 | 0 | 29 | 12 | 12 | 29 | 4 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 12 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in West Coast South Island | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in New Zealand | |||||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the Tauranga Bay Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Tauranga Bay provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Tauranga Bay can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Tauranga 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 (Tauranga 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 Tauranga 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 West Coast South Island? If you are looking for accommodation near Tauranga Bay, camping, hotels and holiday cottages in West Coast South Island, consider staying in Nelson which is 161 km (100 miles) away.
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