
Surf Forecasts:
Big Bay surf forecast from 28 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Tuesday 28 Jul, 8PM (local time) - 7ft (2.1m), 14s period, SW swell with offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Tuesday 28 Jul, 8PM (local time) - 7ft (2.1m), 14s period, SW swell with 1,663 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Tuesday 28 Jul, 8PM (local time) - 7ft (2.1m), 14s period with SW swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Big Bay this week:
The surf forecast for Big Bay over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Jul 28) at 8PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 2.1m and 14s period with a secondary swell of 1.1m and 8s. Another secondary swell of 1.6m and 7s is also forecast. The wind is predicted to be offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Big Bay in the next 16 days are 2.1m 14s and forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Jul 28) at 8PM. Winds are predicted to be offshore at the time the swell arrives.
| Wave Type | Time (SAST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 8PM (Tue 28th Jul) | 7ft (2.1m) 14s |
| Best Surf | 8PM (Tue 28th Jul) | 7ft (2.1m) 14s |
| Most Powerful | 8PM (Tue 28th Jul) | 7ft (2.1m) 14s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Big Bay over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s on the cards for the next couple of weeks.
We’ve got a solid pulse of SW swell arriving at Big Bay, but it’s a tale of two halves. The first week starts with some decent, clean lines, but then things get a bit wild and messy before a truly massive, and frankly dangerous, pulse shows up in the second week.
The water is sitting at 57°, which is a bit colder than normal for this time of year – about 3° below average, so you’ll want a good 4/3.
Tuesday 28th July kicks things off with a bit of a mixed bag. The swell is a solid 8ft from the SW, packing a whole lot of energy (2478). The wind is a cross-off from the E at 9 mph, which should keep it clean, but the wave comment calls it marginal, so maybe not the best session to start with.
Wednesday 29th July is where it gets interesting. The morning is a standout. The swell drops a touch to 6ft from the SW, but the wind swings light offshore from the E at 6 mph, making it glassy. The energy is still strong (1133), and the conditions are described as excellent for experienced surfers. This is a top pick for the week. The afternoon turns to a cross-shore SSW wind, making it a bit of a mess.
Thursday 30th July morning is another beauty. The swell is 5ft from the SW, wind is a glassy 3 mph offshore from the E, and the energy is moderate (748). It’s not the biggest, but it’ll be clean and fun. The afternoon gets a little lumpy with a light cross-shore.
Friday 31st July and Saturday 1st August mornings both offer clean, smaller waves in the 4ft range with light offshore winds. Good for a longboard or a funboard, but nothing to get too excited about.
Sunday 2nd August sees the wind turn onshore, and the quality drops. From here, the surf gets a bit messy with onshore winds and short-period windswell mixing in.
Monday 3rd August afternoon shows a new pulse of SW groundswell coming through, with a 5ft swell from the WSW and a 14-second period (1248 energy). The wind is a clean cross-off, making it excellent for experienced surfers.
Tuesday 4th August holds clean, 5-6ft swell from the WSW with light cross-off winds. Consistent, clean, and fun.
Now, Wednesday 5th August is where it gets gnarly. The swell pumps up to 10ft from the SW, but a strong cross-on N wind at 12-16 mph chops it up. It’s poor surf. The afternoon sees 12ft and even stronger wind. This is more of a kite-surfing setup than a paddle session.
Thursday 6th through Sunday 9th August is a write-off. The swell is huge, ranging from 8ft to 15ft, but it’s hammered by onshore winds from the NW and W. The energy is monstrous (up to 7885) but the conditions are just too ugly and dangerous. Not for paddling.
Monday 10th August – hold onto your hats. The forecast shows a colossal 25ft swell from the WSW with a very long 16-second period. The energy reading is insane (50805). Even with a light cross-on wind, the wave comment says it’s too big for this break. This is a serious, life-threatening event. Experts only, and even then, probably not.
Tuesday 11th August morning still has a massive 16ft SSW swell, but the wind is light and cross-off. It’s still too big for most. The afternoon, however, is a redemption arc. The swell drops to a still-chunky 8ft from the S, the wind is a clean cross-off, and the energy is high (3646). This is excellent for experienced surfers looking for a window of clean, big-wave conditions.
