Tauranga Bay Surf Break

Lat Long: 35.00° S 173.83° E

Tauranga Bay Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Issued: 5 am 19 Jul 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's Tauranga Bay sea temperature is
16.5° C
0.7° 

Tauranga Bay surf forecast is for near shore open water. Breaking waves will often be smaller at less exposed spots.


Tauranga Bay surf forecast from 18 Jul 2026:

  • Best quality surf: Sunday 19 Jul, 12PM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.5m), 14s period, ESE swell with cross-offshore winds.
  • Most powerful swell: Friday 24 Jul, 3PM (local time) - 5ft (1.6m), 6s period, NW swell with 201 kJ wave energy.
  • Next surfable swell (1★+): Sunday 19 Jul, 12PM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.5m), 14s period with ESE 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 Sunday (Jul 19) at 12PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.5m and 14s period with a secondary swell of 0.3m and 8s. 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 1.6m 6s and forecast to arrive on Friday (Jul 24) at 3PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 2.0m 7s period and expected on Saturday (Jul 25) at 3PM.

Wave TypeTime (NZST) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+)12PM (Sun 19th Jul)1.5ft (0.5m) 14s
Best Surf12PM (Sun 19th Jul)1.5ft (0.5m) 14s
Most Powerful 3PM (Fri 24th Jul)5ft (1.6m) 6s

Table - best surf conditions forecast for Tauranga Bay over the next 16 days.


The Lowdown

Alright, let’s talk about this stretch. The first real chance to get wet that’s worth talking about doesn’t show up until the morning of Monday, July 21st. Before that, we’re looking at a few days of nothing much from Sunday the 19th through to Sunday the 20th.

Tauranga Bay is the only game in town. It’s a consistent, beginner-friendly break that’s pretty open to the swell. The water’s at 62°F, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year (about 1°F above average), so it’s comfortable for a winter dip.

The first standout is the Monday morning (July 21st) session. We’ve got a clean 4ft swell coming from the east, with a really short period of 7 seconds. That’s a wind swell, so it’ll be a bit mushy. The wind is offshore from the SSE, keeping the faces clean. The combined energy is moderate at 172. Crowds are rare, so you might have it to yourself. It’s not a classic, but it’s the best of a quiet period.

The bigger action is forecast for the start of the second week. Saturday morning, August 1st, shows a promising clean 5ft swell from the NW, with light offshore winds from the SSW. The energy is moderate at 210. That’s a solid call for a beginner-friendly wave, but it’s a week and a half away, so keep watching.

The most powerful swell of the whole window builds for the Saturday afternoon (August 1st) and Sunday (August 2nd). The swell hits 7ft from the NW, with an 8-second period, and the combined energy shoots up to 641 and 647. That’s strong wave energy. But the wind is cross-on or cross, so it’s going to be lumpy and messy. At 7ft, this is expert-only territory, and with the onshore wind, it might be better for kite surfing than paddling.

So, the best bet is the Monday morning (July 21st) for a clean, quiet beginner session, and the Saturday morning (August 1st) for a cleaner, slightly bigger option if that long-range forecast holds. Everything else is small, ordinary, or blown out.

Rusty.

Short Range Forecast

Light rain (total 2mm), mostly falling on Tue afternoon. Very mild (max 15°C on Sun afternoon, min 11°C on Mon night). Wind will be generally light.

Days 4-6 Weather Summary

Light rain (total 6mm), mostly falling on Fri afternoon. Very mild (max 15°C on Wed afternoon, min 11°C on Wed morning). Winds increasing (light winds from the W on Thu morning, fresh winds from the WNW by Fri morning).

Sunday
19
Monday
20
Tuesday
21
Wednesday
22
Thursday
23
Friday
24
Saturday
25
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
Rating
(10 max)
1
1
1
1
0
1
1
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Swell
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Wave
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
0.5
ESE
14
0.5
ESE
13
0.4
ESE
13
0.4
ESE
12
0.4
ESE
12
0.4
ESE
12
1.2
E
7
1.1
E
6
0.7
E
6
0.3
ESE
11
0.2
ESE
11
0.2
ESE
11
0.2
ESE
10
0.2
ESE
10
0.2
ESE
10
1.5
NNW
5
1.6
NW
6
0.7
NNW
7
0.5
E
10
1.4
NW
7
0.4
E
10
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
113
102
57
51
49
48
138
104
32
24
12
11
10
11
11
125
201
48
56
173
33
Wind (km/h)
10
SW
10
SW
10
SSW
5
S
5
N
10
S
15
SSE
20
ESE
10
S
10
SSW
10
SW
10
SW
10
SW
15
NW
10
WNW
30
NW
25
W
15
WSW
20
W
35
WNW
20
WSW
Wind State
cross-off
cross-off
off
glassy
on
off
off
cross-off
off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-on
cross
cross-on
cross
cross-off
cross
cross
cross-off
High Tide
11:48AM2.50m
00:10AM2.61m
12:35PM2.45m
00:56AM2.52m
1:23PM2.37m
1:42AM2.42m
2:13PM2.30m
2:28AM2.32m
3:08PM2.23m
3:16AM2.24m
4:06PM2.19m
4:08AM2.17m
5:03PM2.18m
Low Tide
5:44PM0.47m
6:18AM0.47m
6:32PM0.60m
7:04AM0.55m
7:21PM0.74m
7:52AM0.66m
8:11PM0.86m
8:42AM0.76m
9:05PM0.96m
9:34AM0.83m
10:02PM1.02m
10:27AM0.88m
10:59PM1.04m
part cloud
clear
clear
part cloud
part cloud
clear
clear
rain showers
clear
clear
part cloud
clear
part cloud
part cloud
clear
light rain
rain showers
clear
part cloud
rain showers
rain showers
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
7:28
7:28
7:26
7:26
7:26
7:24
7:24
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
5:32
5:34
5:35
5:35
5:36
5:37
5:37
 mm
2
2
4
1
1
Temp °C
13
15
13
14
14
13
14
13
12
13
15
12
14
15
13
15
14
11
15
15
14
Feels °C
11
12
11
13
12
12
9
9
9
11
12
10
12
12
9
9
10
6
9
9
8
  • Map Icons:
  • Break
  • Live Wave Height (m)
  • Live Wind Speed (km/h)
  • Surf Rating (10 Max)
  • Ocean Swells (m)
  • Wind Speed (km/h)
Map placeholder
How to use the Wavefinder 
submit an eyeball surf report

Quick surf report for Tauranga Bay:

join our community of surf reporters

FREE! Surf-Forecast.com widget for your website

The surf report / weather widget below is available to embed on third party websites free of charge and provides a summary of our Tauranga Bay surf forecast. Simply grab the html code snippet that we provide and paste it into your own site. You can choose your preferred language and metric/imperial units for the surf forecast feed to suit users of your site. Click here to get the code.


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

Nearest locationNearest