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Surf Forecasts:

Big Bay surf break

Big Bay surfForecast / Cape Town / South Africa

information circle12 Day Weather and Surf, issued 7 pm Friday 23 Jan 2026 SAST
Forecast 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
11.4° C
 (Which is 8.5°C colder than average for this time of year)

Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Big Bay this week:

The surf forecast for Big Bay over the next 12 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Saturday (Jan 24) at 2AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 3.0m and 13s period with a secondary swell of 0.1m and 15s. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.

The most powerful waves expected at Big Bay in the next 12 days are 3.0m 13s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Jan 28) at 11PM. Winds are predicted to be offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.2m 5s period and expected on Friday (Jan 30) at 11PM.

Wave TypeTime (SAST) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+) 2AM (Sat 24th Jan)10ft (3.0m) 13s
Best Surf11PM (Wed 28th Jan)10ft (3.0m) 13s
Most Powerful11PM (Wed 28th Jan)10ft (3.0m) 13s

Table - best surf conditions forecast for Big Bay over the next 12 days.

Updates in  hr  min  s Forecast update imminent 
12 DaysHourly
Print Table

Short Range Forecast Mostly dry. Warm (max 24°C on Sun afternoon, min 16°C on Fri night). Wind will be generally light.

Days 3-6 Weather Summary Mostly dry. Warm (max 24°C on Thu morning, min 17°C on Tue night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the S on Wed afternoon, calm by Thu morning).

Saturday
24
Sunday
25
Monday
26
Tuesday
27
Wednesday
28
Thursday
29
Fri
30
NightAMPMNightAMPMNightAMPMNightAMPMNightAMPMNightAMPMNightAMPM
Rating
(10 max)
4
3
2
4
2
3
4
3
0
3
2
1
3
4
2
4
2
2
3
1
0
Swell
Height Map
See all maps
Wave Height (m) & direction (?)
3
SSW
2.5
SSW
2.5
SSW
2.2
SSW
2.2
SW
2.2
SW
2.2
SW
2.2
SW
2.3
SW
2.3
SW
2.5
SW
3
SW
3
SW
3
SW
2.5
SW
2.5
SSW
2.2
SW
2
SW
1.8
SW
1.5
SW
1.6
SW
Period(s) (?)131312121111111112121212131313131212121111
Wave
Graph
(?)Metric surfscale
Energy kJ (?)286019291839140211931172109011931427159118302580290426692362242214621148902563593
Wind
(km/h)
10
S
15
SW
25
SSW
10
S
15
SSW
25
S
15
SSE
15
SW
25
SW
5
WNW
15
WSW
25
SW
20
SSE
15
S
30
S
10
SE
15
W
20
SSW
5
S
20
SW
25
SSW
Wind State (?)
onshore
cross-onshore
cross-shore
cross-offshore
offshore
glassy
cross-
off		crosscrosscross-
off		crosscross-
off		cross-
off		crosscross-
on		oncross-
on		crosscross-
off		cross-
off		cross-
off		offcross-
on		crosscross-
off		crosscross
High Tide
/ height (m)
6:33AM
1.47
6:54PM
1.25
7:18AM
1.40
7:49PM
1.15
8:16AM
1.30
9:05PM
1.07
9:35AM
1.23
10:45PM
1.06
11:12AM
1.22
12:17AM
1.14
12:35PM
1.29
1:24AM
1.27
1:38PM
1.39
Low Tide
/ height (m)
12:11AM
0.22
12:51PM
0.27
12:52AM
0.31
1:42PM
0.34
1:44AM
0.41
2:50PM
0.41
2:57AM
0.51
4:22PM
0.44
4:43AM
0.54
5:59PM
0.39
6:22AM
0.47
7:10PM
0.28
7:32AM
0.34
Saturday
24
Sunday
25
Monday
26
Tuesday
27
Wednesday
28
Thursday
29
Fri
30
Sunrise-5:58--6:00--6:01--6:01--6:03--6:03--6:05-
Sunset--7:55--7:54--7:54--7:53--7:53--7:52--7:52
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
part cloud
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
Rain (mm)
---------------------
Temp. °C192022212324212322202121192223222423222223
Feels °C (?)161819202221182220202018162019202321222120
  • Map Icons:
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  • Live Wave Height (m)
  • Live Wind Speed (km/h)
  • Surf Rating (10 Max)
  • Ocean Swells (m)
  • Wind Speed (km/h)
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FREE! Surf-Forecast.com widget for your website

The surf report / weather widget below is available to embed on third party websites free of charge and provides a summary of our Big Bay surf forecast. Simply grab the html code snippet that we provide and paste it into your own site. You can choose your preferred language and metric/imperial units for the surf forecast feed to suit users of your site. Click here to get the code.

View detailed surf forecast for Big Bay at:
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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 12 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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