Surf Forecasts:
Baggies surf forecast from 16 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Monday 17 Aug, 8PM (local time) - 6ft (1.9m), 10s period, ENE swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Sunday 16 Aug, 8PM (local time) - 6ft (1.8m), 11s period, E swell with 792 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Monday 17 Aug, 5AM (local time) - 5.5ft (1.7m), 11s period with E swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Baggies this week:
The surf forecast for Baggies over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Monday (Aug 17) at 5AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.7m and 11s period with a secondary swell of 0.2m and 10s. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Baggies in the next 16 days are 1.8m 11s and forecast to arrive on Sunday (Aug 16) at 8PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.1m 5s period and expected on Sunday (Aug 16) at 11PM.
| Wave Type | Time (SAST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 5AM (Mon 17th Aug) | 5.5ft (1.7m) 11s |
| Best Surf | 8PM (Mon 17th Aug) | 6ft (1.9m) 10s |
| Most Powerful | 8PM (Sun 16th Aug) | 6ft (1.8m) 11s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Baggies over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
G’day, I’m Rusty, and here’s the outlook for Baggies, the point we’re sitting on.
Right off the bat, I gotta say, the next sixteen days aren’t exactly firing for us. We’ve got a bit of a rough patch ahead. The surf we’ve got on the calendar for the first couple of days is there, but it’s heavily compromised by the wind. This is a fairly consistent spot, so normally you’d be a bit more optimistic, but the tradeoffs on the table are real.
Starting on the morning of Sunday the 16th of August, we see that easterly swell at about 5ft, with an 11-second period. That’s a groundswell, so the waves will have some energy behind them, but the northeast wind at 12 mph is coming across the wave faces, so it’s cross-shore. This is a moderately energetic swell (543), but the cross-chop is going to mess with the quality. Water temperature is 70°, which is bang on average for this time of year. That afternoon the swell picks up a touch to 6ft and the same cross-onshore wind kicks up to 16 mph, making it lumpier. It’s a bit frustrating because the waves are there, they’re just not clean.
Monday the 17th is much the same story: 5ft to 6ft of east-northeast swell through the day. The swell period drops to 10 seconds, so it’s a bit more short period and won’t have the same grunt. The northeast breeze drops to a gentle 9 mph, so the cross-chop is lighter, but it’s still not the offshore glass we’re chasing. The afternoon sees the combined energy jump up to 1177, so there’s moderate to strong energy in the water. It’s still marked as marginal surf, and no raves about the conditions.
Now, from Tuesday the 18th right through Saturday the 29th of August, it’s a long dry spell. There’s a persistent run of poor surf conditions. We get a few days of southeast swell, then a bit of short-period south swell, but the wind is either cross-on or cross-shore, and the quality ratings are bottom of the barrel. The wave heights bob around 4ft to 7ft in that stretch, but it’s blown out, lumpy, and choppy. It’s pretty rough out there.
A couple of moments that had a little potential without ever delivering: Wednesday afternoon the 19th of August saw a very long-period 16-second SSW groundswell at just 2ft, but with a light cross-offshore breeze, it cleaned up. Unfortunately, the size is tiny. Then again on Monday the 24th of August morning, a 13-second SSW groundswell at 4ft, with a gentle cross-shore breeze – still marginal.
The only real standout in the whole stretch, and I mean the only one, comes late on Wednesday the 26th of August. That afternoon we’ve got a south swell pulsing in at 4ft, with a period of 21 seconds. That’s an incredibly long period groundswell. Combined wave energy is very strong at 1794. For a point break like Baggies, that kind of very long period energy can draw some beautiful, lined-up sets. But the catch is a fresh northeast wind at 19 mph, which is cross-shore and will make it lumpy. It’s marked as marginal.
Then Thursday morning the 27th of August brings a short-period, 8-second northeast swell at 7ft, with moderate cross-shore 16 mph wind. At 7ft, that’s getting a bit serious for beginners. Combined energy is strong at 1171, but again the quality is off.
After that, the last few days of August and the 31st are mostly poor, with a mix of onshore winds and light rain. The best potential of the whole outlook for Baggies is honestly that Wednesday the 26th of August afternoon, with the very long-period groundswell. It’s a true stand-out for energy, but you’ll be dealing with that lumpy cross-chop. If you’re out there, it’s for the session, not the perfection.
This is a fairly consistent spot, and it tends not to stay poor for ages, but this window is a frustrating one. No clear banger days.
