Surf Forecasts:
Tauranga Bay surf forecast from 27 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Saturday 29 Aug, 6PM (local time) - 7ft (2.1m), 8s period, NNE swell with offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Saturday 29 Aug, 3PM (local time) - 7ft (2.2m), 8s period, NNE swell with 643 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Saturday 29 Aug, 6PM (local time) - 7ft (2.1m), 8s period with NNE 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 6PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 2.1m and 8s period with a secondary swell of 0.1m and 13s. The wind is predicted to be offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Tauranga Bay in the next 16 days are 2.2m 8s and forecast to arrive on Saturday (Aug 29) at 3PM. Winds are predicted to be onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.6m 3s period and expected on Sunday (Aug 30) at 6AM.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 6PM (Sat 29th Aug) | 7ft (2.1m) 8s |
| Best Surf | 6PM (Sat 29th Aug) | 7ft (2.1m) 8s |
| Most Powerful | 3PM (Sat 29th Aug) | 7ft (2.2m) 8s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Tauranga Bay over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
G’day, Rusty here. Gotta be straight with you – the next fortnight or so at Tauranga Bay is looking flat and pretty grim for surf. There’s a real dry spell from now through to the first week of September, with barely a ripple worth paddling for. The only flicker of something surfable shows up in the second week, but even that’s a marginal call.
We start on Thursday 27 August with absolutely nothing – glassy morning winds but a tiny 0.7ft swell from the NNE with a weak 10-second period. Combined energy is a paltry 16. Afternoon picks up a light 1ft from the NE, but still flat as a tack. Friday 28 August sees a jump to 4ft Friday morning, but it’s a messy short-period 5-second windswell from the NNE with onshore winds at 15 mph, so it’s choppy and blown out. The energy only reaches 70. Friday afternoon gets a bit more size – 5ft – but the period is still a short 6 seconds and the wind cranks to 19 mph onshore. Energy climbs to 156, but it’s poor quality. Saturday 29 August looks like the biggest swell of the run with 8ft from the NNE, period 8 seconds, and a combined energy of 726. That’s moderate-to-strong energy, but with a risk of thunderstorms and onshore northerlies at 12 mph, the surf will be messy and tough. A bit of a drop to 7ft in the afternoon with some rain showers and a cross-shore wind from the east at 6 mph – that session is rated marginal at best. This is too big for beginners, and for the experienced, the wind and short period spoil it. Water temp sits at 60°F – that’s about average for the time of year, with the anomaly only 1°F above normal.
Sunday 30 August through to early September is a drawn-out fade. Swell drops to 4ft Sunday morning from the NE with a clean cross-offshore southwesterly at 12 mph, but the energy is moderate at 195. It’s surfable but not exciting. Monday 31 August sees 3ft NE swell with similar clean wind, energy falling to 120. Tuesday 1 September is 3ft still, clean wind, energy 110. Everything from there into the following week is under 3ft and often with onshore or cross-shore winds – loads of days with combined energy below 100. Nothing worth a dawny.
Then on Tuesday 8 September, we get a bit of a pulse from the northwest. Morning shows 5ft NW swell, period 7 seconds, combined energy 307. Winds are light cross-shore from the west at 6 mph, making it a marginal call – there might be a few clean-ish ones if the tide and sandbars line up. Thursday 10 September has another 5ft NW swell in the morning with clean cross-offshore wind from the WSW at 12 mph, energy 380. That’s the best of the outlook but still only marginal. Keep an eye on that Thursday morning if you’re desperate, but don’t get your hopes up.
Bottom line: no standout sessions. The first week is basically a total write-off. The second week has tiny windows of small, short-period NW swell that might offer a few rideable waves if the wind plays nice, but nothing to get excited about. If you’re a beginner, the only time it’s small enough is most days after the first week, but the conditions aren’t great. For the experienced, the bigger 8ft day on the 29th is onshore and short-period. Tauranga Bay is a consistent break, so this flat run is a bit of a bummer – it won’t stay this way forever.
Take it easy.
