Surf Forecasts:
Big Bay surf forecast from 18 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Thursday 24 Sep, 8AM (local time) - 7.5ft (2.3m), 16s period, SSW swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Thursday 24 Sep, 11AM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 15s period, SSW swell with 4,288 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Friday 18 Sep, 8AM (local time) - 5ft (1.6m), 11s 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 Friday (Sep 18) at 8AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.6m and 11s period with a secondary swell of 0.9m and 7s. The wind is predicted to be offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Big Bay in the next 16 days are 3.0m 15s and forecast to arrive on Thursday (Sep 24) at 11AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.2m 6s period and expected on Saturday (Sep 19) at 5PM.
| Wave Type | Time (SAST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 8AM (Fri 18th Sep) | 5ft (1.6m) 11s |
| Best Surf | 8AM (Thu 24th Sep) | 7.5ft (2.3m) 16s |
| Most Powerful | 11AM (Thu 24th Sep) | 10ft (3.0m) 15s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Big Bay over the next 16 days.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 26°C on Sun afternoon, min 11°C on Fri morning). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryModerate rain (total 14mm), heaviest on Wed morning. Warm (max 29°C on Mon afternoon, min 14°C on Wed night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Friday 18 | Saturday 19 | Sunday 20 | Monday 21 | Tuesday 22 | Wednesday 23 | Thursday 24 | |||||||||||||||
AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | |
Swell Height Map |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | ||||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 11 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 13 | WSW 13 | WSW 12 | WSW 12 | SW 11 | SW 11 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 11 | SW 7 | SW 8 | SSW 10 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 640 | 796 | 736 | 514 | 978 | 1591 | 1182 | 904 | 563 | 472 | 380 | 350 | 431 | 361 | 338 | 289 | 308 | 894 | 4288 | 3737 | 2385 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | off | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | off | off | cross-off | off | off | cross | cross-off | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross | glassy | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off |
High Tide | 7:30PM1.00m | 8:48AM0.92m | 9:37PM0.93m | 11:20AM0.96m | 11:39PM0.99m | 12:26PM1.08m | 00:34AM1.10m | 1:02PM1.21m | 1:11AM1.22m | 1:32PM1.35m | 1:43AM1.33m | 2:00PM1.47m | 2:15AM1.43m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 1:03PM0.63m | 2:02AM0.64m | 2:56PM0.73m | 4:47AM0.65m | 5:47PM0.67m | 6:11AM0.55m | 6:42PM0.56m | 6:52AM0.44m | 7:17PM0.43m | 7:23AM0.33m | 7:46PM0.30m | 7:51AM0.23m | 8:15PM0.18m | ||||||||
 | |  | | | | | | | | |  |  | |  |  |  |  | | | | |
 | 6:41 | — | — | 6:39 | — | — | 6:39 | — | — | 6:37 | — | — | 6:35 | — | — | 6:35 | — | — | 6:33 | — | — |
 | — | 6:38 | — | — | 6:39 | — | — | 6:39 | — | — | 6:40 | — | — | 6:42 | — | — | 6:42 | — | — | 6:43 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 3 | 1 | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 15 | 20 | 17 | 18 | 21 | 18 | 23 | 26 | 22 | 26 | 29 | 26 | 22 | 20 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 15 | 18 | 22 | 17 |
Feels °C | 10 | 15 | 13 | 16 | 18 | 15 | 22 | 24 | 21 | 26 | 28 | 26 | 20 | 17 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 15 | 16 | 20 | 14 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 11 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 13 | WSW 13 | WSW 12 | WSW 12 | SW 11 | SW 11 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 11 | SW 7 | SW 8 | SSW 10 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 |
| kJ | 640 | 796 | 736 | 514 | 978 | 1591 | 1182 | 904 | 563 | 472 | 380 | 350 | 431 | 361 | 338 | 289 | 308 | 894 | 4288 | 3737 | 2385 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 20 | SW 18 | SSE 8 | SSE 6 | — | — | S 6 | — | — | S 7 | SSW 15 | SW 14 | WSW 10 | WSW 11 | NW 4 | SW 11 | SW 11 | SW 18 | — | — | — |
| kJ | 7 | 12 | 75 | 53 | — | — | 35 | — | — | 32 | 156 | 238 | 125 | 66 | 14 | 187 | 110 | 152 | — | — | — |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | SW 16 | SW 15 | — | — | — | — | — | SSW 18 | — | SSE 6 | SSE 7 | — | NNW 6 | NNW 6 | NNW 6 | N 6 | — | — | — |
| kJ | — | — | 41 | 217 | — | — | — | — | — | 30 | — | 15 | 4 | — | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | — | — | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 7 | SSE 7 | SE 7 | SSE 7 | SSE 6 | SSE 6 | SSE 6 | S 6 | SSE 6 | — | S 6 | — | NNW 4 | NNW 5 | WSW 4 | — | — | — | — | — | SSE 6 |
| kJ | 141 | 285 | 109 | 134 | 104 | 101 | 75 | 64 | 54 | — | 16 | — | 13 | 64 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | 132 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 79 | 34 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 14 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Cape Town | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in South Africa | |||||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||||
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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.
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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