Surf Forecasts:
Tauranga Bay surf forecast from 15 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Friday 17 Jul, 12PM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.7m), 17s period, ESE swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Friday 17 Jul, 12PM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.7m), 17s period, ESE swell with 290 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Friday 17 Jul, 12AM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.4m), 19s period with ESE 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 0.4m and 19s period with a secondary swell of 0.2m and 4s. 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 0.7m 17s and forecast to arrive on Friday (Jul 17) at 12PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.2m 5s period and expected on Wednesday (Jul 22) at 12AM.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 12AM (Fri 17th Jul) | 1.5ft (0.4m) 19s |
| Best Surf | 12PM (Fri 17th Jul) | 2.5ft (0.7m) 17s |
| Most Powerful | 12PM (Fri 17th Jul) | 2.5ft (0.7m) 17s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Tauranga Bay over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Right, mate, Rusty here. Gotta be honest with you – it’s a quiet stretch ahead for Tauranga Bay. Let’s be straight, the first decent chance of a paddle doesn’t show up until Friday morning, July 17. Before that, Thursday the 16th is a total flat day, with only 1 foot of weak, poor-quality slop. You’d be better off waxing your board at home.
Come Friday morning, July 17, we finally see a pulse of life. That’s your best bet in the whole 16-day window. The swell pushes to 2 feet, coming out of the east-southeast on a long 17-second period. That’s proper groundswell energy, and it’s packing moderate power with a combined energy of 220. That long period will create some nicely shaped, lined-up waves, perfect for a beginner-friendly spot like this. The morning wind is a light SSW breeze at 3 mph, giving us cross-offshore conditions, so the faces should be clean. It’s a rare day here where it all lines up. Get on it.
The rest of the outlook is a real mixed bag of ankle-biters and ordinary conditions. Saturday the 18th sees similar 2.3-foot swell, but the wind is a bit more cross-shore. Sunday the 19th drops back to 1.6 feet, and the energy fades quickly. By Monday the 20th, we’re back to tiny 1.3-foot waves and glassy conditions in the morning, but the swell is weak. For the rest of next week and into the following week, from July 21 onward, the swell stays small – under 1.6 feet – with short, weak periods. The combined energy values drop to two-digit numbers (under 100), which tells you the ocean just doesn’t have any push. There are long gaps of nothing, and most days the conditions are either poor or just average. The wind gets up strong and onshore from the 27th onward, making a mess of things.
So, the standout is clear: Friday morning, July 17, is your window. It’s not huge, but it’s got quality, a nice long-period groundswell, and clean conditions. The rest of the forecast is a write-off for a proper surf.
Stay tuned.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Very mild (max 18°C on Thu afternoon, min 11°C on Fri night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Very mild (max 15°C on Sun afternoon, min 11°C on Sat night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Thursday 16 | Friday 17 | Saturday 18 | Sunday 19 | Monday 20 | Tuesday 21 | Wed 22 | |||||||||||||||
Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | |
Swell Height Map |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | |||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 11 | ESE 10 | E 13 | ESE 19 | E 17 | ESE 16 | ESE 15 | ESE 14 | ESE 14 | ESE 14 | ESE 14 | ESE 14 | ESE 13 | ESE 12 | ESE 12 | ESE 12 | ESE 12 | N 9 | N 9 | N 9 | N 8 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 23 | 22 | 13 | 119 | 215 | 269 | 246 | 218 | 163 | 116 | 115 | 61 | 57 | 52 | 50 | 49 | 46 | 25 | 27 | 25 | 21 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | glassy | glassy | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross | off | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | off | glassy | on | cross-off | off | cross-off | cross-off | off | on |
High Tide | 9:15AM2.54m | 9:47PM2.75m | 10:09AM2.55m | 10:36PM2.74m | 11:00AM2.54m | 11:23PM2.69m | 11:48AM2.50m | 00:10AM2.61m | 12:35PM2.45m | 00:56AM2.52m | 1:23PM2.37m | 1:42AM2.42m | 2:13PM2.30m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 2:59AM0.45m | 3:17PM0.27m | 3:53AM0.40m | 4:07PM0.29m | 4:43AM0.38m | 4:56PM0.36m | 5:31AM0.40m | 5:44PM0.47m | 6:18AM0.47m | 6:32PM0.60m | 7:04AM0.55m | 7:21PM0.74m | 7:52AM0.66m | ||||||||
 |  | | | | | |  | |  | | | | | | | | | | | | |
 | — | 7:28 | — | — | 7:28 | — | — | 7:28 | — | — | 7:28 | — | — | 7:28 | — | — | 7:26 | — | — | 7:26 | — |
 | — | — | 5:30 | — | — | 5:31 | — | — | 5:32 | — | — | 5:32 | — | — | 5:34 | — | — | 5:35 | — | — | 5:35 |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 14 | 16 | 18 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 14 | 14 |
Feels °C | 13 | 15 | 16 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 14 | 13 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 11 | ESE 10 | NW 5 | ESE 19 | E 17 | ESE 16 | ESE 15 | ESE 14 | ESE 14 | ESE 14 | ESE 14 | ESE 14 | ESE 13 | ESE 12 | ESE 12 | ESE 12 | ESE 12 | N 9 | N 9 | N 9 | N 8 |
| kJ | 23 | 22 | 6 | 119 | 215 | 269 | 246 | 218 | 163 | 116 | 115 | 61 | 57 | 52 | 50 | 49 | 46 | 24 | 27 | 25 | 21 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NNE 10 | NE 10 | E 13 | NNW 4 | NNW 4 | N 8 | N 8 | N 8 | N 8 | NNE 8 | N 8 | NNE 8 | NNE 8 | NNE 8 | NNE 8 | N 7 | N 8 | ESE 11 | ESE 11 | ESE 11 | ESE 11 |
| kJ | 10 | 4 | 13 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 7 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 14 | 4 | 20 | 25 | 24 | 24 | 11 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NW 5 | E 13 | ESE 10 | NNE 9 | NE 9 | NE 10 | NE 9 | NE 10 | E 9 | — | W 18 | W 17 | W 16 | — | N 9 | NE 8 | — | — | NE 9 | — | SE 5 |
| kJ | 1 | 13 | 10 | 9 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 2 | — | 6 | 6 | 5 | — | 1 | 3 | — | — | 3 | — | 1 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | S 5 | — | — |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | — | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 73 | 52 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 65 | 0 | 0 | 60 | 0 | 17 | 65 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Northland | |||||||||||||||||||||
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 Tauranga 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 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 Northland? If you are looking for accommodation near Tauranga Bay, camping, hotels and holiday cottages in Northland, consider staying in Houhora which is 71 km (44 miles) away. Alternatively, find information about places to stay and car hire in Whangarei which is 93 km (58 miles) away
Nearest