Bay of Plenty beach surf conditions: ‘Big waves’ coming, strong wind advisory

A surf lifesaver has praised Bay of Plenty beachgoers for “staying out of the water” after warnings about big swells and strong currents.

Surf Life Saving NZ (SLSNZ) eastern manager Chaz Gibbons-Campbell said it was “surprising we didn’t have any rescues” in the Bay of Plenty on Monday given “rough” conditions and waves up to 2 metres, and following a “gnarly” weekend that saw dislocated limbs and rescues.

“We had one assist and a couple of first aid [incidents on Monday] which was pretty good considering that we had some pretty big swell there.”

He said it was positive most people appeared to have listened to surf lifesavers and were “staying out of the water … when it was really rough”.

A strong wind advisory is in place today and the MetService has forecast rough seas.

Gibbons-Campbell said this morning waves were about “three to four feet [0.9m-1.2m] on the forecast and swell map”.

He said there were “some big waves coming in” across the region “causing a lot of water movement” in the Mount Maunganui coast area.

He recommended anyone venturing into the water take a floatation device such as a surfboard or boogie board.

One of the surfers at Mount Maunganui Main Beach on Tuesday. Photo / Alex Cairns

“In the last few days, a lot of our rescues have been done around that change of the tide”.

Gibbons-Campbell said going from high tide to low tide, as the water tried to recede caused stronger waves.

He said “most of the Bay of Plenty beaches” except for one campground “did have their flags up” yesterday.

“They were providing a space for people to come and swim and be supervised, which was really good.”

Waves in the Bay of Plenty are expected to be about “three to four feet” high today and a strong wind advisory is in place. Photo / Alex Cairns

Metservice meteorologist Dom Barry said today “things pick up a bit with the sea becoming rough due to strong winds”.

Barry said a strong wind advisory was in place.

Michaela Pointon is an NZME reporter based in the Bay of Plenty and was formerly a feature writer.