Tauranga Bay Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, this is Rusty comin' at ya from the beach. Let's have a look at what's on the cards for Tauranga Bay over the next couple of weeks.

Right off the bat, I gotta be straight with you – it's a bit of a slow, quiet start and the run is gonna be long. We're looking at a decent stretch of small, weak, and mostly ordinary surf. The water temp is sitting at 62°, which is about average for this time of year, nothing to write home about that.

The first real chance to get a wet suit on comes on Friday, the 17th of July. The morning is clean, with a light cross-offshore breeze, but the swell is a timid 2ft from the East. The energy is weak, only 224. It's small, but the low wind is a plus. The real highlight of the whole outlook is Friday afternoon on the 17th. The wind goes glassy, absolutely dead flat, and the swell nudges up just a touch to 2ft from the ESE. With a period of 16 seconds, it's a proper long-period groundswell. The combined energy is moderate at 278. It's not going to be huge, but for a clean, glassy afternoon on a consistent break like Tauranga Bay, that's your window. It's a beginner-friendly spot, but that long period might make the waves a bit more lined up and easier to handle.

Saturday the 18th is still small, with a clean morning showing 2ft from the ESE, but the wind is a bit more side-offshore. The energy is moderate at 231. The afternoon goes to a side-shore wind and the surf drops off, so it's not as good.

After that, the surf just fades away. From Sunday the 19th right through to the end of the month, it’s a long, drawn-out period of tiny, weak waves. We’re talking 2ft and smaller, with energy readings dropping into the double digits and even single digits. The wind is often clean or glassy, but there's just not enough swell to push anything rideable. The 30th of July has a brief spike of a messy 3ft from the NNW, but with a short period of 6 seconds and a cross-shore wind, it's a write-off. The 31st of July has a glassy 1ft, but again, no energy.

The outlook finally sees a little pulse of life on the 1st of August. Saturday morning shows a glassy clean 2ft from the ESE, with combined energy climbing back to a moderate 133. It's "surfable but ordinary," which is the best we've seen in nearly two weeks. The afternoon gets a bit more size at 3ft from the ESE, but the wind goes cross-onshore, ruining the shape.

Honestly, the only standout is that Friday afternoon on the 17th. For the rest of the 16 days, it's a long, slow grind of small surf. Keep your eyes on a long-range forecast, but for now, it's a waiting game.

Rusty.

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