Tauranga Bay Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right then, let’s have a look at what’s on offer for Tauranga Bay. It’s a bit of a slow starter, to be honest. The next few days are looking pretty ordinary. We’ve got small, messy swell and bumpy wind all the way through until the end of the first week of August. The water temp is about what you’d expect for this time of year, nothing unusual there.

Thursday the 30th and Friday 31st of July are a write-off – tiny ESE swell around 2ft to 3ft, cross-onshore wind, and the combined energy is weak at 218 (moderate wave energy). Just not worth paddling out.

Saturday the 1st of August finally gives us a glimmer. Saturday afternoon goes glassy, with a tiny 1ft of long-period 16-second NE groundswell. The energy is low at 87 (weak wave energy), but that glassy surface will make it look clean. It’s a beginner-friendly wave, but it’s inconsistent. You might get a few silky little rollers.

Then we hit a dry spell. From Sunday the 2nd right through to Friday the 7th of August, it’s flat or tiny, with poor conditions. The swell barely reaches 1ft to 3ft, and winds are either cross or onshore. The combined energy stays below 129 (weak to moderate wave energy) for most of it. It’s a frustrating gap of about five days with nothing to shout about.

The weekend of the 7th and 8th of August brings a spike in size, but it’s ugly. Friday the 7th sees a 7ft to 8ft NW windswell, but with a short period of 8 seconds and onshore wind, it’s just a lumpy mess. The energy jumps to 676 and 947 (moderate wave energy), but the quality is poor. Saturday the 8th drops back to tiny, messy surf.

Finally, things start to get interesting. From Monday the 10th of August, we’ve got a proper pulse of ESE groundswell with a 12-second period. Monday morning is the standout of the whole run. The swell is a clean 5ft, direction is ESE, and the wind is offshore from the south at 25 km/h. Combined energy is a solid 663 (moderate wave energy). The water will be clean, with moderate offshore wind. That’s a genuine opening for a solid session, especially for the more experienced crew – it’s not a beginner wave at that size.

Tuesday the 11th of August gets huge, but it’s a beast. We’re looking at 13ft on Tuesday morning, dropping to 12ft in the afternoon, with a 12-second period. The energy is massive at 4721 and 4176 (strong to very strong wave energy). That’s expert-only territory. The wind is cross-offshore, so it’s clean, but it’s a big, powerful, grinding wall – only for the brave and skilled.

The swell sticks around through Wednesday the 12th and Thursday the 13th of August, with waves between 8ft and 12ft, but the wind swings cross or cross-onshore, chopping it up. The energy remains high, 3203 to 3847 (strong to very strong wave energy), but the quality drops.

The very last window, Friday the 14th of August morning, looks promising. The swell drops to a more manageable 5ft from the ESE, with a 12-second period. The wind is light and cross-offshore from the ESE at 5 km/h, with a combined energy of 772 (moderate wave energy). The forecast is for very good surf conditions. That’s another solid option for a clean, powerful wave, though it’s still a step up in size from the Monday morning session.

So, to sum it up: the best on offer is Monday the 10th of August morning. It’s a solid 5ft ESE groundswell with offshore wind – clean, powerful, and all yours. The second best is Friday the 14th of August morning, with a slightly smaller 5ft swell and light cross-offshore wind, also looking clean. The rest of the period is a mix of flat spells and big, messy swells, so pick your window carefully.

Rusty.

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