Surf Forecasts:
Bonza Bay surf forecast from 11 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Saturday 15 Aug, 2AM (local time) - 6ft (1.8m), 8s period, E swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Wednesday 12 Aug, 2AM (local time) - 8ft (2.5m), 9s period, ESE swell with 969 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Saturday 15 Aug, 2AM (local time) - 6ft (1.8m), 8s 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 Saturday (Aug 15) at 2AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.8m and 8s period with a secondary swell of 0.3m and 15s. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Bonza Bay in the next 16 days are 2.5m 9s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Aug 12) at 2AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 2.4m 8s period and expected on Friday (Aug 14) at 8PM.
| Wave Type | Time (SAST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 2AM (Sat 15th Aug) | 6ft (1.8m) 8s |
| Best Surf | 2AM (Sat 15th Aug) | 6ft (1.8m) 8s |
| Most Powerful | 2AM (Wed 12th Aug) | 8ft (2.5m) 9s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Bonza Bay over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
G’day, Rusty here. Look, I’ll be straight with you – this forecast for Bonza Bay is a real mixed bag, and we’ve got a long wait ahead for anything decent. The first week or so is pretty grim, with a bunch of days where the wind just ruins it. The standout window is much further out, so keep your patience.
Right now, the story is a lot of cross-shore and cross-onshore wind, especially from the ENE and NE, which is just chopping the place up. The combined swell energy is strong to very strong, with values like 1242 and 1044, but it’s all wasted on messy conditions. The water temperature is 66°, which is a bit colder than normal for this time of year.
We’ve got a few days of poor surf conditions from Tuesday the 11th right through to the weekend. There’s a tiny window on Saturday morning, the 15th, with a 5ft east swell, but the wind is cross and the report says “marginal.” It’s not worth paddling out for.
Then, on Sunday the 16th, we finally get a glimmer of hope. The morning session looks clean with a light cross-offshore breeze, a 3ft east swell, and a long period of 12 seconds. The combined energy is 412, so it’s not a powerhouse, but it’ll be clean. The best bet in the whole 16 days, though, is Monday morning, the 17th of August. The wind goes glassy, absolute zero, and we’ve got a 4ft east swell with an 11-second period. The combined energy is 410, and it’s described as “clean.” This is the one to circle. The break is a river mouth, so it can handle that longer period stuff well. Crowds are possible here, so get in early.
The rest of the week after that gets messy again with strong winds, except for a couple of “marginal” calls on Wednesday the 19th with a 7ft swell from the SSW, but it’s a cross-on wind. Not ideal.
The real long-range standout is a week and a half away. On Saturday, the 22nd of August, we’ve got a 5ft swell from the SW with a 13-second period, and the combined energy jumps to 1346. That’s a lot of power. But the wind is a cross 16 mph, and it’s only rated marginal. It’s promising, but less certain this far out.
Overall, if you’re looking for the cleanest, most surfable waves, set your alarm for Monday the 17th of August. That glassy morning is the one.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 7mm), mostly falling on Tue afternoon. Warm (max 20°C on Fri morning, min 14°C on Thu morning). Mainly fresh winds. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 30°C on Sun afternoon, min 17°C on Sun night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the ENE on Fri afternoon, calm by Mon morning). | |||||||||||||||||||
Tue 11 | Wednesday 12 | Thursday 13 | Friday 14 | Saturday 15 | Sunday 16 | Monday 17 | ||||||||||||||
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) | SSW 13 | ESE 9 | SE 8 | E 10 | E 9 | E 8 | SSW 20 | SSW 18 | E 7 | E 8 | E 8 | E 8 | E 8 | E 11 | E 12 | E 11 | E 11 | E 11 | E 10 | E 10 |
Wave Graph  | ||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 394 | 969 | 327 | 522 | 508 | 265 | 437 | 282 | 276 | 523 | 418 | 270 | 234 | 191 | 224 | 655 | 536 | 372 | 305 | 233 |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross-off | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross-off | cross | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-off | glassy | cross-on | cross |
High Tide | 3:06PM1.93m | 3:21AM1.96m | 3:45PM2.06m | 4:00AM2.01m | 4:22PM2.13m | 4:35AM2.02m | 4:58PM2.14m | 5:09AM1.99m | 5:31PM2.10m | 5:40AM1.92m | 6:03PM2.01m | 6:10AM1.82m | 6:34PM1.89m | |||||||
Low Tide | 9:14PM0.49m | 9:30AM0.38m | 9:53PM0.40m | 10:06AM0.31m | 10:30PM0.36m | 10:39AM0.28m | 11:03PM0.37m | 11:11AM0.30m | 11:35PM0.43m | 11:41AM0.37m | 00:07AM0.52m | 12:12PM0.47m | 00:38AM0.63m | |||||||
 |  |  | | |  | |  | | | | | | | | |  | | | | |
 | — | — | 6:48 | — | — | 6:48 | — | — | 6:47 | — | — | 6:46 | — | — | 6:45 | — | — | 6:43 | — | — |
 | 5:36 | — | — | 5:37 | — | — | 5:37 | — | — | 5:37 | — | — | 5:38 | — | — | 5:39 | — | — | 5:39 | — |
mm | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 16 | 16 | 17 | 17 | 16 | 17 | 19 | 17 | 20 | 21 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 28 | 30 | 20 | 20 | 21 | 23 |
Feels °C | 11 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 13 | 11 | 15 | 16 | 15 | 19 | 21 | 18 | 25 | 26 | 17 | 21 | 20 | 22 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 10 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | E 9 | E 8 | SSW 20 | SSW 18 | SSW 16 | SW 15 | E 8 | E 8 | E 8 | E 7 | E 8 | E 11 | E 11 | E 11 | E 10 | E 10 |
| kJ | 394 | 733 | 319 | 191 | 431 | 253 | 437 | 270 | 99 | 60 | 418 | 270 | 234 | 131 | 173 | 655 | 536 | 372 | 305 | 233 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 8 | S 12 | S 11 | S 11 | SE 8 | SSW 17 | SSW 16 | S 9 | S 9 | S 9 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | E 11 | E 12 | SSW 12 | SW 11 | SSW 15 | S 4 | SSW 13 |
| kJ | 184 | 330 | 195 | 151 | 77 | 255 | 137 | 15 | 6 | 2 | 44 | 41 | 18 | 191 | 224 | 14 | 5 | 22 | 6 | 93 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 13 | E 10 | SSW 23 | SSW 21 | S 10 | SSW 22 | S 10 | S 12 | S 11 | S 11 | S 8 | S 14 | — | SSW 13 | SSW 12 | SW 18 | SW 16 | SW 10 | SW 14 | S 4 |
| kJ | 390 | 47 | 106 | 180 | 106 | 265 | 30 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 4 | — | 17 | 15 | 12 | 10 | 4 | 52 | 1 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 8 | ESE 9 | E 9 | E 10 | E 9 | — | E 7 | E 7 | E 7 | E 8 | ENE 8 | SW 2 | — | ENE 7 | ENE 7 | ENE 11 | SW 4 | SSW 5 | — | NE 3 |
| kJ | 274 | 969 | 327 | 522 | 508 | — | 255 | 282 | 276 | 523 | 520 | 1 | — | 215 | 237 | 984 | 12 | 12 | — | 5 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 404 | 492 | 492 | 492 | 24 | 420 | 455 | 204 | 249 | 249 | 0 | 5 | 124 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 5 | 0 | 435 | 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.
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