Tauranga Bay Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, this is Rusty. Let’s talk surf for your neck of the woods.

Straight up, the first week and a half is a real mixed bag, mostly on the small side with a ton of wind issues. You gotta be patient. The real standout is waiting for us at the end of the month, on Saturday the 29th of August. That morning looks like the best bet by a long shot.

The outlook:

We kick off on Monday the 17th of August with a solid pulse of swell at Tauranga Bay. We’re seeing a 6ft groundswell rolling in from the ESE with a 10-second period. The water is sitting at 61°, which is about average for this time of year. The wind is a moderate offshore from the south at 16 mph, so it’s going to be clean and lined up. The combined wave energy is moderate at (710). It’s a consistent beginner-friendly spot, but because the swell is over 5ft, it’s a bit much for absolute beginners. The wind is offshore, which is a major positive.

Tuesday the 18th drops right off. Morning brings small 3ft ESE swell with cross-offshore wind and low energy (131). It’s surfable but pretty average. The afternoon goes smaller again to 2ft with clean but tiny surf (81).

Wednesday the 19th is a write-off in the morning with a tiny 0.7ft groundswell (38). The afternoon sees a short-period SE swell pop up to 4ft, but at only 7 seconds and 230 energy, it’s weak and junky with moderate offshore wind.

Thursday the 20th is glassy in the morning. That’s a treat, but the swell is only 2ft (64). It’s clean but small. The afternoon goes to a light cross-onshore, ruining it.

From Friday the 21st all the way through Sunday the 24th of August, it’s pretty grim. Small, short-period windswell, with cross-shore and cross-on winds. Lots of grovel or chop. Monday the 24th afternoon has a pulse of 4ft NW windswell (191), but it comes with cross-shore wind and poor quality.

Then we hit another lull until Friday the 28th of August. The morning of the 28th has glassy conditions with a tiny 3ft NNW swell (55) – it’s surfable but ordinary.

The Standout – Mark your calendar.

Here’s the one to get excited about. Saturday the 29th of August. The morning is absolutely firing. There’s a 8ft swell from the NNW with an 8-second period. The combined energy is pumping at (689). And the wind? Dead calm. Glassy. Zero mph from the WNW. It’s going to be clean, powerful, and since it’s over 8ft, this is strictly for experienced surfers. Tauranga Bay is fairly exposed and handles this direction well, but crowds are rare here, which is a bonus. This is the day.

The rest of that weekend and into Monday looks messy again with onshores and t-storm risk, so make the most of that Saturday window.

Honestly, it’s a quiet period with a lot of duds, but that one morning on the 29th is worth waiting for. Forecasts can shift, but right now it looks like a ripper.

Rusty.

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