Tauranga Bay Surf Break

Lat Long: 35.00° S 173.83° E

Tauranga Bay Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Issued: 5 am 18 Aug 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's Tauranga Bay sea temperature is
16.0° C
0.7° 

Tauranga Bay surf forecast is for near shore open water. Breaking waves will often be smaller at less exposed spots.


Tauranga Bay surf forecast from 17 Aug 2026:

  • Best quality surf: Tuesday 18 Aug, 9AM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 9s period, ESE swell with cross-offshore winds.
  • Most powerful swell: Wednesday 19 Aug, 3PM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.3m), 7s period, SE swell with 176 kJ wave energy.
  • Next surfable swell (1★+): Tuesday 18 Aug, 9AM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 9s 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 Tuesday (Aug 18) at 9AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.9m and 9s period with a secondary swell of 0.1m and 11s. 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 1.3m 7s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Aug 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 0.4m 3s period and expected on Tuesday (Aug 18) at 9PM.

Wave TypeTime (NZST) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+) 9AM (Tue 18th Aug)3ft (0.9m) 9s
Best Surf 9AM (Tue 18th Aug)3ft (0.9m) 9s
Most Powerful 3PM (Wed 19th Aug)4.5ft (1.3m) 7s

Table - best surf conditions forecast for Tauranga Bay over the next 16 days.


The Lowdown

Alright, this is Rusty. Let’s talk surf for your neck of the woods.

Straight up, the first week and a half is a real mixed bag, mostly on the small side with a ton of wind issues. You gotta be patient. The real standout is waiting for us at the end of the month, on Saturday the 29th of August. That morning looks like the best bet by a long shot.

The outlook:

We kick off on Monday the 17th of August with a solid pulse of swell at Tauranga Bay. We’re seeing a 6ft groundswell rolling in from the ESE with a 10-second period. The water is sitting at 61°, which is about average for this time of year. The wind is a moderate offshore from the south at 16 mph, so it’s going to be clean and lined up. The combined wave energy is moderate at (710). It’s a consistent beginner-friendly spot, but because the swell is over 5ft, it’s a bit much for absolute beginners. The wind is offshore, which is a major positive.

Tuesday the 18th drops right off. Morning brings small 3ft ESE swell with cross-offshore wind and low energy (131). It’s surfable but pretty average. The afternoon goes smaller again to 2ft with clean but tiny surf (81).

Wednesday the 19th is a write-off in the morning with a tiny 0.7ft groundswell (38). The afternoon sees a short-period SE swell pop up to 4ft, but at only 7 seconds and 230 energy, it’s weak and junky with moderate offshore wind.

Thursday the 20th is glassy in the morning. That’s a treat, but the swell is only 2ft (64). It’s clean but small. The afternoon goes to a light cross-onshore, ruining it.

From Friday the 21st all the way through Sunday the 24th of August, it’s pretty grim. Small, short-period windswell, with cross-shore and cross-on winds. Lots of grovel or chop. Monday the 24th afternoon has a pulse of 4ft NW windswell (191), but it comes with cross-shore wind and poor quality.

Then we hit another lull until Friday the 28th of August. The morning of the 28th has glassy conditions with a tiny 3ft NNW swell (55) – it’s surfable but ordinary.

The Standout – Mark your calendar.

Here’s the one to get excited about. Saturday the 29th of August. The morning is absolutely firing. There’s a 8ft swell from the NNW with an 8-second period. The combined energy is pumping at (689). And the wind? Dead calm. Glassy. Zero mph from the WNW. It’s going to be clean, powerful, and since it’s over 8ft, this is strictly for experienced surfers. Tauranga Bay is fairly exposed and handles this direction well, but crowds are rare here, which is a bonus. This is the day.

The rest of that weekend and into Monday looks messy again with onshores and t-storm risk, so make the most of that Saturday window.

Honestly, it’s a quiet period with a lot of duds, but that one morning on the 29th is worth waiting for. Forecasts can shift, but right now it looks like a ripper.

Rusty.

Short Range Forecast

Some drizzle, heaviest during Tue afternoon. Very mild (max 15°C on Tue morning, min 9°C on Wed night). Wind will be generally light.

Days 4-6 Weather Summary

Light rain (total 3mm), mostly falling on Sun night. Very mild (max 16°C on Sun morning, min 11°C on Fri morning). Winds increasing (calm on Fri morning, fresh winds from the WNW by Sun morning).

Tuesday
18
Wednesday
19
Thursday
20
Friday
21
Saturday
22
Sunday
23
Monday
24
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
Rating
(10 max)
1
1
1
0
1
1
1
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Swell
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Wave
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
0.9
ESE
9
0.7
E
9
0.6
ESE
8
0.5
ESE
7
1.3
SE
7
0.7
ESE
8
0.6
ESE
9
0.6
ESE
9
0.6
ESE
9
0.5
E
8
0.5
E
9
0.4
ESE
9
0.3
ESE
9
0.3
ESE
9
0.6
NW
4
0.8
NW
5
1
NW
5
0.7
NW
6
0.6
NW
6
0.4
NNW
5
0.3
NNW
5
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
129
76
55
29
176
59
64
64
59
36
38
26
15
17
13
32
54
30
25
10
4
Wind (km/h)
10
WSW
15
SSW
15
SSW
20
S
20
S
10
S
5
SW
10
N
5
SSE
5
SSW
10
WSW
10
W
15
W
20
WNW
25
WNW
30
WNW
30
WNW
20
W
10
SSW
15
W
15
W
Wind State
cross-off
off
off
off
off
off
glassy
on
cross-off
glassy
cross-off
cross
cross
cross
cross-on
cross-on
cross-on
cross
cross-off
cross
cross
High Tide
12:03PM2.49m
00:19AM2.48m
12:46PM2.41m
1:01AM2.38m
1:32PM2.31m
1:44AM2.28m
2:23PM2.22m
2:30AM2.19m
3:21PM2.15m
3:22AM2.11m
4:22PM2.13m
4:21AM2.07m
5:19PM2.14m
Low Tide
6:00PM0.65m
6:27AM0.60m
6:45PM0.79m
7:12AM0.73m
7:32PM0.91m
7:59AM0.84m
8:23PM1.01m
8:51AM0.93m
9:19PM1.07m
9:46AM0.97m
10:19PM1.09m
10:44AM0.97m
11:17PM1.05m
part cloud
rain showers
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
part cloud
cloud
part cloud
part cloud
part cloud
part cloud
part cloud
part cloud
rain showers
clear
clear
part cloud
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
7:01
7:01
7:00
6:58
6:56
6:56
6:54
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
5:54
5:55
5:55
5:57
5:58
5:59
5:59
 mm
1
3
Temp °C
15
14
11
12
13
9
12
13
12
12
14
14
14
15
14
16
16
15
16
17
13
Feels °C
11
10
8
6
7
5
10
11
10
10
11
11
10
11
10
11
11
11
14
13
11
  • 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 Tauranga 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 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 locationNearest