
Surf Forecasts:
Buffalo Bay Wildside surf forecast from 2 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Thursday 6 Aug, 5AM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 14s period, SW swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Saturday 8 Aug, 8PM (local time) - 13ft (4.0m), 13s period, SW swell with 4,891 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Sunday 2 Aug, 2PM (local time) - 6ft (1.8m), 9s period with ESE 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 Sunday (Aug 02) at 2PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.8m and 9s period with a secondary swell of 1.1m and 13s. 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 4.0m 13s and forecast to arrive on Saturday (Aug 08) at 8PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.4m 7s period and expected on Saturday (Aug 08) at 2PM.
| Wave Type | Time (SAST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 2PM (Sun 2nd Aug) | 6ft (1.8m) 9s |
| Best Surf | 5AM (Thu 6th Aug) | 10ft (3.0m) 14s |
| Most Powerful | 8PM (Sat 8th Aug) | 13ft (4.0m) 13s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Buffalo Bay Wildside over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s on the menu for Buffalo Bay Wildside.
It’s a mixed bag for this spot, with a real see-saw of conditions over the next couple of weeks. This break is exposed and inconsistent, and it’s a bit of a specialist wave – keep that in mind. Water temperature is sitting at 63°F, which is bang on average for this time of year, so no surprises there.
The best of the action kicks off Sunday morning, August 2nd. It’s glassy, with a clean 6ft swell from the ESE. The combined energy is moderate at 802. This is a solid, clean start and a good one to jump on.
Monday, August 3rd, is your standout. The morning session is where it’s at – glassy conditions again, with a 6ft ESE swell, a period of 11 seconds, and the energy is up to 1331. This is clean, punchy, and well-shaped for experienced surfers. The afternoon stays clean with a cross-off breeze, and the swell holds at 5ft. This is the best of the whole outlook.
Tuesday morning, August 4th, is still clean with a 5ft ESE swell, but it’s a bit smaller. By Tuesday afternoon, the wind swings to the WSW and picks up, making it choppy and poor. That’s the end of the fun for a bit.
Wednesday, August 5th, sees a change. The morning is marginal with a small 3ft SW swell, but the afternoon pumps up to 6ft from the SW with a very long 16-second period. The energy is strong at 1945, but the onshore wind ruins it. It’s a tease.
Then things get rowdy. From Thursday, August 6th, through to the middle of the following week, the swell gets too big for this break. Thursday morning has a 10ft SW swell with a massive 3149 energy, and it’s onshore and choppy. This is kite-surfing territory, not paddle surfing. The swell stays huge, with onshore winds, through to Monday, August 10th, when it finally drops. That’s nearly a week of blown-out, oversized surf.
There’s a tease on Friday, August 7th, which has excellent conditions for experienced surfers – 8ft SW swell, 14-second period, and clean with a cross-off breeze. But the swell is still big, so this is only for the experienced crew.
After a few days of solid, messy surf, things start to settle again. The real return to form is on Saturday, August 15th, with a glassy morning and a 4ft SW swell, 16-second period, and energy at 1332. That’s clean and lined up. The conditions hold through Sunday, August 16th, and into Monday, August 17th, where we get another glassy morning with a 5ft SW swell and 14-second period. The energy is 1138. This is a sweet, clean window to end the outlook.
The long-period swells (15-16 seconds) in the second week will be best at this exposed spot, which is a reef/point setup, so they should hold their shape well. The onshore winds in the middle of the period are a real killer.
So, to wrap it up: the standout is Monday, August 3rd morning. The second standout is Saturday, August 15th morning through Monday, August 17th morning. The middle of the outlook is a write-off for most surfers.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 30°C on Tue afternoon, min 16°C on Tue night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 20°C on Wed morning, min 14°C on Wed night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Sunday 2 | Monday 3 | Tuesday 4 | Wednesday 5 | Thursday 6 | Friday 7 | Saturday 8 | |||||||||||||||
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) | ESE 9 | ESE 9 | ESE 12 | ESE 11 | ESE 11 | ESE 11 | SW 12 | SW 11 | ESE 10 | SW 14 | SW 16 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 12 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
455 | 424 | 921 | 731 | 634 | 541 | 410 | 350 | 288 | 293 | 1694 | 2985 | 3059 | 2305 | 2869 | 2667 | 2596 | 1858 | 1661 | 3963 | 4180 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | glassy | cross-off | cross-off | glassy | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-on | off | on | on | off | cross-on | on | glassy | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | on | on | cross-off |
High Tide | 5:54PM1.75m | 6:03AM1.58m | 6:27PM1.70m | 6:39AM1.49m | 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 | ||||||||
Low Tide | 11:37AM0.11m | 00:05AM0.23m | 12:08PM0.18m | 00:40AM0.29m | 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 | ||||||||
7:20 | — | — | 7:18 | — | — | 7:18 | — | — | 7:16 | — | — | 7:16 | — | — | 7:16 | — | — | 7:15 | — | — | |
— | 5:47 | — | — | 5:49 | — | — | 5:50 | — | — | 5:50 | — | — | 5:51 | — | — | 5:52 | — | — | 5:52 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 22 | 23 | 19 | 23 | 25 | 21 | 27 | 30 | 20 | 20 | 18 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 14 | 16 | 17 | 15 | 18 | 17 | 14 |
Feels °C | 20 | 21 | 16 | 20 | 22 | 18 | 23 | 26 | 16 | 19 | 16 | 16 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 17 | 14 | 13 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 9 | ESE 9 | ESE 12 | ESE 11 | ESE 11 | ESE 11 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | SW 16 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 14 | E 9 | SW 12 |
455 | 408 | 921 | 731 | 634 | 541 | 410 | 349 | 288 | 250 | 1694 | 2985 | 3059 | 2305 | 2869 | 2667 | 2596 | 1858 | 1661 | 15 | 3471 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 11 | SW 11 | SW 14 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 9 | E 5 | E 9 | — | E 10 |
340 | 424 | 278 | 600 | 488 | 528 | 383 | 350 | 220 | 293 | 235 | 145 | 90 | 90 | 68 | 47 | 43 | 16 | 27 | — | 16 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 9 | ESE 14 | SSW 14 | — | S 13 | — | — | SSW 17 | SSW 15 | SW 10 | — | — | — | SSW 17 | — | — | — | E 9 | — | — | — |
7 | 145 | 264 | — | 3 | — | — | 30 | 86 | 138 | — | — | — | 267 | — | — | — | 27 | — | — | — | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | WSW 3 | — | SW 4 | SW 4 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | WSW 5 | SW 14 | SW 12 |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | — | 4 | 16 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 103 | 3963 | 4180 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
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.











