
Surf Forecasts:
Buffalo Bay Wildside surf forecast from 4 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Thursday 6 Aug, 5AM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 14s period, SW swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Sunday 9 Aug, 5PM (local time) - 15ft (4.5m), 11s period, SSW swell with 5,327 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Tuesday 4 Aug, 5PM (local time) - 4ft (1.2m), 11s period with SW swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Buffalo Bay Wildside this week:
The surf forecast for Buffalo Bay Wildside over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Aug 04) at 5PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.2m and 11s period with a secondary swell of 1.3m and 10s. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Buffalo Bay Wildside in the next 16 days are 4.5m 11s and forecast to arrive on Sunday (Aug 09) at 5PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.7m 10s period and expected on Tuesday (Aug 11) at 5AM.
| Wave Type | Time (SAST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 5PM (Tue 4th Aug) | 4ft (1.2m) 11s |
| Best Surf | 5AM (Thu 6th Aug) | 10ft (3.0m) 14s |
| Most Powerful | 5PM (Sun 9th Aug) | 15ft (4.5m) 11s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Buffalo Bay Wildside over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, Rusty here. Let's talk about what's on the table.
First up, the water is sitting at 63° right now, which is about average for the time of year, so no surprises there.
We’ve got a bit of a slow start. The first real chance for a wave comes on Tuesday afternoon at Buffalo Bay Wildside. It’s not huge, around 4ft of swell from the SW, but the wind goes glassy. That’s the kind of session where you’re just trading clean little runners with no one else around. It’s an inconsistent spot, so you gotta be patient, but when a set comes through, it’ll be worth it.
Wednesday looks like the swell is starting to build, but the wind is cross-on both days, which will put a bit of a crumble on the face. By Thursday morning, the swell jumps to 10ft (combined energy of 3445), and that’s already pushing past the comfort zone for this break. It’s too big for most of us. The wind is light but cross-on, so it’s going to be a messy, washing-machine kind of day.
For Friday, August 7th, we’ve got a standout. The swell drops back to a still solid 8ft from the SW, but the wind goes dead calm – glassy all day. The period stretches out to 14-15 seconds, which is proper groundswell. This is a big, powerful wave for experienced surfers only. Over 8ft means it’s in expert territory. The break is inconsistent, so you’ll be waiting for those long-period sets, but when they come, they’ll have some serious push. This is the best on offer in the first week.
Saturday the 8th sees the wind pick up, with a gentle cross-on breeze making things choppy. It’s still surfable, but not as clean. Sunday is a write-off – strong onshore winds and rain make for awful conditions. Monday the 10th is glassy again, but the swell is pumping at 13ft, and that’s just too much for this spot. It’s more of a spectator sport.
Now we get into the second week, and things get interesting. Wednesday, August 12th is the absolute highlight of the whole outlook. We’ve got an 8ft swell from the ESE with a 13-second period, combined energy hitting a massive 6210. The wind is light and cross-off, keeping the faces clean. This is a proper, powerful groundswell, and with that ESE direction lining up well with this spot, it’s going to be firing. This is for expert surfers only – the size and power will be legit.
Thursday the 13th stays big and clean, but the swell pushes to 10ft again. Still glassy early, but it’s big. Then Friday the 14th morning offers a more manageable 7ft from the ESE with clean cross-off winds – another good session for experienced crew.
After that, the swell fades. The weekend of the 15th and 16th sees the size drop to 4ft and then 3ft. The wind is clean, so you could get a little longboard or funboard glide, but there’s not much push. By Monday the 17th, a new 10ft SW swell rolls in, but with onshore wind and rain, it’s not going to be pretty.
Finally, Wednesday, August 19th caps it off nicely. The swell holds at 7ft to 8ft from the SW, and the wind goes glassy again. It’s clean, it’s powerful, and it’s a good one for experienced surfers.
