Surf Forecasts:
Bonza Bay surf forecast from 26 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Wednesday 26 Aug, 2PM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 17s period, S swell with cross-onshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Wednesday 26 Aug, 2PM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 17s period, S swell with 4,554 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Wednesday 26 Aug, 2PM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 17s 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 Wednesday (Aug 26) at 2PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 3.0m and 17s period. The wind is predicted to be cross-onshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Bonza Bay in the next 16 days are 3.0m 17s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Aug 26) at 2PM. 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 9s period and expected on Thursday (Aug 27) at 11PM.
| Wave Type | Time (SAST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 2PM (Wed 26th Aug) | 10ft (3.0m) 17s |
| Best Surf | 2PM (Wed 26th Aug) | 10ft (3.0m) 17s |
| Most Powerful | 2PM (Wed 26th Aug) | 10ft (3.0m) 17s |
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 coming down the line for Bonza Bay. We’ve got a 16-day window, and I gotta be honest, it’s a bit of a mixed bag. The start is rough, but there are a couple of sessions that are gonna make it all worth it.
The first real chance to get wet isn’t until Saturday morning, the 29th of August. That’s a few days of waiting with nothing much to offer. Before that, we’ve got a big, powerful swell rollin’ in on Wednesday the 26th, with waves pushing 8ft to 10ft and energy readings of 3734 and 4053—that’s strong stuff. But the wind is a mess, cross-onshore and choppy, so it’s gonna be a washing machine out there. Not worth it. Thursday and Friday are similar stories with onshore winds and lumpy conditions. Just save your energy.
Saturday morning the 29th is where it starts to look interesting. The swell drops to a more manageable 6ft from the East, and we get a clean, cross-offshore breeze from the NNE at 9 mph. That’s a nice, clean look. The water temp is 67°F, which is about 0.5°F cooler than average for this time of year—pretty standard, nothin’ wild. The energy is moderate at 815. It’s not gonna be a huge day, but it’ll be clean and surfable.
Now, the real standout that’s got me stoked is Thursday morning, the 3rd of September. The swell is 8ft from the SSE, but here’s the magic: the wind goes *glass*. Dead calm. Zero. That’s as good as it gets for a river mouth like Bonza Bay. The water will be like a mirror. The energy is moderate at 586, and the period is short at 7 seconds, so it’ll be a bit walled-up and fat, but with conditions that clean, you’ll be getting some fun ones. This is definitely the highlight of the whole outlook. The only bummer is that the afternoon on the same day, the swell jumps to 10ft and the wind turns cross-onshore. That 10ft is too big for most, so stick to the morning glass-off.
There’s another morning that catches my eye: Saturday the 5th of September. We get 12ft from the ESE with a clean, cross-offshore breeze from the WSW at 6 mph. That is a big, powerful swell with an energy reading of 6400—that’s very strong. But at 12ft, it’s only for the experts. The river mouth might see some heavy sets, and with a 12-second period, it’ll have some punch. Not for the faint of heart.
After that, it’s a slow decline back into mediocre conditions for the second week. Monday the 7th has another 10ft swell, but the wind is on it again, and it’s messy. The rest of the week is small, choppy, and not worth getting wet for.
So, to wrap it up: the best session by far is Thursday morning, the 3rd of September. Glassy conditions and a solid 8ft swell. Get on it. Saturday morning the 29th of August is a solid second choice for a clean, smaller day. The big stuff on the 5th of September is for the crew who know what they’re doing.
