Surf Forecasts:
Big Bay surf forecast from 26 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Wednesday 26 Aug, 8AM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.4m), 13s period, WSW swell with offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Tuesday 1 Sep, 8PM (local time) - 13ft (4.0m), 14s period, SW swell with 6,358 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Wednesday 26 Aug, 8AM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.4m), 13s period with WSW 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 Wednesday (Aug 26) at 8AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.4m and 13s period with a secondary swell of 1.2m and 8s. 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 4.0m 14s and forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Sep 01) at 8PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.2m 5s period and expected on Saturday (Aug 29) at 8PM.
| Wave Type | Time (SAST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 8AM (Wed 26th Aug) | 4.5ft (1.4m) 13s |
| Best Surf | 8AM (Wed 26th Aug) | 4.5ft (1.4m) 13s |
| Most Powerful | 8PM (Tue 1st Sep) | 13ft (4.0m) 14s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Big Bay over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, Rusty here. Let’s talk about what Big Bay (South Africa) has on offer. The water is a bit colder than normal for this time of year at 57°.
We’ve got a solid run of surf kicking off now. Wednesday the 26th is the pick of the early run. You’ve got a clean 4ft swell rolling in from the WSW with a 13-second period, combined energy is chunky at 858, and the wind is a gentle offshore breeze from the ESE. It’s clean, it’s pretty, and it’s a good bet for an intermediate surfer.
Thursday the 27th is a bit of a write-off with questionable conditions, but Friday the 28th morning is a real standout. The swell drops to 3ft but the period stretches out to a very long 16 seconds from the WSW, with glassy conditions. The combined energy is still decent at 644. That’s a proper groundswell – it’ll wrap in nicely and might be a bit straight for a beach break, but at Big Bay it should offer some smooth, lined-up walls. Keep an eye on the tide.
Saturday the 29th is average, with a bit of cross-onshore wind messing things up. Sunday the 30th sees the swell jump up to 7ft from the WSW, with a 13-second period and strong combined energy of 1659, but the wind is a stiff cross-offshore at 19 mph, keeping it clean. That’s a solid step up in size – expert territory.
Monday the 1st of September is where things get serious. We’re looking at a 10ft swell from the SW, 14-second period, and combined energy over 3000. But the wind is a fresh cross-onshore at 19 mph, making it lumpy and poor. Not one for the paddle – maybe more interesting for kiting.
Tuesday the 2nd of September has a 13ft swell from the SW, combined energy at a massive 5763, but it’s cross-onshore and choppy. Still, if you’re an expert and hungry, there’ll be raw power. Wednesday the 3rd is similar at 12ft, with a cross-offshore wind cleaning it up a bit.
Thursday the 4th of September drops to 6ft, but the wind is a fresh 19 mph cross-offshore. Clean, but small. The end of the first week into the second week is messy. We get a 13ft swell from the SSE on Friday the 5th, but with rain showers and a cross-offshore wind. Saturday the 6th of September peaks with a 20ft swell from the S, combined energy over 9000, but it’s a gnarly cross-onshore mess. Big, dangerous, and blown out. That stretch is really only for the insane or the kite surfers.
Sunday the 7th of September is still big and messy at 13ft to 16ft, with strong cross-onshore winds. Monday the 8th of September finally cleans up. The swell drops to 5ft from the S with a 9-second period, and we get glassy conditions on Monday morning. That’s a real hope spot – a clean window after the chaos. Tuesday the 9th of September is small and marginal, and from Wednesday the 10th onwards, we’re into tiny, weak, and poor conditions with combined energy dropping under 200. The run fizzles out.
So, the absolute standout is Friday 28th August morning – that glassy, long-period groundswell is a gem. And the second best is Monday 7th September morning – a clean reset after the storm. The rest is a mix of average conditions, big but messy swells, and a long gap of poor surf at the tail end.
