Bonza Bay Surf Break

Lat Long: 32.99° S 27.94° E

Bonza Bay Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Issued: 7 am 23 Aug 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's Bonza Bay sea temperature is
18.8°C
0.9° 

Bonza Bay surf forecast is for near shore open water. Breaking waves will often be smaller at less exposed spots.


Bonza Bay surf forecast from 23 Aug 2026:

  • Best quality surf: Tuesday 25 Aug, 8AM (local time) - 5ft (1.6m), 14s period, SSW swell with cross-offshore winds.
  • Most powerful swell: Wednesday 26 Aug, 5PM (local time) - 8ft (2.5m), 17s period, S swell with 4,083 kJ wave energy.
  • Next surfable swell (1★+): Sunday 23 Aug, 8PM (local time) - 5ft (1.5m), 10s period with S swell.

Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Bonza Bay this week:

The surf forecast for Bonza Bay over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Sunday (Aug 23) at 8PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.5m and 10s period with a secondary swell of 0.2m and 9s. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.

The most powerful waves expected at Bonza Bay in the next 16 days are 2.5m 17s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Aug 26) at 5PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 3.0m 8s period and expected on Thursday (Aug 27) at 5PM.

Wave TypeTime (SAST) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+) 8PM (Sun 23rd Aug)5ft (1.5m) 10s
Best Surf 8AM (Tue 25th Aug)5ft (1.6m) 14s
Most Powerful 5PM (Wed 26th Aug)8ft (2.5m) 17s

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


The Lowdown

Right, let’s have a look at what’s on offer. I’m Rusty, and I’ve been staring at the charts for this stretch.

Alright, straight up – this isn’t a week for grabbing your board and heading out with high hopes. The next few days are a bit of a write-off for decent waves. The first real chance of anything ridable is on Sunday morning, August 23rd, but even then it’s only marginal.

Sunday, August 23rd we’ve got a 7 ft swell from the SW, but the wind is a cross-off at 12 mph, keeping things clean. The combined energy is strong (1259). Still, the files say the surf is marginal. The water temp is sitting at 66°, which is about 2° cooler than normal for this time of year – nothing crazy, just a touch on the fresh side.

From Sunday afternoon through to Saturday, August 29th, it’s a real struggle. We’ve got waves, but they’re either too small, the wind is onshore or cross-shore, or the period is all wrong. There’s a window on Tuesday, August 25th morning with a 3 ft SW swell, a very long period of 17 seconds, and clean cross-shore wind. The energy is moderate (1056). That long period will make for some nice lines at Bonza Bay (a river mouth), but it’s prone to being a bit straight. It’s a marginal call, though.

A bit of a gap follows, but then we see something interesting on the horizon.

Monday, August 31st morning brings a big 10 ft SW swell with a 12-second period. The wind is cross-shore at 12 mph, and the energy is very strong (3301). The problem? The file says it’s too big for this break. That’s a clear warning – only for the very experienced, and even then, it’s a gamble.

Tuesday, September 1st morning is a tease. The swell drops to 3 ft with glassy conditions – perfect conditions – but the energy is weak (288). It’s a good surf forecast, but there’s just no size.

Thursday, September 4th starts to amp up. The morning has a 6 ft SSW swell, a very long period of 18 seconds, and clean cross-off wind. The energy is strong (2540). This is a promising setup, but it’s a long way out. By the afternoon, the swell jumps to 10 ft, and the file says it’s too big for the break. The same goes for Friday, September 5th (12 ft) and Saturday, September 6th (a massive 16 ft SW swell with 14-second period and energy of 15665). These are big, powerful groundswells, but they are almost certainly going to be too big for Bonza Bay, and the wind is not ideal.

The Standout – If I had to pick a single session to keep an eye on, it’s the Thursday, September 4th morning. The 6 ft SSW swell with that 18-second period and clean wind is your best bet for a proper surf. The energy is solid (2540), and the direction is right. But it’s over a week away, so treat it as a promising possibility, not a guarantee. The days after that are just too big for this spot.

