Tauranga Bay Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what Tauranga Bay has in store for us over the next couple of weeks.

Straight up, we’re looking at a pretty quiet stretch. The water is sitting at 62°F which is pretty much normal for this time of year, so no surprises there. The first few days are a bit of a write-off, with tiny swell and poor conditions. Wednesday the 15th and Thursday the 16th are flat and messy, so don’t bother rushing down. You’ll be staring at a lake.

Friday the 17th morning is where we finally see a flicker of life. The swell bumps up to a knee-high 2ft from the east, with a period of 17 seconds – that’s proper groundswell energy, and you’ll feel it. The combined energy reads 219 (moderate) and the wind is light and cross-offshore, cleaning things up nicely. It’s not big, but for a beginner-friendly spot like this, those long-period lines will offer up some fun, shapely waves. The swell direction is east-southeast, which isn’t the optimum northeast, but it’s still okay. This is the best on offer in the first week, but it’s nothing to write home about. Crowds are rare here, so you’ll have plenty of room.

Saturday the 18th stays similar – knee-high, clean, with offshore breeze in the morning. The swell is still east-southeast with a 14-second period, and the energy is moderate at 226. It’s surfable, but very ordinary. Sunday the 19th morning sees offshore wind with a 2ft southeast swell, still clean but small.

Monday the 20th is a write-off again – light rain and onshore winds, lumpy and cross. Not worth it.

Tuesday the 21st morning brings a brief pulse of 4ft, but it’s short-period windswell at just 6 seconds, so it’ll be soft and disorganised. The wind is offshore though, so it’ll be clean, but the wave quality is poor. That’s the most size we see, but it’s not the good stuff.

Things go quiet again from the 22nd through the 25th – tiny, weak, and mostly not worth paddling out for.

Then on Sunday the 26th morning, we get a bit of a surprise. A 5ft swell from the northwest, but again the period is short at 7 seconds. The energy is moderate at 214 and the wind is cross-offshore, keeping it clean. This is the biggest swell of the whole run, but it’s short-period windswell, so it’ll be a bit lumpy and won’t have the push of a proper groundswell. For a beginner break, this is about as big as you’d want to go, and it’s only for the more experienced beginners. This is the second standout.

After that, it’s all downhill. The last few days of the month and into the 30th are tiny, weak, and mostly cross or onshore winds. The 30th sees a 2ft easterly swell with a 10-11 second period, but the wind is cross or cross-offshore, and the energy is only moderate. It’s not good.

Truth is, there’s no real firing session in the next 16 days. The best bets are Friday the 17th morning for the cleanest, longest-period waves, and Sunday the 26th morning for the most size. Even then, it’s all pretty ordinary. Keep your expectations low and you might score a few fun ones.

Rusty.

Read more