Rusty out.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 24°C on Wed afternoon, min 13°C on Wed morning). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Very mild (max 16°C on Sat afternoon, min 10°C on Mon night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the SSE on Sun morning, calm by Mon night). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wednesday 26 | Thursday 27 | Friday 28 | Saturday 29 | Sunday 30 | Monday 31 | Tuesday 1 | |||||||||||||||
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) | WSW 13 | WSW 12 | SSW 11 | SSW 12 | SSW 11 | S 11 | WSW 16 | WSW 14 | WSW 13 | WSW 13 | WSW 14 | WSW 13 | WSW 13 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 12 | WSW 11 | WSW 11 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 13 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
578 | 458 | 383 | 480 | 455 | 351 | 280 | 519 | 461 | 722 | 649 | 1752 | 1648 | 1415 | 1092 | 857 | 595 | 328 | 3126 | 5732 | 4540 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | off | cross-off | cross-off | on | cross-on | glassy | glassy | cross | cross | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on |
High Tide | 2:36PM1.42m | 2:44AM1.41m | 3:04PM1.52m | 3:14AM1.47m | 3:32PM1.59m | 3:44AM1.50m | 4:01PM1.63m | 4:16AM1.50m | 4:31PM1.63m | 4:48AM1.47m | 5:03PM1.59m | 5:23AM1.41m | 5:38PM1.52m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 8:27AM0.21m | 8:46PM0.24m | 8:54AM0.14m | 9:15PM0.16m | 9:21AM0.09m | 9:44PM0.10m | 9:49AM0.07m | 10:14PM0.07m | 10:18AM0.07m | 10:45PM0.07m | 10:48AM0.11m | 11:18PM0.11m | 11:22AM0.18m | 11:55PM0.19m | |||||||
7:11 | — | — | 7:11 | — | — | 7:09 | — | — | 7:09 | — | — | 7:07 | — | — | 7:05 | — | — | 7:05 | — | — | |
— | 6:22 | — | — | 6:23 | — | — | 6:24 | — | — | 6:24 | — | — | 6:25 | — | — | 6:27 | — | — | 6:27 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | — |
Temp °C | 18 | 24 | 23 | 19 | 18 | 16 | 20 | 21 | 16 | 15 | 16 | 15 | 14 | 15 | 13 | 13 | 15 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 14 |
Feels °C | 15 | 23 | 22 | 17 | 16 | 16 | 19 | 19 | 15 | 13 | 15 | 12 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 11 | 11 | 10 | 8 | 8 | 11 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WSW 13 | WSW 12 | SSW 11 | SSW 12 | SSW 11 | S 11 | S 11 | WSW 14 | WSW 13 | WSW 13 | WSW 14 | WSW 13 | WSW 13 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 12 | WSW 11 | WSW 11 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 13 |
578 | 458 | 383 | 480 | 455 | 351 | 231 | 519 | 461 | 722 | 649 | 1752 | 1648 | 1415 | 1092 | 857 | 595 | 328 | 3126 | 5732 | 4540 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 8 | S 11 | WSW 12 | WSW 12 | WSW 11 | WSW 11 | WSW 11 | S 10 | S 10 | S 10 | WSW 10 | SSE 10 | SSE 11 | — | S 10 | S 10 | S 10 | SSW 10 | — | — | — |
137 | 289 | 274 | 256 | 186 | 170 | 133 | 171 | 125 | 78 | 251 | 22 | 11 | — | 2 | 2 | 2 | 90 | — | — | — | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 11 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | — | WSW 16 | WSW 15 | WSW 16 | SSE 13 | WSW 18 | — | S 11 | — | — | — | — | — | — | SW 13 | — | — | — |
143 | 357 | 191 | — | 26 | 126 | 280 | 57 | 63 | — | 59 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 82 | — | — | — | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | SSW 3 | — | SSW 3 | — | — | SSE 10 | — | — | SSW 4 | — | — | NNW 4 | — |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | — | 7 | — | — | 10 | — | — | 11 | — | — | 31 | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 29 | 29 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 29 | 39 | 340 | 70 | 91 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 340 | 129 | 29 |
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.











