Tauranga Bay Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, this is Rusty. Let’s be straight with you: the next couple of weeks at Tauranga Bay are a real test of patience. We’ve got a long stretch of tiny, weak surf and tricky winds, but there is a light at the end of the tunnel if you can wait it out.

Right now, through the first few days, it’s pretty flat. We’re looking at swell heights of just 0.7ft to 1ft, with combined wave energy barely ticking over (20 to 91). The water temp is sitting at 61°, which is about 2° warmer than normal for this time of year – a nice little bonus for the winter wetsuit crew. But honestly, the surf is poor. The wind is a mixed bag of glassy mornings and then cross-off or cross-shore breezes, but there’s just no power in the water to make it worthwhile. The period is decent, around 10 to 15 seconds, but with that tiny swell, it’s not doing anything.

From the 12th right through to the morning of the 22nd, it’s a long, dry spell. The swell drops even further, down to 0.3ft at times, and the energy figures are in the single digits or low twenties. There are some clean, glassy windows in there, like the morning of the 15th, but with only 1ft of swell, it’s a lake, not a surf break. The wind is often cross-off or light, which is a tease. It’s just one of those flat runs for the Bay.

Now, hold on to your board. The 22nd of September is where things start to get interesting. Tuesday morning looks like a real gem. We get a pulse of 3ft swell from the NNE, with a period of 9 seconds. The combined energy jumps to 161 (moderate), and the wind is glassy from the ENE at 6 mph. That’s a very clean, surfable morning for the beginners and longboarders. The water will still be that warmer-than-average temp.

The real standout, though, is the morning of the 24th of September. This is the one to circle on the calendar. Expect a clean 3ft swell from the NE, with a period of 10 seconds. The wind is a light cross-off from the west at just 6 mph, which will keep the face clean. The combined energy is a solid 271 (moderate). It’s not a monster, but it’s a very real, surfable day with good shape. The afternoon gets a bit choppy as the wind picks up, but that morning session is the best on offer in the whole outlook.

So, the call is: a long wait, but the 24th morning is the one to aim for. It’s not a day for the experts, but for the average surfer, it’s a solid option.

Rusty.

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