Big Bay Surf Break

Lat Long: 33.79° S 18.46° E

Big Bay Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Issued: 1 am 03 Sep 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's Big Bay sea temperature is
12.8°C
2.7° 

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 3 Sep 2026:

  • Best quality surf: Thursday 3 Sep, 8AM (local time) - 6ft (1.9m), 13s period, WSW swell with cross-offshore winds.
  • Most powerful swell: Sunday 6 Sep, 11AM (local time) - 7ft (2.1m), 18s period, SW swell with 2,611 kJ wave energy.
  • Next surfable swell (1★+): Thursday 3 Sep, 8AM (local time) - 6ft (1.9m), 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 Thursday (Sep 03) at 8AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.9m and 13s period with a secondary swell of 1.0m 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 2.1m 18s and forecast to arrive on Sunday (Sep 06) at 11AM. Winds are predicted to be offshore at the time the swell arrives.

Wave TypeTime (SAST) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+) 8AM (Thu 3rd Sep)6ft (1.9m) 13s
Best Surf 8AM (Thu 3rd Sep)6ft (1.9m) 13s
Most Powerful11AM (Sun 6th Sep)7ft (2.1m) 18s

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


The Lowdown

Alright, Rusty here, let’s chew the fat on Big Bay for the next couple weeks.

We got a real mixed bag coming, but there’s some serious power on the way if you’re patient. The water’s sitting at 55°F, which is a good 5°F colder than normal for this time of year. That’s a proper cold snap, so you’ll want a thick suit. But don’t let that scare you off completely, cause the quality on those good days is worth the shiver.

We kick off on Thursday morning the 3rd with a clean, glassy 2-yard swell from the WSW, period around 13 seconds. It’s got some meat on it, with moderate wave energy (1111) and the wind is flat calm out of the ESE. This is good, clean, intermediate-level surf, but with the water being so cold and the size over 2 yards, it’s not one for beginners. Thursday afternoon is an absolute mess though. That southerly wind is howling at 31 mph and the swell jumps to a lumpy 4 yards. Forget that, that’s kite-surfing weather, not for a paddle board.

Friday morning the 4th cleans up with a strong offshore breeze from the SE at 25 mph, but the 3-yard swell from the SSE is short-period at 9 seconds and real chunky. It’s clean but a total battle to paddle into, and the wave energy is moderate (1116). This is for confident riders or experts only. The afternoon stays offshore but still big and raw at 3 yards. Hard work.

Saturday the 5th is much friendlier. Morning sees a 2-yard SSE swell with a moderate offshore breeze at 12 mph. It’s clean and the wave energy is moderate (1106). Good for experienced surfers. The afternoon drops right back to a clean 1 yards from the south with a 10-second period and a gentle offshore wind. That’s the sort of session where you can just go have fun.

Sunday the 6th is where it gets real interesting. The morning brings a 2-yard SW groundswell with a very long 18-second period, and a gentle offshore ESE breeze. The wave energy is strong (2754). This is proper, powerful, lined-up swell. It’s going to be clean and punchy. Sunday afternoon keeps the quality with 2 yards and a 16-second period, energy still strong (2089), and light cross-offshore breeze. This is a standout window for experienced surfers – the kind of day you mark on the calendar.

Monday the 7th through to Tuesday the 8th see the quality fall off. The wind swings cross-onshore from the northwest and west, and the swell drops in size and energy. It’s not good, just small ripples and ugly conditions. Wednesday the 9th is clean but small, with 1-yard waves and a moderate southerly cross-offshore breeze. Nothing special.

Thursday the 10th and Friday the 11th bring a little improvement. The swell hangs around 1 to 2 yards from the SW with moderate energy and clean cross-offshore winds. These are fun, workable days for a quiet session, but nothing to get excited about.

Now, the real standout is Sunday the 13th. This one is a beauty. The morning delivers a 3-yard SSW swell with a 12-second period, strong energy (3097), and a moderate offshore SE breeze. The afternoon pumps up to a 4-yard SSW swell with 13-second period, wave energy is very strong (4687), and the wind stays offshore. This is big, clean, and powerful – expert territory for sure. If you’ve got the skills, this is the best day of the whole outlook.