Bottom line: the first week is a dud. The second week has a lot of size, but it’s mostly too big for the break. That Thursday morning is the one to pencil in if you’re desperate.

Rusty.

Short Range Forecast

Mostly dry. Very mild (max 18°C on Sun morning, min 15°C on Sun morning). Wind will be generally light.

Days 4-6 Weather Summary

Light rain (total 5mm), mostly falling on Wed morning. Warm (max 28°C on Fri night, min 16°C on Wed morning). Mainly strong winds.

Sunday
23
Monday
24
Tuesday
25
Wednesday
26
Thursday
27
Friday
28
Saturday
29
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
Rating
(10 max)
3
1
2
1
1
3
3
2
3
1
0
0
0
0
4
3
2
3
1
1
3
Swell
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Wave
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
2.1
SW
9
1.6
S
10
1.3
S
10
0.9
S
8
0.9
S
11
1.3
SSW
15
1
S
17
1.7
SSW
16
1.4
SSW
14
2.1
S
17
2.5
S
17
2.3
S
13
1.3
S
12
1.5
S
12
2.2
E
9
1.3
S
12
1.2
S
12
1.5
E
10
1
S
12
1.8
E
10
1.9
E
10
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
719
562
319
112
198
775
603
1446
752
2522
4083
1866
480
667
812
472
397
414
279
640
725
Wind (km/h)
20
WSW
15
S
5
NNW
10
S
5
SE
5
WNW
10
SSW
20
SSW
10
W
15
ESE
25
E
35
NE
40
NE
40
NE
5
N
10
E
15
ENE
15
N
20
NNE
25
NE
15
NE
Wind State
cross-off
cross-on
cross-off
cross-on
on
glassy
cross
cross
cross-off
on
cross-on
cross
cross
cross
glassy
cross-on
cross
cross-off
cross-off
cross
cross-off
High Tide
1:40PM1.43m
1:43AM1.50m
2:17PM1.58m
2:20AM1.63m
2:46PM1.72m
2:50AM1.74m
3:12PM1.84m
3:18AM1.85m
3:38PM1.95m
3:46AM1.93m
4:04PM2.03m
4:14AM1.98m
4:31PM2.09m
4:43AM1.99m
Low Tide
7:39PM0.95m
7:59AM0.79m
8:18PM0.81m
8:30AM0.65m
8:48PM0.68m
8:58AM0.53m
9:16PM0.55m
9:25AM0.43m
9:44PM0.45m
9:52AM0.35m
10:11PM0.37m
10:18AM0.30m
10:39PM0.34m
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
cloud
light rain
cloud
cloud
part cloud
clear
clear
part cloud
part cloud
rain showers
clear
clear
clear
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
6:37
6:35
6:35
6:33
6:31
6:31
6:30
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
5:44
5:45
5:45
5:45
5:46
5:47
5:47
 mm
4
1
Temp °C
18
18
17
18
18
17
17
18
18
17
17
17
20
21
20
25
24
28
33
31
26
Feels °C
13
14
17
16
16
17
16
16
16
14
14
12
14
14
19
22
21
25
29
28
24
  • Map Icons:
  • Break
  • Live Wave Height (m)
  • Live Wind Speed (km/h)
  • Surf Rating (10 Max)
  • Ocean Swells (m)
  • Wind Speed (km/h)
Map placeholder
How to use the Wavefinder 
submit an eyeball surf report

Quick surf report for Bonza Bay:

join our community of surf reporters

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 Bonza 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 Bonza Bay Surf forecast

The above surf forecast table for Bonza Bay provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Bonza Bay can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Bonza 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 (Bonza 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 Bonza 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.

Bonza Bay is 7 km (4 miles) from the city of East London. If you plan a holiday in Eastern Cape - Wild Coast, look for hotels and other accommodation in East London. East London has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.

Nearest locationNearest