Surf Forecasts:
Tauranga Bay surf forecast from 11 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Friday 17 Jul, 12AM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.4m), 14s period, ESE swell with offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Saturday 11 Jul, 9PM (local time) - 5ft (1.5m), 10s period, ESE swell with 437 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Friday 17 Jul, 12AM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.4m), 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 Friday (Jul 17) at 12AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.4m and 14s period with a secondary swell of 0.3m and 4s. The wind is predicted to be offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Tauranga Bay in the next 16 days are 1.5m 10s and forecast to arrive on Saturday (Jul 11) at 9PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.4m 3s period and expected on Saturday (Jul 18) at 6PM.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 12AM (Fri 17th Jul) | 1.5ft (0.4m) 14s |
| Best Surf | 12AM (Fri 17th Jul) | 1.5ft (0.4m) 14s |
| Most Powerful | 9PM (Sat 11th Jul) | 5ft (1.5m) 10s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Tauranga Bay over the next 16 days.
Right then, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what Tauranga Bay has on offer for the next couple of weeks. To be honest, it’s a pretty grim outlook for a while. The first proper surfable swell doesn’t show up on the cards until Saturday the 19th of July, so we’re looking at a solid stretch of flat, small, or messy conditions before that. A few days of tiny clean waves, but nothing worth paddling out for.
The first real event comes on Saturday the 19th of July. The swell picks up to 6 ft from the ESE with a period of 7 seconds. That’s a short-period swell, so it’s going to be a bit lumpy, but the wind is a moderate SSE breeze, which is offshore. It’s clean. The combined energy is moderate at 433. This is a beginner-friendly spot, consistent, and crowds are rare. The water temp is a normal 62°F for the time of year. For a beginner, this could be a fun session, but for anyone else, the short period makes it a bit average.
The real standout, and I mean the one that gets your heart pumping, is looking like Tuesday the 22nd of July. But hold up, don’t get too excited. The swell is a solid 12 ft from the ENE with a period of 10 seconds. That’s a decent groundswell, but those 12 ft waves are for experts only – way too big for beginners. The wind is a fresh E breeze, making it messy cross-shore chop. The combined energy is very strong at 2021. It’s a beach break, so that long-period groundswell is going to break straight and sloppy. Not ideal for a paddle. Honestly, with that wind and size, it’s looking more interesting for kite surfing than a traditional surf.
After that, from Wednesday the 23rd of July right through to Sunday the 26th, the whole thing just gets blown out. Swells keep coming in the 8 ft to 16 ft range from the ENE, but the wind is a strong 28 mph E breeze, creating a messy, lumpy cross-chop. The energy is massive – up to 5950 – but it’s a write-off for good surfing. The wind is too strong and the waves are too messy. Again, a kite setup would have a field day.
So, the one true highlight? It’s not perfect, but the best bet in the whole window is the Saturday the 19th of July morning. It’s a modest 6 ft, clean, and offshore. For a beginner at Tauranga Bay, that’s a proper session. For the rest of us, it’s a wait-and-see, but the long-range stuff looks promising even if it’s a bit messy. The forecasts can change, so keep an eye on it.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastModerate rain (total 13mm), heaviest on Sat afternoon. Very mild (max 15°C on Mon morning, min 11°C on Sun morning). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 2mm), mostly falling on Tue morning. Very mild (max 17°C on Tue afternoon, min 13°C on Tue night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Saturday 11 | Sunday 12 | Monday 13 | Tuesday 14 | Wednesday 15 | Thursday 16 | Friday 17 | |||||||||||||||