Stay hopeful,
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 23°C on Mon afternoon, min 16°C on Sun night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 22°C on Wed afternoon, min 17°C on Wed night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the SSW on Wed night, light winds from the ENE by Thu night). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Sunday 16 | Monday 17 | Tuesday 18 | Wednesday 19 | Thursday 20 | Friday 21 | Saturday 22 | |||||||||||||||
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) | E 11 | E 11 | E 11 | E 10 | ENE 10 | E 10 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | S 6 | S 6 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | SSW 13 | ENE 7 | S 6 | S 7 | SSW 8 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
526 | 695 | 683 | 541 | 671 | 414 | 241 | 198 | 155 | 117 | 137 | 428 | 143 | 120 | 350 | 456 | 229 | 162 | 267 | 470 | 383 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross | cross | cross-off | cross | cross | cross | cross-on | cross-on | glassy | cross | cross-off | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross |
High Tide | 6:02PM1.80m | 6:08AM1.62m | 6:30PM1.67m | 6:36AM1.49m | 6:58PM1.52m | 7:04AM1.35m | 7:26PM1.36m | 7:34AM1.20m | 8:02PM1.20m | 8:21AM1.05m | 9:30PM1.05m | 12:09PM0.98m | 00:56AM1.09m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 11:44AM0.03m | 00:08AM0.19m | 12:13PM0.14m | 00:37AM0.30m | 12:41PM0.28m | 1:06AM0.43m | 1:10PM0.44m | 1:38AM0.57m | 1:43PM0.60m | 2:24AM0.71m | 2:38PM0.76m | 4:48AM0.81m | 6:12PM0.82m | ||||||||
6:28 | — | — | 6:28 | — | — | 6:26 | — | — | 6:26 | — | — | 6:24 | — | — | 6:24 | — | — | 6:22 | — | — | |
— | 5:31 | — | — | 5:31 | — | — | 5:32 | — | — | 5:32 | — | — | 5:34 | — | — | 5:35 | — | — | 5:35 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 20 | 21 | 18 | 22 | 23 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 19 | 21 | 22 | 21 | 20 | 19 | 19 | 20 | 22 | 22 | 21 | 21 | 18 |
Feels °C | 17 | 18 | 16 | 19 | 20 | 20 | 19 | 18 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 16 | 16 | 19 | 17 | 19 | 21 | 17 | 17 | 17 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 11 | E 11 | E 11 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 8 | E 7 | E 8 | E 8 | S 6 | SSW 15 | SSW 13 | ENE 7 | ENE 7 | ENE 8 | S 8 |
526 | 695 | 683 | 541 | 500 | 414 | 241 | 198 | 155 | 117 | 89 | 127 | 48 | 34 | 81 | 456 | 229 | 162 | 48 | 19 | 235 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 12 | S 11 | S 10 | SSE 10 | SE 10 | S 9 | SW 13 | SW 16 | S 4 | SSW 15 | SSW 16 | — | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 16 | SE 6 | S 16 | SSW 12 | — | E 8 | E 9 |
11 | 10 | 8 | 10 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 11 | 9 | 85 | 137 | — | 74 | 71 | 350 | 46 | 80 | 162 | — | 10 | 13 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 15 | S 12 | S 11 | S 17 | S 18 | SSW 11 | SSW 17 | — | — | — | NE 7 | NE 6 | E 8 | E 8 | — | — | — | — | NE 7 |
6 | 6 | 8 | 3 | 2 | 6 | 6 | 12 | 28 | — | — | — | 16 | 6 | 32 | 20 | — | — | — | — | 2 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | ENE 4 | NNE 5 | NNE 5 | ENE 10 | — | S 4 | S 4 | S 4 | — | ENE 4 | SSW 15 | S 6 | S 6 | — | ENE 8 | ENE 5 | — | S 6 | S 7 | SSW 8 |
— | 34 | 48 | 48 | 671 | — | 13 | 23 | 13 | — | 20 | 428 | 143 | 120 | — | 50 | 74 | — | 267 | 470 | 383 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 27 | 27 | 30 | 27 | 27 | 24 | 185 | 185 | 0 | 27 | 27 | 183 | 300 | 300 | 27 | 383 | 446 | 7 | 185 | 185 | 7 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Durban/KwaZulu-Natal South Coast | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in South Africa | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the Baggies Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Baggies provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Baggies can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Baggies 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 (Baggies) 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 Baggies 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.
Baggies is 11 km (7 miles) from Umlazi. If you plan a holiday in Durban/KwaZulu-Natal South Coast, look for hotels and other accommodation in Umlazi. Umlazi has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.