Rusty
Short Range ForecastHeavy rain (total 35mm), heaviest during Sat morning. Very mild (max 17°C on Sat morning, min 12°C on Sat night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Very mild (max 16°C on Sun afternoon, min 12°C on Mon night). Wind will be generally light. | |||||||||||||||||||
Thu 27 | Friday 28 | Saturday 29 | Sunday 30 | Monday 31 | Tuesday 1 | Wednesday 2 | ||||||||||||||
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 9 | NE 9 | NNE 4 | NNE 6 | NNE 7 | NNE 8 | NNE 8 | NNE 8 | NNE 8 | NE 9 | NE 10 | NE 9 | NE 10 | NE 10 | NE 10 | NE 10 | NE 9 | NE 9 | NE 9 | NE 11 |
Wave Graph | ||||||||||||||||||||
13 | 12 | 39 | 171 | 293 | 494 | 643 | 422 | 162 | 186 | 204 | 117 | 90 | 90 | 73 | 76 | 43 | 40 | 37 | 29 | |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | on | on | cross-on | on | on | cross-on | on | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross | cross-off |
High Tide | 7:41PM2.31m | 7:53AM2.24m | 8:23PM2.38m | 8:37AM2.31m | 9:03PM2.44m | 9:20AM2.37m | 9:42PM2.49m | 10:03AM2.43m | 10:24PM2.52m | 10:46AM2.47m | 11:06PM2.51m | 11:31AM2.49m | 11:52PM2.48m | |||||||
Low Tide | 1:41AM0.80m | 1:59PM0.68m | 2:24AM0.70m | 2:37PM0.62m | 3:04AM0.62m | 3:16PM0.58m | 3:45AM0.57m | 3:56PM0.58m | 4:26AM0.54m | 4:39PM0.60m | 5:08AM0.54m | 5:26PM0.65m | ||||||||
— | — | 6:50 | — | — | 6:48 | — | — | 6:47 | — | — | 6:46 | — | — | 6:43 | — | — | 6:43 | — | — | |
6:00 | — | — | 6:01 | — | — | 6:02 | — | — | 6:04 | — | — | 6:04 | — | — | 6:05 | — | — | 6:06 | — | |
mm | — | — | 1 | 2 | 11 | 9 | 9 | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 14 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 17 | 17 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 13 | 16 | 16 | 13 | 16 | 16 | 14 |
Feels °C | 11 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 14 | 16 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 8 | 11 | 12 | 11 | 12 | 11 | 11 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NE 9 | NE 9 | E 11 | E 11 | E 12 | NNE 8 | NNE 8 | NNE 8 | NNE 8 | NE 9 | NE 10 | NE 9 | NE 10 | NE 10 | NE 10 | NE 10 | NE 9 | NE 9 | NE 9 | NE 11 |
13 | 12 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 393 | 643 | 422 | 162 | 186 | 204 | 117 | 90 | 90 | 73 | 76 | 43 | 40 | 37 | 29 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 12 | E 11 | E 10 | SE 11 | — | E 14 | E 13 | E 13 | NE 10 | NNW 7 | E 12 | WNW 6 | — | — | N 14 | — | NW 5 | N 12 | N 12 | N 11 |
3 | 3 | 2 | 4 | — | 4 | 4 | 3 | 23 | 5 | 3 | 3 | — | — | 4 | — | 1 | 3 | 3 | 2 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 10 | E 10 | N 11 | — | E 15 | — | — | — | E 13 | SE 6 | — | — | NW 6 | SE 4 | — | E 11 | N 12 | W 20 | E 13 | W 18 |
2 | 2 | 2 | — | 4 | — | — | — | 3 | 1 | — | — | 1 | 1 | — | 3 | 3 | 7 | 3 | 6 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NNW 2 | NNE 4 | NNE 4 | NNE 6 | NNE 7 | NNE 8 | — | S 3 | SSW 3 | SW 3 | WSW 3 | WSW 3 | SW 3 | SW 2 | W 3 | W 3 | WSW 2 | — | WNW 5 | WNW 5 |
1 | 11 | 39 | 171 | 293 | 494 | — | 2 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | — | 16 | 19 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 113 | 112 | 92 | 546 | 60 | 60 | 32 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 22 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Northland | ||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in New Zealand | ||||||||||||||||||||
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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