Wednesday 12th August calms down nicely. The morning has clean 5ft S swell, and the afternoon sees a very long-period 4ft SW groundswell (18 seconds!). That long period will make it incredibly clean at the point, and the energy is still decent (1225), offering some brilliant, if somewhat inconsistent, waves.
The standout session is easily Wednesday 29th July morning – the combo of decent SW swell, light offshore wind, and clean conditions is about as good as it gets. For a second pick, Monday 3rd August afternoon offers a solid, clean pulse of new swell.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Very mild (max 18°C on Tue afternoon, min 13°C on Tue night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 24°C on Sat afternoon, min 13°C on Sun night). Wind will be generally light. | |||||||||||||||||||
Tue 28 | Wednesday 29 | Thursday 30 | Friday 31 | Saturday 1 | Sunday 2 | Monday 3 | ||||||||||||||
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) | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 12 | WSW 16 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 12 | WSW 16 | WSW 14 | WSW 13 |
Wave Graph | ||||||||||||||||||||
2004 | 1367 | 1067 | 1083 | 996 | 734 | 669 | 545 | 416 | 355 | 250 | 581 | 494 | 486 | 502 | 435 | 421 | 568 | 943 | 1226 | |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | off | off | cross | cross-off | off | cross | off | off | cross-off | off | off | cross | cross | cross-on | on | cross | cross-off | cross-off | glassy |
High Tide | 3:02PM1.36m | 3:06AM1.38m | 3:33PM1.43m | 3:38AM1.41m | 4:03PM1.49m | 4:09AM1.43m | 4:33PM1.52m | 4:41AM1.42m | 5:03PM1.53m | 5:13AM1.39m | 5:34PM1.52m | 5:48AM1.34m | 6:08PM1.47m | |||||||
Low Tide | 9:09PM0.31m | 9:22AM0.17m | 9:40PM0.25m | 9:50AM0.13m | 10:11PM0.22m | 10:18AM0.12m | 10:42PM0.20m | 10:47AM0.13m | 11:13PM0.20m | 11:16AM0.16m | 11:47PM0.21m | 11:48AM0.21m | 00:24AM0.25m | |||||||
— | — | 7:41 | — | — | 7:39 | — | — | 7:39 | — | — | 7:37 | — | — | 7:37 | — | — | 7:37 | — | — | |
6:02 | — | — | 6:04 | — | — | 6:05 | — | — | 6:05 | — | — | 6:06 | — | — | 6:07 | — | — | 6:07 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 18 | 15 | 14 | 17 | 16 | 16 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 22 | 20 | 20 | 24 | 21 | 17 | 18 | 14 | 15 | 18 | 15 |
Feels °C | 14 | 12 | 11 | 15 | 13 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 15 | 19 | 17 | 17 | 22 | 18 | 14 | 15 | 13 | 13 | 15 | 13 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 11 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 12 | WSW 16 | WSW 14 | WSW 13 |
2004 | 1367 | 1067 | 1083 | 996 | 734 | 669 | 545 | 416 | 355 | 250 | 581 | 494 | 486 | 502 | 435 | 421 | 568 | 943 | 1226 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 8 | SSE 8 | SSE 7 | SSE 7 | SSE 6 | SSE 6 | SSE 6 | SSE 6 | W 19 | WSW 18 | WSW 16 | SE 11 | SE 11 | SE 11 | — | S 9 | WSW 18 | SW 13 | SW 12 | — |
172 | 75 | 66 | 30 | 26 | 14 | 13 | 6 | 7 | 60 | 215 | 4 | 5 | 5 | — | 6 | 184 | 269 | 175 | — | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | SW 18 | WSW 18 | SSE 10 | — | — | — | — | SE 12 | SW 15 | WSW 11 | WSW 11 | — |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 13 | 60 | 19 | — | — | — | — | 5 | 106 | 151 | 130 | — | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 7 | SSE 7 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | NNW 3 | NW 3 | NW 3 | — | — | — |
302 | 146 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | 4 | 3 | — | — | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 2 | 4 | 29 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Cape Town | ||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in South Africa | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the Big Bay Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Big Bay provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Big Bay can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Big Bay 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 (Big Bay) 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 Big Bay 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.
Big Bay is 8 km (5 miles) from the very large city of Robben Island. If you plan a holiday in Cape Town, look for hotels and other accommodation in Robben Island. Robben Island has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as cheap car hire and transport links.










