Tauranga Bay Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G'day, I'm Rusty. Let's have a look at what's on the menu for Tauranga Bay over the next couple of weeks.

Alright, straight up – the first week or so is pretty grim. There's a lot of flat days and junk wind ahead. The only real glimmer of hope is way down the track, on Thursday the 3rd of September. That's your standout.

For most of the first week, from the 20th through to the 27th of August, we're looking at tiny, weak swell. The combined energy is mostly in the double digits, like 64, 69, even down to 7 – that's weak, gutless energy. The winds are all over the shop, mostly cross-onshore or onshore, making for choppy, poor conditions. There's a morning on the 21st with glassy conditions, but the swell is only 2ft from the ESE with a 9-second period; it's surfable but very ordinary. Not worth getting wet for.

Then we hit the 28th of August. The swell jumps up, but it's a mess. We get a 8ft swell from the NNW with a short 7-second period, but the wind is howling onshore at 18 mph from the north. The combined energy is 505, which is strong, but it's all just wind-slop. For a beginner-friendly spot, that's too big and blown out. It looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing.

The next few days are more of the same – small, weak, and choppy. The energy starts to build again on the 31st of August, getting into the 100s, but the wind is still onshore or cross-onshore, keeping it poor.

Now, here's the one to circle. On Thursday the 3rd of September, in the morning, we've got a clean 5ft swell from the NW with a period of 8 seconds. The wind is offshore from the SSE at only 6 mph, so it's light and clean. The combined energy is 517, which is a solid pulse of energy. The water temp is about 61°F, which is around average for the time of year. This is the best on offer – a proper clean swell with offshore wind. The swell is over 5ft, so it might be a bit much for the absolute beginners, but for anyone comfortable in the water, Thursday morning is the time. The swell direction is from the NW, and the optimum swell direction for Tauranga Bay is NE, so it's not perfectly aligned, but with clean conditions, it's still a winner.

The rest of the forecast just fades out again with small, weak surf.

So, sum it up: the first week and a half is a write-off. The clear standout is the morning of Thursday the 3rd of September. That's your window.

Rusty.

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