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 10 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | E 9 | ESE 9 | ESE 9 | ESE 9 | E 10 | ESE 10 | NNW 6 | NW 6 | ESE 9 | NNE 5 | ESE 10 | ESE 11 | ESE 11 | E 12 | ESE 14 | E 17 | E 16 | ESE 15 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 173 | 173 | 408 | 171 | 68 | 48 | 64 | 48 | 31 | 100 | 52 | 17 | 10 | 21 | 23 | 22 | 26 | 61 | 149 | 183 | 172 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-on | on | cross-on | on | cross | cross-on | cross-off | glassy | cross-on | glassy | cross-off | cross-on | off | cross-off | cross-on | off |
High Tide | 4:57PM2.37m | 5:11AM2.38m | 6:00PM2.46m | 6:15AM2.42m | 7:01PM2.56m | 7:18AM2.47m | 8:00PM2.64m | 8:18AM2.51m | 8:55PM2.71m | 9:15AM2.54m | 9:47PM2.75m | 10:09AM2.55m | 10:36PM2.74m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 10:24AM0.61m | 11:00PM0.80m | 11:26AM0.54m | 00:02AM0.72m | 12:28PM0.46m | 1:03AM0.62m | 1:28PM0.37m | 2:02AM0.53m | 2:24PM0.30m | 2:59AM0.45m | 3:17PM0.27m | 3:53AM0.40m | 4:07PM0.29m | ||||||||
 |  |  | | | | |  | | | |  | | | | | |  | | | | |
 | 7:31 | — | — | 7:31 | — | — | 7:31 | — | — | 7:30 | — | — | 7:30 | — | — | 7:28 | — | — | 7:28 | — | — |
 | — | 5:28 | — | — | 5:29 | — | — | 5:29 | — | — | 5:30 | — | — | 5:30 | — | — | 5:30 | — | — | 5:31 | — |
mm | — | 2 | 3 | — | 1 | 4 | — | — | 3 | 1 | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 14 | 14 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 17 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 16 | 14 | 14 | 13 |
Feels °C | 11 | 11 | 8 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 10 | 13 | 14 | 12 | 14 | 13 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 13 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | E 9 | ESE 9 | ESE 9 | ESE 9 | E 10 | ESE 10 | NNE 5 | NNW 6 | N 5 | NNE 5 | NNE 4 | N 5 | N 5 | NNE 4 | ESE 14 | E 17 | E 16 | ESE 15 |
| kJ | 173 | 173 | 245 | 171 | 68 | 48 | 64 | 48 | 31 | 27 | 26 | 12 | 7 | 4 | 13 | 8 | 4 | 61 | 149 | 183 | 172 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | N 12 | N 12 | N 12 | N 11 | N 11 | N 11 | NE 12 | NE 12 | NE 11 | NW 6 | NE 5 | NW 6 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | ESE 11 | ESE 11 | E 12 | NNE 4 | NNE 5 | NNE 7 | NNE 8 |
| kJ | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 28 | 8 | 6 | 10 | 21 | 23 | 22 | 26 | 4 | 8 | 10 | 11 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | N 12 | — | — | N 12 | NE 12 | NE 9 | N 10 | N 11 | ESE 8 | ESE 10 | ESE 9 | NNE 10 | NNE 10 | NNE 10 | NE 10 | NNW 5 | NE 10 | ESE 9 | NE 10 | NE 9 |
| kJ | — | 3 | — | — | 3 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 7 | 19 | 17 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 8 | 4 | 3 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | ESE 10 | — | ENE 5 | ENE 5 | NE 4 | N 3 | N 4 | NNW 6 | NW 6 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | — | — | 408 | — | 24 | 17 | 5 | 5 | 21 | 100 | 52 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 0 | 21 | 21 | 73 | 60 | 52 | 211 | 192 | 3 | 3 | 60 | 60 | 52 | 10 | 65 | 92 | 0 | 0 | 43 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Northland | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in New Zealand | |||||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||||
- Map Icons:
Break
Live Wave Height (m)
Live Wind Speed (km/h)
Surf Rating (10 Max)
Ocean Swells (m)- Wind Speed (km/h)
FREE! Surf-Forecast.com widget for your website
The surf report / weather widget below is available to embed on third party websites free of charge and provides a summary of our Tauranga Bay surf forecast. Simply grab the html code snippet that we provide and paste it into your own site. You can choose your preferred language and metric/imperial units for the surf forecast feed to suit users of your site. Click here to get the code.
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
Nearest