Bonza Bay Surf Break

Lat Long: 32.99° S 27.94° E

Bonza Bay Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Issued: 7 pm 13 Jul 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's Bonza Bay sea temperature is
18.1° C
2.1° 

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 13 Jul 2026:

  • Best quality surf: Monday 20 Jul, 8AM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 12s period, SSW swell with offshore winds.
  • Most powerful swell: Monday 20 Jul, 11AM (local time) - 13ft (4.0m), 11s period, SSW swell with 4,314 kJ wave energy.
  • Next surfable swell (1★+): Tuesday 14 Jul, 2AM (local time) - 5.5ft (1.7m), 8s period with ESE 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 Tuesday (Jul 14) at 2AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.7m and 8s period with a secondary swell of 0.7m and 10s. 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 4.0m 11s and forecast to arrive on Monday (Jul 20) at 11AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.5m 6s period and expected on Saturday (Jul 18) at 11PM.

Wave TypeTime (SAST) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+) 2AM (Tue 14th Jul)5.5ft (1.7m) 8s
Best Surf 8AM (Mon 20th Jul)10ft (3.0m) 12s
Most Powerful11AM (Mon 20th Jul)13ft (4.0m) 11s

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


The Lowdown

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s cooking at Bonza Bay.

The outlook starts out with a bit of a mixed bag. We’ve got a small window of clean surf early on, then a few days where the wind and swell just don't line up, but the real story is a massive pulse of energy coming through around the 20th of July that’s going to be one for the experienced crew only.

The first real go is on Tuesday morning, 14 July. The water temp is about average for this time of year, nothing weird there. Bonza Bay is a river mouth set-up, exposed to the south swell, and it’s pulling in a solid 6ft of ESE swell with a period of 9 seconds. The combined energy is moderate at 544, and with glassy conditions and zero wind, it’s going to be clean. That’s a solid morning session. The crowd factor is ‘sometimes’, so you might have a few mates out, but nothing crazy. That afternoon, the wind swings cross-on and the quality drops right off.

Wednesday and Thursday morning look okay, but not as clean. Thursday morning, 16 July, is worth a mention though. The swell drops to 4ft, but the period jumps to 11 seconds and the energy climbs to 709. With glassy conditions again, it’ll be clean and lined up, though the swell direction is a bit east for the optimum south wind.

Then we hit a bit of a flat spell. From Friday afternoon through to Sunday, the wind is mostly cross-shore or cross-on, with moderate breezes and a messy chop. The swell sticks around 3ft to 5ft, but the quality is poor to marginal. Not worth paddling out for.

Now, here’s the standout. Monday, 20 July, is a beast. The morning brings a 13ft SSW swell with a period of 11 seconds, and the combined energy is a massive 6794. That’s serious, powerful water. The wind is light cross-on, but the comment says it’s too big for the break. This is a river mouth, so that much water is going to be a washing machine. Only for experts, and even then, it’s going to be a battle. The afternoon is still huge at 10ft.

The best bet for the run-up to the end of the week is Tuesday, 21 July. The morning has a 6ft south swell with 11-second period and glassy conditions. The energy is still strong at 1577, but it’s manageable for experienced surfers. The wind is glass, and the break should be clean. The afternoon is even better for the pure wave quality: a 4ft SSW swell with a very long 16-second period, glassy, and the energy is 1375. That long period groundswell will wrap nicely into the river mouth, offering long, clean lines. That afternoon session on Tuesday, 21 July, is the standout of the whole outlook.

Wednesday, 22 July, morning is also excellent with a 5ft SSW swell, a 15-second period, and a gentle offshore wind from the NNW. That’s clean, offshore, and the 1257 energy is strong. It’s a great session.

After that, the surf drops off again. From Thursday, 23 July, onwards, the wind gets messy, the swell shrinks, and the quality falls away. The 24th and 25th are poor, with small weak swell and cross-shore winds. The 26th has a tiny 2ft SSW swell with a very long 18-second period, but the wind is cross-off, so it’s clean but tiny. The 27th is a write-off with strong winds. The 28th and 29th bring some small, marginal swell, but nothing to get excited about.

So, the bottom line: get out there on Tuesday morning, 14 July, for the first clean glassy session, but the absolute best is Tuesday afternoon, 21 July, and Wednesday morning, 22 July. That’s the pick of the pack. The big 20th is for the brave.

Rusty.

Short Range Forecast

Mostly dry. Warm (max 20°C on Tue afternoon, min 15°C on Tue night). Wind will be generally light.

Days 5-7 Weather Summary

Mostly dry. Warm (max 21°C on Sat afternoon, min 16°C on Fri night). Winds increasing (light winds from the NW on Thu night, strong winds from the SW by Sun afternoon).

Tuesday
14
Wednesday
15
Thursday
16
Friday
17
Saturday
18
Sunday
19
Mon
20
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Rating
(10 max)
3
3
2
3
1
0
4
3
2
2
2
1
3
1
1
3
1
0
3
!
!
Swell
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Wave
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
1.7
ESE
8
1.7
ESE
9
1.8
E
9
1.7
E
10
1.5
E
10
1.4
E
10
1.9
SW
11
1.3
E
11
1.1
SSW
14
1.1
E
10
0.8
SSW
13
0.9
SSW
13
1.6
SSW
12
1.5
S
11
1.7
S
12
1.5
S
12
1.5
S
11
1.4
SSE
11
2.1
SW
9
4
SSW
11
3
S
13
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
380
474
565
524
441
408
882
387
421
257
196
317
727
546
789
615
576
431
680
4314
2492
Wind (km/h)
10
N
0
ESE
5
SSW
10
W
15
SW
15
SW
15
W
5
SSW
10
E
5
NW
10
SW
15
SSW
10
N
25
NE
20
NE
10
WNW
20
SW
40
SW
20
W
5
E
25
ENE
Wind State
cross-off
glassy
cross-on
cross-off
cross
cross
cross-off
glassy
cross-on
off
cross-off
cross
cross-off
cross
cross
cross-off
cross
cross
cross-off
cross-on
cross
High Tide
3:26AM2.01m
3:56PM2.01m
4:11AM2.03m
4:40PM2.08m
4:53AM2.02m
5:21PM2.09m
5:33AM1.97m
6:01PM2.06m
6:11AM1.89m
6:41PM1.98m
6:49AM1.78m
7:21PM1.88m
7:28AM1.66m
Low Tide
9:14PM0.55m
9:41AM0.42m
10:01PM0.49m
10:21AM0.37m
10:45PM0.46m
11:00AM0.36m
11:26PM0.48m
11:38AM0.39m
00:06AM0.54m
12:14PM0.46m
00:46AM0.63m
12:51PM0.56m
1:26AM0.74m
1:29PM0.67m
clear
clear
clear
clear
part cloud
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
part cloud
part cloud
part cloud
part cloud
part cloud
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
7:09
7:09
7:07
7:07
7:07
7:07
7:07
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
5:17
5:17
5:19
5:19
5:20
5:20
5:21
5:22
 mm
Temp °C
17
19
20
18
17
19
16
18
19
17
19
19
17
18
21
19
19
19
17
17
18
Feels °C
15
18
18
17
15
16
13
18
19
16
16
16
17
15
17
18
15
13
11
16
14
  • 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