
Surf Forecasts:
Tauranga Bay surf forecast from 10 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Saturday 12 Sep, 9PM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.4m), 13s period, NE swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Friday 11 Sep, 6PM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.5m), 13s period, NE swell with 87 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Saturday 12 Sep, 9PM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.4m), 13s 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 (Sep 12) at 9PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.4m and 13s period with a secondary swell of 0.2m and 9s. 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 0.5m 13s and forecast to arrive on Friday (Sep 11) at 6PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.7m 4s period and expected on Friday (Sep 11) at 9AM.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 9PM (Sat 12th Sep) | 1.5ft (0.4m) 13s |
| Best Surf | 9PM (Sat 12th Sep) | 1.5ft (0.4m) 13s |
| Most Powerful | 6PM (Fri 11th Sep) | 1.5ft (0.5m) 13s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Tauranga Bay over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
G’day, Rusty here. Right, let’s get straight into it. We’ve got Tauranga Bay on the radar, and I’ll be honest—it’s a slow start and a long wait for the good stuff. The first week and a half are pretty flat and ordinary, with nothing worth paddling out for. Tiny little 1ft to 1.3ft waves, mostly from the NE with a very long period of 12 to 15 seconds, but the energy is weak, barely cracking a combined energy of 100 (mostly between 25 and 102). The water’s sitting at 60.8°F, about 1.4°F warmer than average for this time of year—nothing unusual there.
From Thursday 10th September through to Monday 21st September, it’s a real struggle. The waves stay small, the winds are all over the shop—cross, cross-off, even straight onshore at times—and the forecast keeps kicking out “poor surf conditions.” There’s a couple of sessions on Friday 11th and Saturday 12th where the wind cleans up, but with only 1ft to 1.3ft of swell, it’s a waist-high dribble at best. The energy’s weak, no more than 102 in the bracket. Not worth suiting up for.
Now, the standout window starts to show late on Sunday 20th September. There’s a bit of a pulse pushing through on Sunday afternoon with 5.2ft from the N and a short period of 6 seconds, combined energy at 223 (moderate), but the wind is strong and cross-off at 18.6 mph—clean but raw. It’s not until Monday 21st morning that things start to look surfable, with 2ft from the NW, period 7 seconds, and light winds. That’s just a teaser, though.
The real action kicks in on Tuesday 22nd September. That’s the day. Morning and afternoon both fire up with solid 7.5ft to 8.2ft waves from the NE, period 9 seconds, and combined energy jumping to 853 to 974 (strong). Winds are light cross-off from the WSW at 6.2 mph, and conditions are clean. This is a proper groundswell with decent power—a good size for experienced surfers, but at over 8.2ft later on, it’s getting into expert territory.
But the absolute highlight—the one to circle on your calendar—is Wednesday 23rd September morning. Tauranga Bay is set to see 9.8ft of swell from the ENE, period 10 seconds, combined energy at a whopping 1762 (strong to very strong). Glassy conditions with light W winds at 3.1 mph. That’s the pick of the whole forecast. Clean, big, and powerful. You’ll want to be on it early. By the afternoon, the swell jacks up to 11.5ft but the wind swings onshore from the NNW, making it a bit messy.
Thursday 24th September morning gets even bigger—16.4ft from the ENE with a long 12-second period, energy at 6844 (very strong). That’s massive, and the forecast says it might actually be too big for the break, especially with a light cross-onshore breeze. Only for the brave and the experts. By the afternoon, it drops back to 9.8ft.
After that, the swell backs off into Friday 25th and the rest of the period, with onshore winds and poor conditions returning.
So here’s the call: if you’re chasing clean, solid waves, Wednesday 23rd September morning is the standout. Tuesday 22nd is also a ripper. Don’t bother before then—there’s a gap of nearly 12 days of flat or marginal slop. The crowds at Tauranga Bay are rare, so you’ll likely have it pretty much to yourself for these standout sessions. It’s a consistent break, fairly exposed to the NE swell, and the optimum swell direction matches the guidance perfectly.
Stay stoked, get out there on the 22nd and 23rd.
