Big Bay Surf Break

Big Bay Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Lat Long: 33.79° S 18.46° E

Issued: 7 am 07 Jul 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's Big Bay sea temperature is
14.1° C

1.5°C colder than average for this time of year

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 7 Jul 2026:

  • Best quality surf: Friday 10 Jul, 5AM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 13s period, SSW swell with cross-offshore winds.
  • Most powerful swell: Thursday 9 Jul, 8AM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 14s period, SW swell with 3,104 kJ wave energy.
  • Next surfable swell (1★+): Tuesday 7 Jul, 8PM (local time) - 7ft (2.2m), 13s 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 Tuesday (Jul 07) at 8PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 2.2m and 13s period with a secondary swell of 0.7m and 11s. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.

The most powerful waves expected at Big Bay in the next 16 days are 3.0m 14s and forecast to arrive on Thursday (Jul 09) at 8AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.4m 5s period and expected on Friday (Jul 10) at 2PM.

Wave TypeTime (SAST) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+) 8PM (Tue 7th Jul)7ft (2.2m) 13s
Best Surf 5AM (Fri 10th Jul)10ft (3.0m) 13s
Most Powerful 8AM (Thu 9th Jul)10ft (3.0m) 14s

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


Updates in  hr  min  s Forecast update imminent

Right then, let’s take a proper look at Big Bay. This place is exposed to the southwest, so it needs a good solid SW swell to come alive, and it’s fairly consistent when conditions align. The water’s sitting at 57°, which is a bit colder than normal for this time of year – you’ll want a decent wetsuit, mate.

The week kicks off with a nice pulse of swell. Tuesday the 7th morning is looking magic – we’ve got a clean 6ft SW groundswell with a 12-second period, and the wind is glassy from the north. Combined wave energy is strong at 1368, so there’s plenty of push. This is for the experienced crew, though – it’s solid and powerful. Tuesday afternoon the wind switches to a light cross-onshore, and the swell bumps up to 7ft, but it gets a bit messy.

Wednesday the 8th morning is another standout. Glassy conditions again, with a 7ft SW groundswell and a 13-second period. The energy is pumping hard at 2307. This is proper, clean surf for those who know what they’re doing. Wednesday afternoon the wind goes cross-shore, and the quality drops off.

Thursday the 9th and Friday the 10th see the swell building even bigger – 8ft to 10ft, all from the SSW, with periods around 13-14 seconds. The energy readings are through the roof, hitting 2775 and 2662. This is big, meaty stuff – only for experts. The wind stays cross-offshore, so it’s clean, but the size and power are intimidating.

Saturday the 11th is the real highlight for the first week. Saturday morning you’ve got a 6ft SSW swell with a glassy offshore wind from the ESE – that’s a dream combo. The energy is still solid at 1458, but the wave size is more manageable. Saturday afternoon stays clean with a 7ft S swell, but the wind is cross-offshore. Still, the morning session is where it’s at.

By Sunday the 12th, the swell is dropping fast – 5ft in the morning with clean offshore wind, but the energy is down to 613. It’s still fun for intermediates, but the magic is fading. Sunday afternoon gets small and cross-shore, and from Monday the 13th through to Wednesday the 15th, we hit a proper flat spell. Tiny waves, onshore winds, and even a 22 mph cross-onshore on the 15th – don’t bother.

Now, looking further ahead, there’s a promising window around Thursday the 16th, but the wind is straight onshore from the WNW with a 8ft WSW swell – that’s ugly, blown-out conditions. Skip it.

The real action returns on Sunday the 19th. Sunday morning you’ve got 6ft WSW groundswell with a 14-second period, glassy conditions, and energy at 2332. Then Sunday afternoon – this is the absolute standout of the whole outlook. A clean 10ft WSW groundswell, 14-second period, glassy calm wind, and massive energy at 3752. This is a true, deep groundswell for the experts, and it’ll be breaking perfectly if it hits the reefs and points right. Crowds are likely at Big Bay, so get in early. Long period swells like this can be a bit straight at beach breaks, but Big Bay is exposed and can handle it.

Monday the 20th holds some size but with cross-shore wind, and by Tuesday the 21st the swell fades again. The second week has fewer standout moments, but that Sunday the 19th afternoon is the one to circle on the calendar – just keep in mind it’s a long-range call, so it’s promising but not locked in yet.

Stay stoked, and keep an eye on that Sunday.

Rusty

Short Range Forecast

Mostly dry. Very mild (max 17°C on Tue afternoon, min 11°C on Thu night). Wind will be generally light.

Days 4-6 Weather Summary

Mostly dry. Very mild (max 18°C on Sun afternoon, min 11°C on Fri morning). Wind will be generally light.