So, to sum it up: the standout, the must-surf day, is Wednesday, August 12th for the big, clean ESE groundswell. Friday, August 7th is also a cracker for a glassy SW groundswell. The rest is a mix of too big, too messy, or too small. Crowds are possible at Buffalo Bay Wildside, but with its inconsistency, you’ll likely have plenty of space if you’re willing to wait.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 2mm), mostly falling on Thu night. Warm (max 21°C on Tue morning, min 14°C on Wed night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryHeavy rain (total 34mm), heaviest during Sun afternoon. Very mild (max 16°C on Fri morning, min 10°C on Sun night). Winds increasing (calm on Fri morning, fresh winds from the S by Sun afternoon). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Tuesday 4 | Wednesday 5 | Thursday 6 | Friday 7 | Saturday 8 | Sunday 9 | Monday 10 | |||||||||||||||
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) | SW 12 | SW 11 | ESE 10 | SSW 15 | SW 16 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 14 | SW 15 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SSW 11 | SSE 10 | S 11 | SSE 11 | SSE 11 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
433 | 350 | 294 | 780 | 1909 | 2391 | 3357 | 2392 | 1999 | 2557 | 3178 | 3820 | 2557 | 1783 | 3139 | 3874 | 5327 | 2866 | 3488 | 2211 | 2077 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | glassy | cross-off | cross-on | cross-on | glassy | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | glassy | glassy | off | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | on | cross-on | cross-on | glassy | cross-off | off |
High Tide | 7:04PM1.62m | 7:21AM1.37m | 7:51PM1.50m | 8:19AM1.23m | 9:00PM1.37m | 9:56AM1.14m | 10:48PM1.31m | 12:01PM1.18m | 00:33AM1.38m | 1:23PM1.34m | 1:42AM1.52m | 2:17PM1.54m | 2:33AM1.66m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 12:42PM0.27m | 1:23AM0.37m | 1:24PM0.39m | 2:18AM0.48m | 2:22PM0.53m | 3:41AM0.58m | 3:58PM0.63m | 5:38AM0.57m | 6:03PM0.60m | 7:09AM0.44m | 7:29PM0.46m | 8:06AM0.28m | 8:26PM0.29m | ||||||||
7:18 | — | — | 7:16 | — | — | 7:16 | — | — | 7:16 | — | — | 7:15 | — | — | 7:13 | — | — | 7:13 | — | — | |
— | 5:50 | — | — | 5:50 | — | — | 5:51 | — | — | 5:52 | — | — | 5:52 | — | — | 5:52 | — | — | 5:53 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | 4 | 9 | 11 | 10 | 2 | 1 | — |
Temp °C | 21 | 21 | 19 | 21 | 20 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 15 | 16 | 15 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 13 | 12 |
Feels °C | 19 | 19 | 18 | 20 | 19 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 16 | 13 | 14 | 12 | 12 | 10 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 9 | 10 | 9 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | SSW 15 | SW 16 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 14 | SW 15 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 14 | E 10 | E 10 | SW 11 | S 11 | SSE 11 | SSE 11 |
356 | 349 | 294 | 780 | 1909 | 2391 | 3357 | 2392 | 1999 | 2557 | 3178 | 3820 | 2557 | 1783 | 3139 | 19 | 18 | 1764 | 3488 | 2211 | 2077 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 12 | SW 11 | SW 11 | E 10 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | E 10 | E 9 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | — | E 10 | E 10 | SE 13 | SSW 10 | SW 11 |
433 | 350 | 220 | 240 | 205 | 154 | 88 | 64 | 67 | 47 | 44 | 45 | 27 | 27 | 27 | — | 18 | 8 | 299 | 267 | 134 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | SW 3 | SSW 15 | SW 10 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | SE 6 | SE 5 | — | — | — | — | E 10 | SE 13 | — |
— | 3 | 86 | 117 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 11 | 7 | — | — | — | — | 30 | 503 | — | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | SW 13 | SSW 11 | SSE 10 | — | — | — |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 3874 | 5327 | 2866 | — | — | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 19 | 0 | 1 | 38 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1044 | 1098 | 80 | 1 | 19 | 3 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Garden Route | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in South Africa | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the Buffalo Bay Wildside Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Buffalo Bay Wildside provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Buffalo Bay Wildside can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Buffalo Bay Wildside 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 (Buffalo Bay Wildside) 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 Buffalo Bay Wildside 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.
Are you planning a holiday in Garden Route? If you are looking for accommodation near Buffalo Bay Wildside, camping, hotels and holiday cottages in Garden Route, consider staying in Knysna which is 8 km (5 miles) away. Other places in and around Garden Route where you can find information about places to rent, and car hire include Plettenberg Bay which is 36 km (22 miles) away, George, Mossel Bay and Oudtshoorn.











