Bonza Bay Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, it’s Rusty.

Let’s be straight with you: the next couple of weeks around Bonza Bay (Eastern Cape) are a bit of a mixed bag. We’ve got some clean windows early on, but a lot of chop and mush in between. The real standout is hiding at the end of the month, but it’s a big one – maybe too big for this spot.

Right now, this Monday morning (Aug 17), the bay is firing on all cylinders. It’s glassy out there, with light S winds and a clean 4ft of east swell rolling in. The period’s sitting at 11 seconds, and the energy is moderate (417). Water temp is 64°F, which is a solid 4°F colder than usual for this time of year – that’s properly cold, so grab the thick suit. This is your window before the wind gets up this afternoon.

Tuesday (Aug 18) is a write-off. The morning’s got some cross-shore junk and the swell drops to under 3ft. By the afternoon, it’s choppy and messy – not worth paddling out.

Wednesday (Aug 19) shows a bit of life with SSW swell at 4ft and a longer period of 13-14 seconds. But the wind is all over the place – light cross-shore in the morning, then gentle cross-chop later. It’s surfable, but far from perfect. Energy is moderate (559-618), so there’s some push there.

Thursday (Aug 20) is where it starts to get exciting but messy. The swell jumps to 7-8ft, with strong energy (1451-2307). But the wind is cross-onshore and it’s choppy. This is more of a grunt session – not clean, but the power is there.

Friday morning (Aug 21) is another gem. The wind drops to glassy, NE light, and the swell is a clean 5ft from the SSW, with a 12-second period and moderate energy (631). The forecast says “very good surf conditions.” This is the pick of the first week. Get out early before the afternoon SW wind messes it up.

The weekend (Aug 22-23) turns sloppy. Saturday has strong SW cross-winds and short, weak swell. Sunday morning has a bit more size at 5-5ft, but it’s cross-onshore and lumpy.

Next week is mostly poor. Monday and Tuesday (Aug 24-25) are small, onshore, or cross-shore junk. Wednesday (Aug 26) brings howling winds – 22-28 mph – with messy, lumpy waves. Not for paddling, this looks more like a kite day.

Thursday Aug 27 morning actually cleans right up – WSW cross-offshore wind, but the swell has dropped to just 3ft. Not worth the paddle.

Then we hit the big one. Sunday Aug 30 sees the swell build to 7ft, but it’s cross-shore and rough. Not great. But Monday Aug 31... that’s the one to watch. The forecast is calling for 10ft of S swell, with a period of 14-15 seconds. The energy is strong to very strong (3221-3785). Wind is moderate cross-shore, and the tide is favorable. But this is too big for Bonza Bay. It’s going to be a washing machine. Only for experts, and even then, it’s sketchy.

The 16-day window ends with Tuesday (Sep 1) – the swell drops back to 5-6ft, but the ENE wind is howling at 16-22 mph, making it a total mess.

So, bottom line: get out there Monday morning (Aug 17) and Friday morning (Aug 21) for the clean, glassy waves. That’s your best bet. The big stuff at the end of the month is powerful, but it’s too much for this break. Stay safe.

Rusty.

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