Buffalo Bay Wildside Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right, let’s have a look at what’s on the cards for Buffalo Bay Wildside. This spot is an inconsistent, exposed intermediate break that needs a decent SE swell to really light up, and it’s in the Western Cape. Water temp is about average for this time of year.

The next 16 days kick off with a bang but it’s a tricky one. The first real swell we see is Thursday morning, 16 July, and it’s a solid 8ft SW groundswell with a 14-second period, packing a massive 2684 combined energy. That’s proper, powerful stuff. Wind is light and glassy from the west, so the ocean will be clean. But – this is only for experienced surfers; 8ft is big and the power is intense. Thursday afternoon the wind picks up onshore and the quality drops off.

Friday morning, 17 July, is another standout. We’ve got 8ft of SW swell, period 12 seconds, and a glassy 5 km/h breeze from the SE. The energy is still high at 1503, and the waves will be clean and lined up. Again, it’s expert territory. Friday afternoon the wind turns cross and the period drops, making it less appealing.

Then we hit a bit of a lull. Saturday, 18 July, drops to 4ft and the wind is cross-onshore. Sunday morning, 19 July, is a write-off with 15 km/h cross-onshore wind and rain, but Sunday afternoon is a total gem: the wind drops to nothing, glassy, 7ft of SW swell at 12 seconds, with a combined energy of 1218. That’s clean, powerful, and for the experienced crew only.

Monday, 20 July, has a glassy 4ft morning, which is a nice size for intermediate surfers, but the energy is lower (626). The real story is Tuesday, 21 July, when the swell jumps to 10ft from the SSW with a 15-second period and a wild 3533 combined energy. That’s too big for this break, even with light cross-onshore wind. This pattern repeats: Wednesday, 22 July, glassy 10ft, too big. Thursday, 23 July, too big. This is a serious run of oversized swell for the spot.

The best session on offer, without a doubt, is Sunday, 27 July. The morning is totally calm, glassy, with 6ft of long-period SW groundswell (14 seconds) and a combined energy of 2214. The wind is dead calm, so the waves will be perfect. By the afternoon, the wind is light cross-offshore, keeping it clean. This is the sweet spot – big enough to be exciting, but not so big it’s out of control. Excellent for experienced surfers.

Monday, 28 July, is also very good, with offshore NE winds and 6ft of clean SW swell. Then, 29 July, the wind destroys it with 25-30 km/h onshore, so write that off. The final few days, 30 and 31 July, see another massive pulse of 13-15ft SW swell, which is again way too big for this spot.

So, the standout is Sunday, 27 July, morning session. Get on it. The second week has some promising long-range options, but as always, keep an eye on the wind. Overall, if you’re experienced and love big, clean groundswell, there are pockets of brilliance here.

Rusty.

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