
Surf Forecasts:
Tauranga Bay surf forecast from 14 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Friday 17 Jul, 12PM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.7m), 17s period, ESE swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Friday 17 Jul, 12PM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.7m), 17s period, ESE swell with 290 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Friday 17 Jul, 12AM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.4m), 19s 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 Friday (Jul 17) at 12AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.4m and 19s period with a secondary swell of 0.3m and 4s. 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 0.7m 17s and forecast to arrive on Friday (Jul 17) at 12PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.3m 3s period and expected on Monday (Jul 20) at 9AM.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 12AM (Fri 17th Jul) | 1.5ft (0.4m) 19s |
| Best Surf | 12PM (Fri 17th Jul) | 2.5ft (0.7m) 17s |
| Most Powerful | 12PM (Fri 17th Jul) | 2.5ft (0.7m) 17s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Tauranga Bay over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, this is Rusty. Let's have a look at what's on offer for Tauranga Bay.
To be honest, the next few days are a bit of a write-off. We’re looking at a real slow start with tiny, weak waves. The water temp is sitting about average for this time of year, which is nice.
Wednesday the 15th and Thursday the 16th are a total non-event. You’re looking at tiny 1-foot dribbles with hardly any energy behind them. Not worth getting wet for.
We finally see a pulse of energy arrive on Friday morning the 17th. The swell jumps to 2 feet from the east with a 17-second period, giving us moderate energy. The wind is light and cross-offshore, so the conditions will be clean. It’s small, but it’s real groundswell, so the shape should be better than what we’ve seen. Saturday the 18th and Sunday the 19th hold similar small but clean conditions, with the swell staying around 2-2 feet from the east-southeast. It’s nothing to get excited about, but it’s surfable.
Then we hit a bit of a rough patch. Monday the 20th through to Thursday the 24th is a messy period. The wind cranks up from the east, gusting 18-22 mph, and the swell gets short and choppy with periods of only 6-7 seconds. There’s plenty of energy in the water, but it’s just poor quality, wind-affected junk. The setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing.
Now, here’s where it gets interesting. The standout window is the last weekend of the month and into the following week. Saturday the 25th sees the swell start to build, with the afternoon pushing 5 feet from the northeast. The energy is ramping up strong. The wind is still a bit of a factor, so it’s marginal.
But Sunday the 26th morning is the real gem. We’ve got a clean 5-foot swell from the east-northeast, with true offshore winds from the south-southeast. The energy is solid. This is where you want to be. It’s a beginner-friendly height, but the clean conditions and long-period groundswell (10 seconds) will make for some proper fun lines.
Monday the 27th morning is also a beauty. The swell is 4 feet, the wind is light offshore, and by the afternoon it goes glassy. The energy is strong. This is the best on offer. The swell direction is east-northeast, which is close to the optimum for Tauranga Bay. It’s a consistent spot, so it’ll be working. Just keep in mind the crowds are rare here, so you might have it mostly to yourself.
After that, the swell drops off again through Tuesday the 28th and Wednesday the 29th, with more ordinary conditions. Not a bad run, but the real magic is that Sunday-Monday window.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Very mild (max 18°C on Thu afternoon, min 12°C on Wed morning). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 4mm), mostly falling on Mon morning. Very mild (max 15°C on Sat afternoon, min 11°C on Fri night). Winds increasing (calm on Sun afternoon, fresh winds from the E by Mon morning). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wednesday 15 | Thursday 16 | Friday 17 | Saturday 18 | Sunday 19 | Monday 20 | Tue 21 | |||||||||||||||
Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | |
Swell Height Map | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 9 | ESE 10 | ESE 12 | ESE 11 | ESE 10 | E 13 | ESE 19 | E 17 | ESE 16 | ESE 15 | ESE 14 | ESE 14 | ESE 14 | ESE 14 | ESE 14 | ESE 13 | ESE 13 | E 7 | E 7 | E 7 | E 6 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
17 | 20 | 26 | 23 | 22 | 13 | 119 | 215 | 269 | 246 | 218 | 163 | 118 | 115 | 71 | 57 | 53 | 155 | 198 | 193 | 166 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | glassy | cross-on | glassy | cross-off | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross-on | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | glassy | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross |
High Tide | 8:18AM2.51m | 8:55PM2.71m | 9:15AM2.54m | 9:47PM2.75m | 10:09AM2.55m | 10:36PM2.74m | 11:00AM2.54m | 11:23PM2.69m | 11:48AM2.50m | 00:10AM2.61m | 12:35PM2.45m | 00:56AM2.52m | 1:23PM2.37m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 2:02AM0.53m | 2:24PM0.30m | 2:59AM0.45m | 3:17PM0.27m | 3:53AM0.40m | 4:07PM0.29m | 4:43AM0.38m | 4:56PM0.36m | 5:31AM0.40m | 5:44PM0.47m | 6:18AM0.47m | 6:32PM0.60m | 7:04AM0.55m | ||||||||
— | 7:30 | — | — | 7:28 | — | — | 7:28 | — | — | 7:28 | — | — | 7:28 | — | — | 7:28 | — | — | 7:26 | — | |
— | — | 5:30 | — | — | 5:30 | — | — | 5:31 | — | — | 5:32 | — | — | 5:32 | — | — | 5:34 | — | — | 5:35 | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 3 | — | — | — | 1 |
Temp °C | 15 | 14 | 15 | 14 | 17 | 18 | 15 | 14 | 16 | 14 | 13 | 15 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 15 |
Feels °C | 14 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 12 | 14 | 12 | 11 | 13 | 11 | 11 | 14 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 9 | 8 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NW 6 | ESE 10 | ESE 12 | ESE 11 | NNW 5 | E 13 | ESE 19 | E 17 | ESE 16 | ESE 15 | ESE 14 | ESE 14 | ESE 14 | ESE 14 | ESE 14 | ESE 13 | ESE 13 | ESE 12 | ESE 12 | ESE 12 | ESE 11 |
8 | 20 | 26 | 23 | 8 | 13 | 119 | 215 | 269 | 246 | 218 | 163 | 118 | 115 | 71 | 57 | 53 | 51 | 29 | 46 | 43 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NE 4 | NNW 6 | NNW 5 | NNE 10 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | NNW 4 | NNW 4 | N 9 | NNE 8 | NNE 8 | N 8 | NNE 8 | NNE 8 | NNE 8 | NNE 8 | NNE 8 | NNE 8 | N 9 | N 8 | N 7 |
5 | 3 | 2 | 10 | 22 | 10 | 3 | 2 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 9 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 9 | NNE 10 | NNE 10 | — | NE 10 | NE 10 | NNE 9 | NE 9 | NE 9 | NE 10 | NE 9 | E 9 | — | — | W 18 | W 16 | — | — | NE 9 | — | — |
17 | 10 | 10 | — | 4 | 4 | 9 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 2 | — | — | 6 | 5 | — | — | 3 | — | — | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | NNW 5 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ESE 3 | E 7 | E 7 | E 7 | E 6 |
— | — | — | — | — | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | 155 | 198 | 193 | 166 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 60 | 60 | 114 | 73 | 65 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 73 | 73 | 60 | 211 | 60 |
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











