Tauranga Bay Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let’s get into it. The outlook for Tauranga Bay is pretty quiet to start, but there’s a decent pulse building later on. The first week is a bit of a write-off, with only small, messy waves and poor conditions. The real action starts to kick off around the 22nd of July, with a solid run of cleaner, more powerful surf.

The water temp is sitting about average for the time of year, so nothing unusual there.

The first real window of opportunity arrives on Friday the 17th of July. The swell is only 2ft from the east, but the period jumps to 17 seconds – that’s a long period groundswell, which means it’ll have more push and shape than the size suggests. The combined energy is moderate (223). The morning is clean with a light offshore from the SSE, and the afternoon goes glassy with a NNW breeze. For a beginner spot, this is about as good as it gets for small conditions. The waves will be lined up, but don’t expect big walls.

The 18th of July (Saturday) stays similar: 2ft east-southeast swell, 15 second period, combined energy 240. Clean conditions with a light cross-offshore wind. It’s consistent, but still on the small side.

Then we hit the standout period. The 22nd of July (Wednesday) is the first day that really gets the blood pumping. Swell bumps up to 5ft from the ESE, with an 8 second period and combined energy of 533 – that’s moderate to strong energy. The wind is offshore (SSE at 15 km/h) and the afternoon is clean. This is waves for the intermediate and above crowd. The size is accessible, and the offshore wind will mean clean faces.

The 23rd of July (Thursday) keeps it going: 3ft from the ENE, 10 second period, 376 energy. Light cross-offshore breeze. The afternoon sees a bigger 6ft from the same direction, but the tide might be a factor, so pick your sessions.

The 24th of July (Friday) is the best on offer. Morning session: 6ft from the ENE, 11 second period, combined energy at 647 – that’s strong energy. Clean offshore wind from the SSE at 10 km/h. This is a proper groundswell with good power. The size is right for experienced surfers, but it’s not too big for confident intermediates. The afternoon gets a bit cross-shore, so the morning is the pick.

The 25th of July (Saturday) still has clean 4ft waves from the ENE, 11 second period, 406 energy. The wind is light offshore. It’s a solid follow-up day.

The 26th of July (Sunday) will drop back down to 2ft, but it’s glassy in the morning. A nice little fade-out.

The 27th of July (Monday) sees a big jump in size – 8ft from the north, but it’s onshore, messy, and not recommended. That’s for experts only, and even then, the wind will ruin it.

The 28th of July (Tuesday) is a write-off with strong onshore winds over 25 mph.

Best bet: The morning of the 24th of July (Friday) – 6ft ENE, 11 second period, offshore wind, strong energy. If you can only surf one day, that’s the one.

Rusty.

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