
Surf Forecasts:
Bonza Bay surf forecast from 16 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Sunday 20 Sep, 2AM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 9s period, E swell with cross-shore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Sunday 20 Sep, 5AM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 9s period, E swell with 1,463 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Sunday 20 Sep, 2AM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 9s period with E 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 (Sep 20) at 2AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 3.0m and 9s period with a secondary swell of 2.5m and 9s. Another secondary swell of 0.4m and 12s is also forecast. The wind is predicted to be cross-shore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Bonza Bay in the next 16 days are 3.0m 9s and forecast to arrive on Sunday (Sep 20) at 5AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.8m 4s period and expected on Monday (Sep 21) at 2AM.
| Wave Type | Time (SAST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 2AM (Sun 20th Sep) | 10ft (3.0m) 9s |
| Best Surf | 2AM (Sun 20th Sep) | 10ft (3.0m) 9s |
| Most Powerful | 5AM (Sun 20th Sep) | 10ft (3.0m) 9s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Bonza Bay over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Mate, it’s Rusty here, and I gotta tell you straight – the next couple of weeks at Bonza Bay are a mixed bag. The first few days are pretty rough with onshore winds and lumpy conditions, but there’s a real gem hiding in there if you’re patient. The water’s running at 64°, which is a bit colder than normal for this time of year, so you’ll want a good wetsuit.
We kick off Wednesday the 16th and Thursday the 17th with poor surf – cloud, rain, and cross to cross-on winds up to 22 mph making a mess of things. Swell’s around 3-7 ft but it’s all wind-affected with short periods and crap quality. Honestly, not worth paddling out.
Friday the 18th and Saturday the 19th stay poor, with fresh cross-onshore winds and lumpy 7-8 ft swell that’s just messy. The combined energy is moderate to strong (956-1213), but the winds kill it. This is more kite-surfing weather.
Then comes the standout. Sunday the 20th. Glassy conditions, mate – East wind at just 3 mph. Morning sees a clean 7 ft east swell (period 9 seconds) with combined energy at 1177, and the afternoon drops to 6 ft but stays glassy. This is excellent for experienced surfers – the river mouth setup (Bonza Bay) will handle that east groundswell nicely. It’s a river break, so it can get a bit inconsistent, but when it’s glassy like this, it’s pure magic. Crowds can show up sometimes, so get in early.
Monday the 21st and Tuesday the 22nd fade back to cross-winds and marginal surf. Swell drops to 4-6 ft with short periods and cross-chop. Not your day.
Wednesday the 23rd afternoon shows a glimmer – a 8 ft SSW swell with a 10-second period, light onshore wind, combined energy 1396. Marginal but might give a few if the tide plays ball.
Now, Thursday the 24th through Friday the 25th – the swell gets serious but the wind’s onshore again. Friday the 25th afternoon, though… glassy again, 7 ft SSW groundswell with a very long 16-second period, combined energy a massive 2371. This is expert-only territory – that long period will wrap into the river mouth but it’s powerful. For the experienced crew, this could be session of the week, but it’s a long-range call so don’t book the day off yet.
The rest of the month and into October fades to small, poor conditions. Saturday the 26th morning has a clean 5 ft SSW swell with 17-second period and cross-off wind, but the afternoon gets hammered by 31 mph near-gale winds. After that, it’s all onshore junk and dropping swell.
