Surf Forecasts:
Tauranga Bay surf forecast from 23 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Saturday 29 Aug, 6AM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.5m), 9s period, NE swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Sunday 30 Aug, 3AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.0m), 9s period, NE swell with 166 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Saturday 29 Aug, 6AM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.5m), 9s period with NE 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 Saturday (Aug 29) at 6AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.5m and 9s period with a secondary swell of 0.8m and 5s. 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 1.0m 9s and forecast to arrive on Sunday (Aug 30) at 3AM. 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 2s period and expected on Sunday (Aug 30) at 3AM.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 6AM (Sat 29th Aug) | 1.5ft (0.5m) 9s |
| Best Surf | 6AM (Sat 29th Aug) | 1.5ft (0.5m) 9s |
| Most Powerful | 3AM (Sun 30th Aug) | 3.5ft (1.0m) 9s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Tauranga Bay over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
G’day, Rusty here, and I’ve gotta be straight with you – this 16-day stretch for Tauranga Bay is pretty grim. There’s nothing on offer for the first five days; from Monday the 24th of August right through to Friday the 28th, you’re looking at tiny, weak, messy swell and mostly onshore or cross-onshore wind. Honestly, not worth paddling out.
Things start to look a little less hopeless from Saturday the 29th of August, but don’t get too excited. Saturday morning brings a small 2ft NE swell, period around 9 seconds, with a clean cross-offshore wind from the WSW. It’s surfable but very ordinary – the combined energy is only 71 (weak), so you’ll be scratching for anything rideable. The water temp is about average for this time of year.
Sunday the 30th of August morning shows a similar 3ft NE swell, still clean with a cross-off WSW breeze, but the energy bumps to 122 (moderate). Still small and uninspiring, but the cleanest window of the whole run. The swell direction from the NE is what Tauranga Bay is fairly exposed to, so the setup is right, but the size just isn’t there.
Monday the 31st of August morning is worth a mention – 2ft NE swell, 10-second period, with a clean offshore wind from the S. Energy is 98 (weak). It’s glassy, clean, and the offshore wind is a major positive. If you’re desperate, this is probably your best bet, but keep expectations low.
Tuesday the 1st of September morning also offers a clean 2ft NE swell with a cross-off WSW breeze, again weak energy at 82. Crowds are rare at Tauranga Bay, which is a small positive – you won’t be fighting for scraps.
From Wednesday the 2nd of September onwards, the wind turns more cross-shore or onshore, and the swell stays tiny. A few mornings early in the second week show clean conditions, like Thursday the 3rd of September morning (2ft ENE swell, cross-off SW wind, energy 83), but it’s still very ordinary. The rest of the period into the second week fades into tiny, weak, and choppy surf with no standouts.
The standout – and I use that word loosely – is the clean, offshore window on Monday the 31st of August morning. It’s the best on offer, but that’s not saying much. This is a classic dry spell; blank runs like this aren’t unusual for the area. Forecasts can change, so don’t give up hope entirely.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Very mild (max 15°C on Mon afternoon, min 11°C on Sun night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 4mm), mostly falling on Fri afternoon. Very mild (max 17°C on Sat afternoon, min 12°C on Wed night). Winds increasing (calm on Thu morning, fresh winds from the NNW by Fri afternoon). | ||||||||||||||||||
Monday 24 | Tuesday 25 | Wednesday 26 | Thursday 27 | Friday 28 | Saturday 29 | ||||||||||||||
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) | E 13 | E 12 | N 13 | E 12 | E 13 | E 13 | E 13 | E 12 | E 12 | NNE 10 | NE 9 | NE 9 | NE 9 | NE 9 | NNW 5 | NE 9 | NE 9 | NE 9 | NE 10 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 13 | 12 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 9 | 13 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 35 | 27 | 51 | 64 | 113 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | off | cross-on | off | glassy | cross-on | cross-off | glassy | cross-on | cross-off | glassy | on | on | on | on | cross | cross-off | cross | cross-off |
High Tide | 4:21AM2.07m | 5:19PM2.14m | 5:24AM2.07m | 6:11PM2.19m | 6:19AM2.10m | 6:58PM2.24m | 7:08AM2.16m | 7:41PM2.31m | 7:53AM2.24m | 8:23PM2.38m | 8:37AM2.31m | 9:03PM2.44m | |||||||
Low Tide | 10:19PM1.09m | 10:44AM0.97m | 11:17PM1.05m | 11:43AM0.93m | 00:09AM0.98m | 12:34PM0.85m | 00:57AM0.89m | 1:19PM0.76m | 1:41AM0.80m | 1:59PM0.68m | 2:24AM0.70m | 2:37PM0.62m | |||||||
 |  | | | | | | | | | | |  |  |  |  | |  | | |
 | — | 6:54 | — | — | 6:52 | — | — | 6:52 | — | — | 6:50 | — | — | 6:50 | — | — | 6:48 | — | — |
 | — | — | 5:59 | — | — | 6:00 | — | — | 6:00 | — | — | 6:00 | — | — | 6:01 | — | — | 6:02 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | 1 | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 14 | 14 | 15 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 12 | 14 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 14 | 16 | 17 | 12 |
Feels °C | 12 | 13 | 12 | 10 | 12 | 11 | 9 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 11 | 11 | 10 | 11 | 10 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 10 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NW 5 | NNW 5 | NE 12 | NNW 5 | NE 11 | NE 11 | NE 10 | NE 10 | NE 10 | NNE 10 | NE 9 | NE 9 | NE 9 | NE 9 | NE 9 | N 5 | NNW 5 | NE 9 | NE 10 |
| kJ | 11 | 5 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 9 | 13 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 20 | 13 | 20 | 64 | 113 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 13 | E 12 | E 12 | NE 10 | E 13 | E 13 | E 13 | NE 10 | E 10 | WNW 3 | E 12 | E 12 | E 11 | E 10 | NE 6 | NE 9 | NE 9 | NNW 5 | NNE 8 |
| kJ | 13 | 12 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 27 | 51 | 8 | 36 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NE 11 | NE 11 | N 13 | E 12 | NE 8 | N 8 | — | E 12 | E 12 | E 13 | E 9 | E 10 | E 10 | E 11 | E 10 | E 9 | — | NE 11 | E 13 |
| kJ | 5 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | — | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | — | 20 | 3 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | NNW 5 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | N 3 | N 4 | NNW 5 | NW 5 | — | NNW 5 | — |
| kJ | — | — | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | 17 | 35 | 23 | — | 16 | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 65 | 65 | 65 | 65 | 65 | 65 | 65 | 65 | 65 | 92 | 60 | 92 | 60 | 518 | 547 | 10 | 0 | 9 | 0 |
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