Big Bay Surf Break

Lat Long: 33.79° S 18.46° E

Big Bay Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Issued: 1 pm 14 Jul 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's Big Bay sea temperature is
13.4° C
2.0° 

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 14 Jul 2026:

  • Best quality surf: Tuesday 21 Jul, 8AM (local time) - 11ft (3.5m), 15s period, SW swell with glassy winds.
  • Most powerful swell: Tuesday 21 Jul, 2PM (local time) - 13ft (4.0m), 15s period, SW swell with 7,701 kJ wave energy.
  • Next surfable swell (1★+): Wednesday 15 Jul, 5PM (local time) - 8ft (2.5m), 16s 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 Wednesday (Jul 15) at 5PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 2.5m and 16s period with a secondary swell of 0.8m and 9s. 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 4.0m 15s and forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Jul 21) at 2PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives.

Wave TypeTime (SAST) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+) 5PM (Wed 15th Jul)8ft (2.5m) 16s
Best Surf 8AM (Tue 21st Jul)11ft (3.5m) 15s
Most Powerful 2PM (Tue 21st Jul)13ft (4.0m) 15s

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


The Lowdown

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s cookin’ at Big Bay over the next couple of weeks.

It’s a bit of a slow start, but hang in there. The first real chance to get wet won’t be until Wednesday afternoon, the 15th of July. We’ve got a clean 8ft SW groundswell rolling in with a period of 16 seconds, and the wind is glassy. That’s a proper setup for the experienced crew. The water is sitting at 56°, which is a bit colder than normal for this time of year, so don’t forget the extra rubber.

The standout window is that Wednesday afternoon and into Thursday morning, the 16th. Thursday morning keeps it glassy, still 8ft from the SW, dropping to a 13-second period. The combined energy is pumping at 2381, so there’s plenty of push. This is the best on offer – clean, powerful, and lined up. Just be aware, at this size, it’s for the experts only.

The rest of the week is a bit mixed. Friday morning, the 17th, sees a 7ft SW swell with offshore SE wind, keeping things clean, but the energy is backing off a bit (897). Saturday morning, the 18th, is glassy with a small 3ft SW groundswell – a good one for the beginners to get out, but it’s mellow.

Then the big one shows up. Around Tuesday the 21st, we start seeing some serious size. We’re talking 13ft SW groundswells with a very long 15-second period, and combined energy readings over 7000. That’s a lot of water moving. The problem is, the wind is onshore or cross-on, making it messy. By Thursday the 23rd and into the weekend, we’re looking at 15ft monsters. The wind does clean up on Saturday the 25th – glassy conditions with a 15ft SW groundswell, energy at 9163. That’s massive. It’s an expert-only playground, and at that size, it’s probably going to be too big for the break to handle properly, closing out.

The very end of the period, Monday the 28th, looks promising with a 12ft SW groundswell and offshore E wind, making for clean conditions for the pros. After that, the wind turns nasty on the 29th, so we’ll call it a wrap.

Bottom line: Wednesday afternoon the 15th and Thursday morning the 16th are your best bets for clean, powerful waves. The following week is all about big, unruly swell for the brave and the skilled.

Stay stoked,
Rusty

Short Range Forecast

Mostly dry. Very mild (max 17°C on Thu afternoon, min 13°C on Tue night). Wind will be generally light.

Days 5-7 Weather Summary

Light rain (total 2mm), mostly falling on Sun night. Very mild (max 19°C on Fri afternoon, min 13°C on Sun night). Wind will be generally light.

Tue
14
Wednesday
15
Thursday
16
Friday
17
Saturday
18
Sunday
19
Monday
20
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
Rating
(10 max)
1
1
3
5
5
4
3
4
3
3
2
3
3
4
3
2
4
4
2
4
7
Swell
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Wave
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
0.9
W
10
0.9
W
9
1.3
WSW
17
2.5
SW
16
3
SW
14
2.5
SW
13
2.3
SW
13
2.1
SW
12
2
SW
11
1.8
SW
10
1.2
SSW
10
0.8
SW
14
1.8
SW
13
2.4
WSW
12
2.3
SW
12
2.2
SW
11
2
SW
11
2
SSW
11
1.9
SW
11
2.5
SW
15
4
SW
15
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
156
132
963
3040
3558
2381
1671
1249
897
677
261
224
1110
1607
1444
1226
952
973
777
2899
7372
Wind (km/h)
10
NNW
5
NNE
5
NNW
5
WSW
5
ENE
0
SSW
10
SSW
10
SSE
5
SE
5
SSE
0
SSW
5
NW
5
SW
0
E
5
WSW
10
WSW
5
SSE
10
S
15
SW
5
E
5
NW
Wind State
cross-on
cross
cross-on
glassy
glassy
glassy
cross
cross-off
off
cross-off
glassy
glassy
cross
glassy
cross-on
cross-on
cross-off
cross-off
cross
glassy
cross-on
High Tide
3:27PM1.56m
3:42AM1.56m
4:12PM1.61m
4:28AM1.54m
4:55PM1.63m
5:12AM1.48m
5:37PM1.59m
5:55AM1.39m
6:19PM1.52m
6:38AM1.28m
7:01PM1.42m
7:23AM1.17m
7:45PM1.31m
8:15AM1.07m
Low Tide
9:38PM0.10m
9:58AM-0.00m
10:25PM0.08m
10:40AM0.01m
11:11PM0.09m
11:20AM0.07m
11:55PM0.15m
12:00PM0.16m
00:39AM0.23m
12:39PM0.27m
1:24AM0.33m
1:21PM0.39m
2:14AM0.43m
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
part cloud
clear
part cloud
part cloud
cloud
cloud
part cloud
clear
clear
clear
clear
rain showers
clear
clear
clear
clear
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
7:48
7:48
7:48
7:47
7:47
7:46
7:46
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
5:53
5:54
5:54
5:55
5:57
5:57
5:58
5:59
 mm
2
Temp °C
14
14
14
16
15
15
17
15
16
19
19
17
18
16
16
17
15
14
15
13
12
Feels °C
12
13
13
15
16
16
16
14
15
18
18
17
17
16
16
16
14
13
14
12
11
  • 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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