Surf Forecasts:
Big Bay surf forecast from 1 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Tuesday 1 Sep, 11PM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 13s period, SW swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Wednesday 2 Sep, 2AM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 14s period, SW swell with 3,688 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Tuesday 1 Sep, 5AM (local time) - 8ft (2.4m), 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 Tuesday (Sep 01) at 5AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 2.4m and 11s period. 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 3.0m 14s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Sep 02) at 2AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives.
| Wave Type | Time (SAST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 5AM (Tue 1st Sep) | 8ft (2.4m) 11s |
| Best Surf | 11PM (Tue 1st Sep) | 10ft (3.0m) 13s |
| Most Powerful | 2AM (Wed 2nd Sep) | 10ft (3.0m) 14s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Big Bay over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
G’day, Rusty here. We’ve got a solid run of surf on the way at Big Bay, but it’s not for the faint-hearted. The water is running much colder than normal for this time of year, sitting at 55°F, which is a big anomaly of -5°F – so be prepared to layer up.
The action kicks off Tuesday morning, September 1st, with a hefty 8ft swell from the SW, packing serious energy (2429). Wind is light and cross, so it’s messy. This is for experienced surfers only, and frankly, the quality is marginal. The same goes for Tuesday afternoon and most of Wednesday with 10ft swells but onshore or cross-onshore winds chopping it up. Not the best.
Then things get interesting. Thursday morning, September 3rd is the real standout. You’ve got glassy conditions with a 7ft swell from the WSW at a nice 12 seconds – that’s a proper groundswell. The energy is still strong (1488), and the lack of wind will make it clean. This is a top-notch session for experienced surfers.
From Friday through Sunday, September 5th to 7th, a long, clean window opens up. Friday morning has a 6ft S swell with fresh offshore winds – clean lines. Saturday sees similar 5-6ft S swell, still offshore, and the waves are good. Sunday is special: a 5ft SW long-period groundswell at 16 seconds (1308 energy) with gentle offshore winds. The longer period means more powerful, better-shaped waves with longer lulls between sets – great for paddling out. This spot is fairly consistent, but with scores that good, you’ll want to be in the water.
What’s worth noting is that when the swell pushes over 8ft, like on Wednesday September 2nd (10ft) and the 6ft-plus days later in the period, Big Bay is best left to experts. The Thursday September 10th session offers a clean 6ft SW groundswell with decent energy (857), but it’s not quite the standout of the earlier days.
The standout of the whole 16-day window is still Thursday morning, September 3rd for the glassy conditions and solid SW groundswell. Sunday morning, September 6th is a close second with that lovely 16-second period and offshore wind. Crowds are likely here – it’s marked as “often”, so get out early.
Late in the forecast, Wednesday September 16th afternoon offers a monster 8ft WSW groundswell with a 16-second period and glassy conditions – energy is through the roof (3703). That’s a serious session for experts only.
A couple of days in the middle, like Tuesday September 8th and Wednesday September 9th, drop right off with tiny waves under 3ft and very weak energy. That’s a lull of about 2 days to grab a coffee.
All in all, Big Bay (Big Bay) delivers a mixed bag of heavy, powerful groundswell and clean wind windows. The two standout sessions – Thursday morning, September 3rd and Sunday morning, September 6th – are your best bets for quality.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastModerate rain (total 11mm), heaviest on Thu morning. Very mild (max 17°C on Wed afternoon, min 10°C on Wed night). Winds increasing (calm on Wed night, strong winds from the SSE by Thu afternoon). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 24°C on Sun afternoon, min 10°C on Sat morning). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the SE on Fri afternoon, light winds from the ESE by Sun afternoon). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Tuesday 1 | Wednesday 2 | Thursday 3 | Friday 4 | Saturday 5 | Sunday 6 | Monday 7 | |||||||||||||||
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 13 | SW 13 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 13 | WSW 13 | WSW 12 | S 9 | S 9 | S 9 | S 8 | SSE 8 | SSE 8 | S 9 | SW 18 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SSW 16 | SSW 13 | SSW 12 | SSW 11 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 2429 | 3208 | 3688 | 3169 | 2682 | 1700 | 1256 | 1358 | 836 | 676 | 393 | 429 | 327 | 441 | 379 | 967 | 623 | 312 | 431 | 432 | 263 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross | cross | cross-off | cross | cross-on | cross | glassy | cross-off | cross-off | off | cross-off | off | off | off | off | off | off | cross-off | glassy | cross-off | cross |
High Tide | 5:38PM1.52m | 6:02AM1.31m | 6:19PM1.41m | 6:49AM1.20m | 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 | ||||||||
Low Tide | 11:22AM0.18m | 11:55PM0.19m | 11:59AM0.28m | 00:39AM0.29m | 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 | ||||||||
 | |  | | | |  |  | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
 | 7:05 | — | — | 7:03 | — | — | 7:01 | — | — | 7:01 | — | — | 6:58 | — | — | 6:58 | — | — | 6:56 | — | — |
 | — | 6:27 | — | — | 6:28 | — | — | 6:29 | — | — | 6:29 | — | — | 6:30 | — | — | 6:30 | — | — | 6:30 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | 10 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 13 | 14 | 13 | 15 | 17 | 14 | 13 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 19 | 15 | 15 | 21 | 16 | 19 | 24 | 23 | 25 | 28 | 24 |
Feels °C | 11 | 11 | 11 | 13 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 13 | 11 | 11 | 17 | 12 | 16 | 23 | 22 | 24 | 26 | 21 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 13 | WSW 13 | WSW 12 | WSW 12 | WSW 12 | WSW 11 | WSW 11 | SSE 8 | SSE 8 | WSW 10 | SW 18 | SW 16 | SW 15 | WSW 14 | SSW 13 | SSW 12 | SSW 11 |
| kJ | 2429 | 3208 | 3688 | 3169 | 2682 | 1700 | 1256 | 767 | 336 | 145 | 176 | 257 | 167 | 38 | 379 | 967 | 623 | 312 | 431 | 432 | 263 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | S 10 | W 13 | — | — | — | SW 13 | WSW 10 | SSW 10 | SW 21 | S 9 | SSE 9 | SSW 19 | SSW 16 | WSW 13 | WSW 13 | WSW 12 |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | 115 | 90 | — | — | — | 7 | 97 | 121 | 18 | 78 | 158 | 398 | 284 | 154 | 133 | 113 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | SW 13 | WSW 10 | S 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 22 | SSE 9 | SSE 9 | SSE 7 | — | — |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 43 | 67 | 3 | 111 | 183 | 77 | 59 | 21 | — | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | S 9 | S 9 | S 9 | S 9 | S 8 | SSE 8 | SSE 8 | S 9 | SSE 7 | — | — | — | — | — | NNW 3 |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | — | 142 | 1358 | 836 | 676 | 393 | 429 | 327 | 441 | 177 | — | — | — | — | — | 4 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 37 | 0 | 14 | 34 | 2 | 0 | 598 | 166 | 1277 | 3826 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Cape Town | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in South Africa | |||||||||||||||||||||
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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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