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Big Bay Surf Forecast
/ Cape Town (70 surf breaks) /
Surf Forecasts:
Big Bay surfForecast / Cape Town / South Africa
48hr Weather and Surf, issued 7 pm Sunday 17 May 2026 SASTForecast update in hr min s Forecast update imminent
Big Bay surf forecast is for near shore open water. Breaking waves will often be smaller at less exposed spots.
Today's Big Bay sea temperature is
15.9° C
(Which is 1.1°C colder than average for this time of year)How big are the waves at Big Bay today?
The current surf forecast for Big Bay at 12AM is: 1.6m 13s primary swell from a West-southwest direction and 0.7m 10s secondary swell from a South direction (forecast issued at 07:00pm May 17). An open ocean swell of 1.2m 6s is not directed at the surf break. The wind direction is predicted to be cross-offshore and the swell rating is 3.
| Time (SAST) & Date | Wave Height | Wave Period |
|---|---|---|
| Morning (18 May) | 5ft (1.6m) | 14s |
| Afternoon (18 May) | 5ft (1.6m) | 14s |
| Evening (18 May) | 5ft (1.5m) | 13s |
Table - waves today at Big Bay. (Swell directed towards the surf break)
Updates in hr min s Forecast update imminent
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 22°C on Tue afternoon, min 15°C on Sun night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Sun 17 | Monday 18 | Tuesday 19 | Wed 20 | |||||||||||||||||||||
5 PM | 8 PM | 11 PM | 2 AM | 5 AM | 8 AM | 11 AM | 2 PM | 5 PM | 8 PM | 11 PM | 2 AM | 5 AM | 8 AM | 11 AM | 2 PM | 5 PM | 8 PM | 11 PM | 2 AM | 5 AM | 8 AM | 11 AM | 2 PM | |
Swell Height Map |    |    |    |    | ||||||||||||||||||||
WSW 14 | WSW 13 | WSW 13 | WSW 13 | WSW 13 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 | WSW 13 | WSW 13 | SSE 8 | SSE 8 | SSE 9 | SSE 9 | S 9 | WSW 13 | SSE 9 | SSE 9 | S 10 | S 10 | S 10 | WSW 12 | WSW 12 | |
841 | 817 | 837 | 837 | 850 | 889 | 969 | 1042 | 929 | 796 | 722 | 763 | 819 | 921 | 890 | 450 | 414 | 561 | 573 | 326 | 230 | 190 | 180 | 180 | |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | off | cross-off | off | off | off | off | off | cross-off | off | off | off | off | glassy | glassy | cross-on | |
High Tide | 3:42PM1.54m | 3:55AM1.62m | 4:28PM1.52m | 4:43AM1.54m | 5:17PM1.46m | 5:35AM1.43m | ||||||||||||||||||
Low Tide | 9:45PM0.10m | 10:15AM-0.00m | 10:34PM0.14m | 11:02AM0.07m | 11:26PM0.21m | 11:52AM0.18m | ||||||||||||||||||
 |  |  | | | |  |  | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
 | — | — | — | — | 7:31 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 7:33 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 7:33 | — | — | — |
 | 5:52 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 5:52 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 5:51 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 5:50 |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
Temp °C | 18 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 17 | 20 | 20 | 18 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 19 | 21 | 22 | 19 | 18 | 17 | 17 | 16 | 18 | 19 |
16 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 14 | 13 | 15 | 17 | 18 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 17 | 20 | 21 | 17 | 17 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 18 | 18 | |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WSW 14 | WSW 13 | WSW 13 | WSW 13 | WSW 13 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 | S 8 | WSW 13 | S 9 | S 9 | S 9 | S 9 | S 9 | S 10 | S 10 | S 10 | S 10 | S 10 | S 10 | S 9 | S 8 |
 kJ | 841 | 817 | 837 | 837 | 850 | 889 | 969 | 1042 | 929 | 354 | 722 | 595 | 562 | 593 | 565 | 450 | 361 | 313 | 306 | 326 | 230 | 190 | 171 | 116 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 11 | — | S 10 | S 10 | S 10 | S 10 | S 10 | S 10 | S 12 | WSW 13 | S 12 | WSW 13 | WSW 13 | WSW 13 | WSW 13 | WSW 13 | WSW 13 | WSW 13 | WSW 13 | WSW 12 | WSW 12 | WSW 12 | WSW 12 | WSW 12 |
| kJ | 146 | — | 100 | 71 | 71 | 49 | 50 | 33 | 27 | 796 | 11 | 640 | 624 | 536 | 528 | 414 | 414 | 408 | 330 | 260 | 230 | 184 | 180 | 180 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | SSE 13 | — | S 10 | S 10 | — | — | — | — | — | S 16 | — | S 15 | S 15 | S 14 | S 14 | — | SW 19 | SW 17 | SW 16 | SW 16 |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | 58 | — | 17 | 18 | — | — | — | — | — | 5 | — | 4 | 4 | 15 | 15 | — | 14 | 11 | 10 | 38 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 5 | S 5 | S 6 | S 6 | S 6 | S 6 | S 6 | S 6 | S 8 | SSE 8 | S 8 | SSE 8 | SSE 8 | SSE 9 | SSE 9 | — | — | SSE 9 | SSE 9 | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | 45 | 104 | 89 | 92 | 92 | 80 | 92 | 97 | 223 | 469 | 418 | 763 | 819 | 921 | 890 | — | — | 561 | 573 | — | — | — | — | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 91 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 26 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Cape Town | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in South Africa | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Ocean Swells (m)- Wind Speed (km/h)
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