Tuesday
7
Wednesday
8
Thursday
9
Friday
10
Saturday
11
Sunday
12
Monday
13
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
3
4
4
3
3
3
3
4
3
4
4
4
4
3
3
1
2
2
0
1
Swell
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Wave
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
1.9
SW
12
2.1
SW
13
2.4
SW
13
2.2
SW
13
2
SW
13
2.5
SW
15
2.5
SSW
14
2.5
SSW
13
3
SSW
13
3
SSW
13
3
SSW
13
2.1
SSW
12
1.9
SSW
12
2.2
S
12
1.7
SSW
11
1.4
SSW
11
1.3
SSW
10
1
SSW
10
0.8
SSW
10
0.7
SSW
10
0.6
SSW
9
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
1065
1429
1942
1535
1305
2919
2775
2545
2713
2627
2611
1412
1062
1369
679
423
333
209
122
80
65
Wind (km/h)
5
N
5
WSW
5
SSE
0
SE
10
SSW
20
SSE
20
SSE
20
S
15
SE
15
SE
15
SSE
15
SE
10
ESE
15
S
10
ESE
10
ESE
10
SSW
5
ENE
5
ENE
5
WSW
5
ENE
Wind State
glassy
cross-on
glassy
glassy
cross
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
off
off
cross-off
off
off
cross
cross-off
glassy
cross-on
cross-off
High Tide
8:20PM1.31m
9:01AM1.10m
9:26PM1.29m
10:21AM1.10m
10:42PM1.29m
11:40AM1.15m
11:57PM1.34m
12:49PM1.25m
1:03AM1.41m
1:48PM1.36m
2:02AM1.49m
2:40PM1.47m
2:54AM1.55m
Low Tide
1:49PM0.41m
2:50AM0.40m
2:52PM0.47m
4:03AM0.39m
4:12PM0.49m
5:22AM0.34m
5:37PM0.45m
6:34AM0.26m
6:51PM0.37m
7:34AM0.17m
7:53PM0.26m
8:26AM0.08m
8:48PM0.17m
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
part cloud
part cloud
clear
part cloud
cloud
cloud
part cloud
clear
clear
part cloud
part cloud
clear
clear
clear
part cloud
clear
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
7:50
7:50
7:50
7:50
7:50
7:50
7:48
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
5:50
5:51
5:51
5:52
5:52
5:52
5:53
 mm
Temp °C
16
17
16
15
17
14
13
14
13
13
15
13
14
17
15
15
18
17
16
18
16
Feels °C
16
16
17
16
15
12
9
10
9
9
11
10
12
15
13
13
16
15
15
17
15
Swell 1
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
1.9
SW
12
2.1
SW
13
2.4
SW
13
2.2
SW
13
2
SW
13
2.5
SW
15
2.5
SSW
14
2.5
SSW
13
3
SSW
13
3
SSW
13
3
SSW
13
2.1
SSW
12
1.9
SSW
12
2
SSW
12
1.7
SSW
11
1.4
SSW
11
1.3
SSW
10
1
SSW
10
0.8
SSW
10
0.7
SSW
10
0.6
SSW
9
Energy kJ
1065
1429
1942
1535
1305
2919
2775
2545
2713
2627
2611
1412
1062
1102
679
423
333
209
122
80
65
Swell 2
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
1.1
W
11
0.8
W
11
0.5
SW
20
1.1
SW
17
1.4
SW
16
0.2
S
13
0.2
W
14
0.4
W
13
0.7
W
12
1
S
7
0.8
W
12
0.8
W
12
0.8
W
11
0.7
W
11
0.6
W
10
0.6
W
10
0.5
W
9
0.5
W
9
Energy kJ
282
146
188
772
1039
14
16
51
136
100
172
172
149
112
69
66
41
39
Swell 3
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
0.1
SW
23
0.3
SW
22
0.8
W
11
0.1
SW
18
0.1
SW
18
0.3
SW
16
0.3
SW
15
0.3
SW
15
0.5
S
9
0.4
SSE
9
0.4
W
11
Energy kJ
21
73
152
12
12
41
36
33
41
26
37
Wind waves
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
1
SSE
5
1.4
SSE
5
1.3
S
7
1.3
SSE
7
2.2
S
12
Energy kJ
46
117
181
144
1369
Nearest Offshore or Glassy
Rating
(10 max)
4
4
4
4
4
5
4
3
4
4
4
4
4
4
3
3
2
2
2
1
1
Distance (km)
0
4
0
0
0
14
0
340
0
3
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
15
0
Best forecast wave conditions in Cape Town
Rating
(10 max)
4
4
4
4
4
5
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
3
3
2
2
1
1
Best forecast wave conditions in South Africa
Rating
(10 max)
4
4
4
4
4
5
5
5
5
6
5
4
4
4
4
4
3
5
4
4
4
Header Global
Rating
(10 max)
5
5
9
8
7
7
7
6
6
6
5
5
5
5
5
6
8
6
5
5
5
  • 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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