Big Bay surf break

Big Bay surfForecast / Cape Town / South Africa

information circle16 Day Weather and Surf, issued 7 pm Thursday 16 Apr 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
16.5° C
(Which is 1.4°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 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Monday (Apr 20) at 8AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 4.5m and 14s period. The wind is predicted to be cross-onshore as the swell arrives.

The most powerful waves expected at Big Bay in the next 16 days are 4.0m 16s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Apr 22) at 2PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives.

Wave TypeTime (SAST) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+) 8AM (Mon 20th Apr)15ft (4.5m) 14s
Best Surf 8AM (Mon 20th Apr)15ft (4.5m) 14s
Most Powerful 2PM (Wed 22nd Apr)13ft (4.0m) 16s

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


Updates in  hr  min  s Forecast update imminent

Short Range Forecast Heavy rain (total 46mm), heaviest during Fri afternoon. Very mild (max 17°C on Sat afternoon, min 13°C on Fri night). Winds increasing (light winds from the NW on Thu night, strong winds from the NW by Sun morning).

Days 3-6 Weather Summary Light rain (total 3mm), mostly falling on Sun night. Warm (max 20°C on Wed afternoon, min 14°C on Sun night). Winds decreasing (strong winds from the W on Sun night, calm by Tue night).

Friday
17
Saturday
18
Sunday
19
Monday
20
Tuesday
21
Wednesday
22
Thu
23
NightAMPMNightAMPMNightAMPMNightAMPMNightAMPMNightAMPMNightAMPM
Rating
(10 max)
3
0
1
3
2
0
1
0
0
0
5
3
4
2
3
5
8
8
7
5
3
Swell
Height Map
Wave Height (m) & direction (?)
2.3
SW
2.4
SW
2.5
WSW
3
WSW
3
SW
2.5
SW
2.1
WSW
3
SW
4
WSW
4.5
SW
4
SW
4
SW
3
SW
3
SW
2.5
SSW
3.5
SSW
4
SSW
4
SSW
3.5
SSW
3
SSW
2.4
SSW
Period(s) (?)13121112111191011121414131312131616161413
Wave
Graph
(?)Metric surfscale
Energy kJ (?)17231627184726762326151464515163934572467375531352724452165428787248875605331961989
Wind
(km/h)
15
N
25
NW
15
NW
10
NNW
15
NNW
25
NNW
15
NNW
40
NW
40
W
30
W
15
W
15
WNW
10
N
15
NNW
10
W
15
SSE
20
SE
20
SSE
15
SE
10
SSE
10
SW
Wind State (?)
onshore
cross-onshore
cross-shore
cross-offshore
offshore
glassy
crossoncross-
on
cross-
on
cross-
on
cross-
on
cross-
on
cross-
on
oncross-
on
ononcross-
on
cross-
on
cross-
on
cross-
off
cross-
off
cross-
off
offcross-
off
cross
High Tide
/ height (m)
2:49AM
1.71
3:17PM
1.58
3:27AM
1.72
3:56PM
1.58
4:07AM
1.69
4:37PM
1.53
4:50AM
1.59
5:21PM
1.44
5:36AM
1.46
6:11PM
1.33
6:31AM
1.30
7:15PM
1.22
7:43AM
1.15
Low Tide
/ height (m)
8:40PM
0.08
9:09AM
-0.07
9:18PM
0.04
9:47AM
-0.08
9:57PM
0.05
10:27AM
-0.04
10:39PM
0.11
11:09AM
0.06
11:24PM
0.21
11:56AM
0.19
12:18AM
0.33
12:52PM
0.33
1:28AM
0.46
2:07PM
0.45
Friday
17
Saturday
18
Sunday
19
Monday
20
Tuesday
21
Wednesday
22
Thu
23
Sunrise-7:09--7:09--7:11--7:11--7:11--7:13--7:13-
Sunset--6:21--6:20--6:19--6:16--6:15--6:15--6:14
part cloud
rain showers
heavy rain
rain showers
light rain
rain showers
rain showers
rain showers
rain showers
rain showers
part cloud
part cloud
part cloud
part cloud
clear
clear
clear
clear
part cloud
part cloud
part cloud
Rain (mm)
-2205215383-----------
Temp. °C161614141517151717151616151616171720181821
Feels °C (?)141110121212119971211131313151316141619
  • 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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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.

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