Surf Forecasts:
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 Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 12PM (Sun 19th Jul) | 1.5ft (0.5m) 14s |
| Best Surf | 12PM (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 ForecastLight 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 SummaryLight 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 | |
Swell Height Map |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | ||||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 14 | ESE 13 | ESE 13 | ESE 12 | ESE 12 | ESE 12 | E 7 | E 6 | E 6 | ESE 11 | ESE 11 | ESE 11 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | NNW 5 | NW 6 | NNW 7 | E 10 | NW 7 | E 10 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 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) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | 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 | ||||||||
 |  |  | | | | |  | | | | | | | |  | | | | |  | |
 | 7:28 | — | — | 7:28 | — | — | 7:26 | — | — | 7:26 | — | — | 7:26 | — | — | 7:24 | — | — | 7:24 | — | — |
 | — | 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 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 14 | ESE 13 | ESE 13 | ESE 12 | ESE 12 | ESE 12 | ESE 12 | E 6 | E 6 | E 6 | E 5 | E 5 | E 5 | ESE 10 | E 7 | E 8 | NNW 6 | NNW 7 | NNW 6 | NW 7 | E 10 |
| kJ | 113 | 102 | 57 | 51 | 49 | 48 | 27 | 66 | 32 | 15 | 8 | 5 | 2 | 11 | 4 | 11 | 114 | 48 | 22 | 173 | 33 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | N 8 | N 8 | NNE 8 | N 8 | NNE 8 | NNE 8 | N 7 | ESE 11 | ESE 11 | ESE 11 | ESE 11 | ESE 11 | ESE 10 | E 5 | ESE 10 | ESE 11 | E 7 | ESE 10 | E 10 | E 12 | NW 6 |
| kJ | 6 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 4 | 25 | 24 | 24 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 2 | 11 | 11 | 10 | 31 | 56 | 66 | 10 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 18 | W 18 | W 16 | — | N 9 | N 7 | NE 8 | N 7 | NNE 8 | NNE 7 | NNE 7 | NNE 7 | NNE 7 | NNE 6 | NE 6 | — | E 11 | — | NE 8 | NE 8 | NW 11 |
| kJ | 6 | 6 | 5 | — | 2 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 2 | — | 9 | — | 3 | 3 | 5 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | SSE 4 | E 7 | E 6 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | NNW 5 | NW 6 | SSW 2 | W 3 | WNW 7 | SW 3 |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 138 | 104 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 125 | 201 | 1 | 2 | 361 | 5 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 51 | 0 | 10 | 65 | 65 | 211 | 545 | 73 | 518 | 10 | 3 | 10 | 116 | 61 |
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
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