So in short: Sunday the 20th is your best bet for clean, fun waves – glassy 7 ft east swell. Friday the 25th afternoon is the big one for experts only – huge, clean, powerful groundswell but keep an eye on the forecast.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastHeavy rain (total 87mm), heaviest during Thu afternoon. Very mild (max 19°C on Wed morning, min 12°C on Wed night). Mainly fresh winds. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryHeavy rain (total 24mm), heaviest during Mon night. Warm (max 22°C on Mon morning, min 16°C on Sat morning). Winds increasing (calm on Sun morning, fresh winds from the WSW by Mon night). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wednesday 16 | Thursday 17 | Friday 18 | Saturday 19 | Sunday 20 | Monday 21 | Tuesday 22 | |||||||||||||||
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) | E 10 | SSW 7 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 9 | ESE 8 | ESE 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | SSW 9 | S 8 | SSE 9 | SSE 8 | SSE 7 | E 9 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
333 | 350 | 259 | 210 | 338 | 471 | 665 | 791 | 854 | 1064 | 1007 | 1367 | 742 | 506 | 384 | 322 | 398 | 839 | 306 | 153 | 175 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross | glassy | glassy | cross | cross | cross | cross-off | cross | cross-on | cross |
High Tide | 6:14PM1.72m | 6:26AM1.58m | 6:39PM1.57m | 6:57AM1.43m | 7:08PM1.41m | 7:52AM1.28m | 8:16PM1.26m | 12:06PM1.26m | 00:25AM1.29m | 1:16PM1.42m | 1:22AM1.43m | 1:48PM1.58m | 1:55AM1.57m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 12:01PM0.57m | 00:24AM0.66m | 12:29PM0.73m | 00:55AM0.79m | 1:01PM0.89m | 1:39AM0.93m | 1:59PM1.06m | 4:01AM1.04m | 6:26PM1.07m | 6:45AM0.93m | 7:25PM0.91m | 7:28AM0.78m | 7:56PM0.75m | ||||||||
6:05 | — | — | 6:05 | — | — | 6:03 | — | — | 6:01 | — | — | 6:01 | — | — | 6:00 | — | — | 5:58 | — | — | |
— | 6:00 | — | — | 6:00 | — | — | 6:00 | — | — | 6:01 | — | — | 6:01 | — | — | 6:02 | — | — | 6:04 | — | |
mm | — | 5 | 13 | 11 | 23 | 19 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 7 | 5 | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | 9 | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 19 | 16 | 15 | 13 | 14 | 17 | 17 | 15 | 17 | 17 | 19 | 20 | 20 | 21 | 21 | 22 | 22 | 19 | 19 | 20 | 19 |
Feels °C | 15 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 9 | 12 | 12 | 10 | 14 | 15 | 17 | 18 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 21 | 19 | 15 | 17 | 21 | 20 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | SE 6 | E 10 | SSE 8 | SSW 12 | ESE 9 | SSW 11 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 8 | E 8 | SSE 9 | SSE 8 | SSE 7 | E 9 |
333 | 244 | 259 | 100 | 338 | 250 | 140 | 791 | 97 | 137 | 92 | 1124 | 742 | 506 | 384 | 241 | 138 | 741 | 306 | 153 | 175 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 13 | SSW 15 | SSW 7 | E 10 | S 8 | SSW 12 | SSE 7 | SSW 12 | SSW 14 | SW 18 | — | SSW 12 | SSW 16 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | SW 13 | SSW 12 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | SE 7 |
189 | 86 | 111 | 210 | 124 | 145 | 151 | 145 | 68 | 12 | — | 52 | 435 | 356 | 151 | 41 | 15 | 93 | 95 | 117 | 75 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | SSW 14 | SSW 8 | SE 7 | — | — | — | — | — | — | S 19 | — | — | SSE 6 | — | S 18 | SSW 16 | S 15 | S 14 | S 12 |
— | — | 111 | 87 | 91 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 29 | — | — | 6 | — | 25 | 50 | 109 | 96 | 141 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 6 | SSW 7 | SE 6 | — | — | E 9 | ESE 8 | — | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | — | — | WSW 4 | SSW 9 | S 8 | S 8 | — | — | ENE 5 |
101 | 350 | 75 | — | — | 471 | 665 | — | 854 | 1064 | 1007 | 1367 | — | — | 16 | 322 | 398 | 839 | — | — | 34 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 435 | 301 | 99 | 54 | 612 | 492 | 666 | 1236 | 404 | 321 | 192 | 427 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 52 | 187 | 134 | 25 | 52 | 18 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Eastern Cape - Wild Coast | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in South Africa | |||||||||||||||||||||
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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.