Short Range ForecastSome drizzle, heaviest during Thu night. Very mild (max 16°C on Sun morning, min 10°C on Sat night). Mainly fresh winds. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Very mild (max 16°C on Sun afternoon, min 11°C on Tue night). Winds increasing (calm on Mon afternoon, fresh winds from the WNW by Wed morning). | |||||||||||||||||||
Thu 10 | Friday 11 | Saturday 12 | Sunday 13 | Monday 14 | Tuesday 15 | Wednesday 16 | ||||||||||||||
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) | NE 15 | NE 14 | NNE 15 | NE 13 | NE 13 | NE 13 | NE 13 | NE 13 | NE 13 | NE 13 | NE 12 | NE 12 | NE 12 | NE 12 | NE 12 | NE 12 | NE 12 | NE 13 | NW 4 | NNW 6 |
Wave Graph | ||||||||||||||||||||
56 | 73 | 42 | 62 | 85 | 44 | 43 | 42 | 42 | 40 | 39 | 24 | 23 | 23 | 38 | 21 | 21 | 26 | 31 | 23 | |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | off | on | off | glassy | cross-on | cross-off | cross | cross | cross-off |
High Tide | 7:23PM2.56m | 7:47AM2.45m | 8:12PM2.61m | 8:37AM2.51m | 8:58PM2.63m | 9:24AM2.56m | 9:41PM2.61m | 10:09AM2.57m | 10:23PM2.56m | 10:51AM2.55m | 11:03PM2.49m | 11:31AM2.49m | 11:42PM2.40m | |||||||
Low Tide | 1:29AM0.50m | 1:48PM0.38m | 2:19AM0.42m | 2:34PM0.37m | 3:04AM0.38m | 3:19PM0.40m | 3:47AM0.39m | 4:02PM0.48m | 4:28AM0.44m | 4:45PM0.58m | 5:09AM0.53m | 5:28PM0.70m | ||||||||
— | — | 6:30 | — | — | 6:28 | — | — | 6:26 | — | — | 6:26 | — | — | 6:24 | — | — | 6:22 | — | — | |
6:10 | — | — | 6:12 | — | — | 6:13 | — | — | 6:14 | — | — | 6:14 | — | — | 6:15 | — | — | 6:15 | — | |
mm | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — |
Temp °C | 15 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 15 | 15 | 12 | 16 | 16 | 13 | 16 | 16 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 12 | 16 | 15 | 12 |
Feels °C | 10 | 9 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 11 | 12 | 11 | 15 | 14 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 9 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NE 9 | NW 5 | ENE 9 | NE 13 | NE 13 | NE 13 | NE 13 | NE 13 | NE 13 | NE 13 | NE 12 | NE 12 | NE 12 | NE 12 | NE 12 | NE 12 | NE 12 | NE 13 | NE 12 | NNW 6 |
20 | 13 | 33 | 62 | 85 | 44 | 43 | 42 | 42 | 40 | 39 | 24 | 23 | 23 | 38 | 21 | 21 | 26 | 23 | 22 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NE 15 | NE 14 | NE 13 | ENE 10 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | E 9 | E 8 | E 8 | E 9 | E 9 | E 8 | E 9 | E 8 | NNE 10 | E 8 | NE 12 |
56 | 73 | 27 | 35 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 7 | 8 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 11 | 5 | 23 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 8 | NE 8 | NNE 15 | SE 6 | NW 19 | NE 12 | ENE 12 | NW 17 | N 14 | N 14 | N 14 | N 13 | N 13 | N 12 | SE 5 | NE 13 | NE 13 | E 8 | N 11 | E 8 |
2 | 17 | 42 | 2 | 14 | 5 | 14 | 12 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 2 | 1 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NW 3 | SW 3 | S 4 | SSW 4 | SW 3 | SSW 3 | SW 3 | SSW 3 | SSW 2 | SSW 2 | — | S 5 | — | — | — | — | WNW 3 | NW 3 | NW 4 | SW 3 |
5 | 2 | 12 | 11 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | — | 2 | — | — | — | — | 1 | 4 | 31 | 2 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 32 | 15 | 164 | 33 | 3 | 15 | 15 | 0 | 10 | 3 | 10 | 65 | 65 | 65 | 10 | 65 | 75 | 139 | 544 | 10 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Northland | ||||||||||||||||||||
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 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