Stay salty,
Rusty
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 34°C on Fri morning, min 16°C on Wed night). Winds increasing (calm on Wed morning, strong winds from the ENE by Thu afternoon). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 8mm), mostly falling on Sun night. Warm (max 32°C on Sat morning, min 17°C on Sun afternoon). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the WSW on Sat night, light winds from the E by Sun night). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wednesday 26 | Thursday 27 | Friday 28 | Saturday 29 | Sunday 30 | Monday 31 | Tuesday 1 | |||||||||||||||
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) | S 17 | S 16 | S 13 | S 12 | S 12 | S 12 | S 12 | S 12 | E 10 | E 10 | SSE 11 | SW 5 | E 10 | SSW 6 | S 8 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | SSW 6 | SSW 15 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
3734 | 4039 | 1866 | 871 | 784 | 575 | 403 | 322 | 561 | 584 | 167 | 63 | 240 | 111 | 190 | 154 | 145 | 117 | 273 | 93 | 1358 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off | on | cross-on | cross-off |
High Tide | 3:12PM1.84m | 3:18AM1.85m | 3:38PM1.95m | 3:46AM1.93m | 4:04PM2.03m | 4:14AM1.98m | 4:31PM2.09m | 4:43AM1.99m | 5:00PM2.10m | 5:12AM1.96m | 5:31PM2.07m | 5:44AM1.89m | 6:04PM1.98m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 8:58AM0.53m | 9:16PM0.55m | 9:25AM0.43m | 9:44PM0.45m | 9:52AM0.35m | 10:11PM0.37m | 10:18AM0.30m | 10:39PM0.34m | 10:46AM0.29m | 11:09PM0.34m | 11:15AM0.32m | 11:40PM0.39m | 11:46AM0.39m | 00:14AM0.48m | |||||||
6:33 | — | — | 6:31 | — | — | 6:31 | — | — | 6:30 | — | — | 6:28 | — | — | 6:26 | — | — | 6:26 | — | — | |
— | 5:45 | — | — | 5:46 | — | — | 5:47 | — | — | 5:47 | — | — | 5:49 | — | — | 5:49 | — | — | 5:50 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 2 | 5 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 18 | 18 | 18 | 20 | 22 | 23 | 34 | 27 | 27 | 32 | 28 | 20 | 18 | 17 | 17 | 19 | 20 | 19 | 24 | 25 | 19 |
Feels °C | 16 | 15 | 13 | 14 | 16 | 19 | 31 | 25 | 24 | 28 | 25 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 16 | 18 | 19 | 18 | 24 | 25 | 14 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 17 | S 16 | S 13 | S 12 | S 12 | E 9 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | SSE 11 | E 10 | E 10 | ENE 10 | S 8 | S 7 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 9 | SSW 15 |
3734 | 4039 | 1866 | 871 | 784 | 675 | 479 | 499 | 561 | 584 | 167 | 459 | 240 | 160 | 190 | 103 | 145 | 117 | 273 | 162 | 1358 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | S 16 | S 13 | S 12 | S 12 | S 12 | S 11 | SSE 12 | WSW 14 | S 11 | SSE 11 | SSE 10 | E 10 | E 10 | S 7 | S 6 | SW 11 | SSW 14 | E 9 |
— | — | — | 192 | 411 | 575 | 403 | 322 | 256 | 224 | 18 | 61 | 37 | 20 | 200 | 154 | 43 | 12 | 29 | 80 | 99 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | SSW 13 | — | — | SSE 15 | SSE 15 | SSE 15 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SSE 13 | SSE 10 | SW 12 | SW 11 | SW 11 | SSE 6 | S 9 | — |
— | — | — | 59 | — | — | 92 | 172 | 121 | 7 | 29 | 6 | 6 | 16 | 20 | 37 | 32 | 30 | 3 | 2 | — | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | E 4 | ENE 5 | ENE 7 | ENE 8 | ENE 9 | — | ENE 10 | ENE 10 | ENE 10 | ENE 10 | SW 5 | SSW 6 | SSW 6 | — | — | E 4 | E 5 | — | SSW 6 | — |
— | 14 | 103 | 417 | 804 | 1249 | — | 821 | 1366 | 1145 | 667 | 63 | 72 | 111 | — | — | 22 | 28 | — | 93 | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 168 | 456 | 435 | 249 | 435 | 24 | 18 | 99 | 0 | 22 | 440 | 301 | 129 | 23 | 19 | 19 | 301 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 440 |
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.











