Big Bay Surf Break

Lat Long: 33.79° S 18.46° E

Big Bay Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Issued: 1 am 01 Aug 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's Big Bay sea temperature is
13.2° C
2.2° 

Big Bay surf forecast is for near shore open water. Breaking waves will often be smaller at less exposed spots.


Big Bay surf forecast from 1 Aug 2026:

  • Best quality surf: Thursday 6 Aug, 5AM (local time) - 13ft (4.0m), 13s period, WSW swell with cross-offshore winds.
  • Most powerful swell: Thursday 6 Aug, 8AM (local time) - 13ft (4.0m), 13s period, WSW swell with 5,723 kJ wave energy.
  • Next surfable swell (1★+): Saturday 1 Aug, 8AM (local time) - 4ft (1.2m), 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 Saturday (Aug 01) at 8AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.2m and 14s period with a secondary swell of 0.1m and 10s. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.

The most powerful waves expected at Big Bay in the next 16 days are 4.0m 13s and forecast to arrive on Thursday (Aug 06) at 8AM. Winds are predicted to be glassy at the time the swell arrives.

Wave TypeTime (SAST) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+) 8AM (Sat 1st Aug)4ft (1.2m) 14s
Best Surf 5AM (Thu 6th Aug)13ft (4.0m) 13s
Most Powerful 8AM (Thu 6th Aug)13ft (4.0m) 13s

Table - best surf conditions forecast for Big Bay over the next 16 days.


The Lowdown

Alright, crew, Rusty here. Let’s break down the waves for Big Bay. This spot is exposed to the open ocean, really loves a good SW groundswell, and the water is way colder than it should be for this time of year—checking in at 56°F with a 4°F anomaly.

We get the first proper surf on Saturday, August 1st. A clean 4ft SW swell, 14-second period, with a light cross-off breeze from the ENE. The wave energy is moderate (585), and the morning looks very good. A nice way to start the weekend.

Sunday the 2nd is a bit average with messy cross and cross-on winds. Better to sit this one out.

Monday, August 3rd is the first real standout. The morning is glassy, a 5ft SW swell, 12-second period, and a NNE breeze that’s turned it to glass. The combined energy is moderate (795). This is clean, fun-sized surf—perfect for an intermediate surfer, and no crowds are mentioned.

The swell builds through the week, but Wednesday, August 5th is a mess with 15 mph cross-on winds and a 7ft choppy, blown-out wave. Don’t bother.

Thursday, August 6th is where the big boys come out to play. A powerful 13ft WSW swell, 13-second period, and the energy is ripping at 5723. The wind is a clean cross-off from the SSE. This is expert-only territory—way too big for beginners, and even experienced surfers need to be on their toes. This is the best wave of the entire forecast.

Friday the 7th and Saturday the 8th stay big, but the wind gets messy with onshore and cross-shore chop. The size is there, but the quality is average.

Sunday, August 9th through Tuesday, August 11th is a massive swell event. The combined energy hits five digits—12945 on Sunday morning with a 20ft SW swell. The wind is clean, but the forecast says it’s simply too big for this break. Even experts will be looking at a close-out. By Tuesday afternoon, the swell drops to a more manageable 8ft, and the energy is still strong (3434), with a clean cross-off breeze. That afternoon window is a good one for the experienced.

We get a beautiful long-period groundswell on Wednesday, August 12th and Thursday, August 13th with a 7ft WSW swell and an 18-second period. The combined energy is moderate to strong (3162). The offshore wind from the SE on Wednesday morning will make for clean, lined-up waves, but that very long period can make things a bit straight at a beach break. Still, a great option.

The final week, from Friday, August 14th onward, fades into smaller, cleaner surf. The morning of the 15th offers a 7ft WSW swell with a clean cross-off breeze and moderate energy (1800)—a decent Saturday for the experienced.

Sunday, August 16th is back to being too big, with a 15ft swell and very high energy.

Bottom line: Thursday the 6th is the call for the experts, and Monday the 3rd morning is the best for everyone else wanting clean, glassy surf. The big swell window from the 9th to the 11th is mostly for watching, but Tuesday afternoon could be a sneaky good one.

Stay sharp, and don't be late for the 3rd. The 6th is for the brave.

Rusty.

Short Range Forecast

Mostly dry. Warm (max 23°C on Sat afternoon, min 14°C on Mon morning). Wind will be generally light.

Days 4-6 Weather Summary

Light rain (total 6mm), mostly falling on Wed night. Very mild (max 16°C on Tue afternoon, min 11°C on Tue night). Wind will be generally light.

Saturday
1
Sunday
2
Monday
3
Tuesday
4
Wednesday
5
Thursday
6
Friday
7
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
Rating
(10 max)
3
1
2
1
2
3
3
2
3
2
1
1
0
0
4
6
6
5
3
2
2
Swell
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Wave
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
1.2
SW
14
1.2
SW
13
1.2
SW
13
1.2
SW
13
1.2
SW
12
1.4
SW
13
1.4
SW
12
1.2
WSW
13
1.3
SW
12
1.4
SW
11
1.1
SW
11
0.7
SW
14
2.1
SW
14
3
WSW
14
4
WSW
13
4
WSW
13
4
SW
13
4
SW
13
3
SW
13
2.5
SW
13
3
SW
14
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
581
494
486
486
442
669
609
499
455
431
258
206
1712
3645
5173
5723
5506
4915
3153
2310
3663
Wind (km/h)
10
ENE
5
SSW
10
ENE
10
N
5
W
0
NNE
5
NNE
5
SSW
5
ENE
5
SE
10
WSW
15
NNE
25
NNW
25
NW
20
N
15
SSE
15
SSE
10
ENE
10
W
15
W
15
N
Wind State
cross-off
cross
cross-off
cross
cross-on
glassy
glassy
cross
glassy
off
cross-on
cross
cross-on
cross-on
cross
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
on
cross-on
cross-on
High Tide
5:03PM1.53m
5:13AM1.39m
5:34PM1.52m
5:48AM1.34m
6:08PM1.47m
6:28AM1.27m
6:48PM1.41m
7:15AM1.19m
7:38PM1.32m
8:20AM1.10m
8:48PM1.23m
9:52AM1.05m
10:22PM1.20m
Low Tide
10:47AM0.13m
11:13PM0.20m
11:16AM0.16m
11:47PM0.21m
11:48AM0.21m
00:24AM0.25m
12:25PM0.29m
1:09AM0.31m
1:11PM0.39m
2:07AM0.39m
2:13PM0.48m
3:28AM0.44m
3:47PM0.55m
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
part cloud
part cloud
clear
clear
clear
rain showers
rain showers
part cloud
part cloud
cloud
cloud
part cloud
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
7:37
7:37
7:37
7:35
7:35
7:33
7:33
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
6:06
6:07
6:07
6:07
6:08
6:08
6:09
 mm
5
1
Temp °C
20
23
20
19
21
17
18
17
16
15
16
14
14
16
14
13
14
13
14
14
13
Feels °C
16
21
17
16
18
16
16
14
14
14
15
14
10
11
11
10
10
11
12
11
11
  • Map Icons:
  • Break
  • Live Wave Height (m)
  • Live Wind Speed (km/h)
  • Surf Rating (10 Max)
  • Ocean Swells (m)
  • Wind Speed (km/h)
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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.

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