Tauranga Bay Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s cookin’ at Tauranga Bay.

To be straight with you, the next 16 days are lookin’ pretty grim for any kind of decent surf. We’ve got a long stretch of small, weak waves and poor conditions, so don’t go getting your hopes up too early. It’s gonna be a real test of patience.

Monday, July 20th is about as good as it gets, and that’s not sayin’ much. We’ve got a tiny 1ft swell comin’ from the ESE with a solid 12-second period – that’s some long period groundswell, but it’s just got no push behind it, with combined energy readings of only 58 (weak). The morning is clean with a slight air off the SSE at 3 mph, and the afternoon turns glassy with a light NE breeze. The water temp is sittin’ at 62°, which is about normal for this time of year. It’s surfable, but it’s very ordinary. Perfect for a beginner to get wet, but don’t expect any real waves.

Tuesday, July 21st sees a slight bump to 3ft from the ESE, but the period drops to a short, weak 7-seconds, and the wind is a cross-offshore SE breeze at 9 mph. Not terrible, but the energy is only moderate (135). The afternoon turns rainy with the same wind, and the waves just aren’t worth paddlin’ for.

The rest of the week is a write-off. From Wednesday, July 22nd all the way through to Monday, August 4th, we’re stuck with tiny waves under 2ft, short periods, and mostly cross-off or cross-on winds. The swell directions are all over the place, and the combined energy rarely gets above 100. There’s a brief spike of 6ft on Friday, July 24th and again on Thursday, July 30th, but both times the wind is howling from the NW or W at 15–22 mph, making it fresh, lumpy, and horrible. That’s not surf – that’s a kite session.

Even the longer period swells that pop up around July 28th and 29th, with 14-second periods and energy creepin’ up to 162 (moderate), are only 2ft and come with winds that just aren’t friendly. The Saturday, August 1st morning has a 4ft NW swell but it’s only 7 seconds of period, so it’s weak and messy.

There is no standout session here, folks. The best wave of the whole 16 days is the tiny, clean glassy wave on Monday the 20th. If you’re a beginner, that’s your window. For everyone else, it’s a long, dry spell. The area just isn’t gettin’ the love it needs.

Rusty.

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