Monday the 14th sees the wind change again, cross-onshore from the west, bringing a messy 3 yards that’s hard to enjoy. Tuesday the 15th is small and choppy, not worth the effort. Wednesday the 16th morning has some lumpy 2 yards with onshore wind, and the afternoon gets hammered by a strong southerly 25 mph wind with clean but tricky 2-yard surf.

The last few days, Thursday the 17th to Friday the 18th, are all clean but windy, with swell hanging around 2 to 2 yards. The wind is a strong cross-offshore, so the surface will be clean, but it’ll be a fight against the breeze. The wave energy is strong throughout, but the wind limits the quality for a paddle session.

All in all, the standout sessions are Sunday morning and afternoon on the 6th for that long-period groundswell, and Sunday the 13th for the big, powerful offshore conditions. The rest is mostly average to poor, with a few decent but not spectacular days in between. Keep the rubber on, and wait for those windows.

Rusty.

Short Range Forecast

Mostly dry. Warm (max 22°C on Sat afternoon, min 11°C on Thu morning). Mainly strong winds.

Days 4-6 Weather Summary

Mostly dry. Warm (max 26°C on Sun afternoon, min 14°C on Sun morning). Wind will be generally light.

Thursday
3
Friday
4
Saturday
5
Sunday
6
Monday
7
Tuesday
8
Wednesday
9
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
Rating
(10 max)
4
0
1
2
3
3
4
2
4
4
4
4
2
2
3
2
2
2
2
1
1
Swell
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Wave
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
1.7
WSW
13
3.5
S
9
3
S
9
2.5
SSE
9
3
SSE
8
2
SSE
8
2.2
SSE
8
1
S
10
1.2
SW
21
2.1
SW
18
2
SW
16
1.7
SW
15
1.9
SW
14
1.8
SW
13
1.2
SSW
12
1.3
SW
12
0.7
WSW
15
0.8
WSW
14
1.2
WSW
13
1.2
WSW
13
1.3
WSW
12
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
949
1888
1406
976
1072
511
635
196
1288
2611
1968
1271
1349
1083
390
503
204
261
465
437
464
Wind (km/h)
5
ESE
50
SSE
45
SSE
40
SE
35
SE
20
ESE
20
SE
20
SE
20
ESE
15
ESE
5
SE
5
ENE
10
NW
10
W
0
E
10
W
10
WSW
5
SSE
15
SSE
25
SSE
20
SE
Wind State
glassy
cross-off
cross-off
off
off
off
off
off
off
off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-on
cross-on
glassy
cross-on
cross-on
glassy
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
High Tide
7:11PM1.27m
7:57AM1.08m
8:31PM1.15m
9:47AM1.03m
10:28PM1.12m
11:37AM1.12m
00:03AM1.20m
12:46PM1.27m
1:05AM1.32m
1:34PM1.43m
1:53AM1.44m
2:15PM1.57m
2:33AM1.51m
Low Tide
12:46PM0.40m
1:38AM0.41m
1:56PM0.53m
3:14AM0.50m
3:58PM0.59m
5:14AM0.47m
5:54PM0.50m
6:31AM0.35m
7:02PM0.34m
7:23AM0.22m
7:50PM0.20m
8:04AM0.12m
8:31PM0.08m
clear
part cloud
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
part cloud
clear
clear
part cloud
clear
clear
clear
clear
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
7:01
7:01
6:58
6:58
6:56
6:54
6:54
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
6:29
6:29
6:30
6:30
6:30
6:31
6:32
 mm
Temp °C
15
15
15
15
17
13
16
22
18
20
26
24
21
19
18
17
18
16
18
19
15
Feels °C
15
9
8
6
9
8
11
18
14
18
25
23
20
17
18
16
17
16
16
15
11
  • Map Icons:
  • Break
  • Live Wave Height (m)
  • Live Wind Speed (km/h)
  • Surf Rating (10 Max)
  • Ocean Swells (m)
  • Wind Speed (km/h)
Map placeholder
How to use the Wavefinder 
submit an eyeball surf report

Quick surf report for Big Bay:

join our community of surf reporters

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.


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.

Nearest locationNearest