Surf Forecasts:
Buffalo Bay Wildside surf forecast from 23 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Sunday 23 Aug, 8PM (local time) - 6.5ft (2.0m), 13s period, SW swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Tuesday 25 Aug, 8AM (local time) - 8ft (2.5m), 14s period, SW swell with 2,667 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Sunday 23 Aug, 8PM (local time) - 6.5ft (2.0m), 13s 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 Sunday (Aug 23) at 8PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 2.0m and 13s period. 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 2.5m 14s and forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Aug 25) at 8AM. Winds are predicted to be glassy at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.2m 12s period and expected on Wednesday (Aug 26) at 11AM.
| Wave Type | Time (SAST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 8PM (Sun 23rd Aug) | 6.5ft (2.0m) 13s |
| Best Surf | 8PM (Sun 23rd Aug) | 6.5ft (2.0m) 13s |
| Most Powerful | 8AM (Tue 25th Aug) | 8ft (2.5m) 14s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Buffalo Bay Wildside over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, Rusty here. Let's talk about Buffalo Bay Wildside and what's coming down the pipe.
We've got a real mixed bag ahead, but there's a couple of standout windows that'll get the blood pumping. The water is sitting at 60°, which is a solid 4° colder than what's normal for this time of year. That's a notable chill, so you'll want a good hood and gloves.
The first real peak of quality hits on Thursday, 27 August. The morning session is money with a clean 6ft SW groundswell (period 12 seconds) and glassy conditions. The combined energy is a solid 1417, so there's plenty of push. This is solid intermediate territory—not too big, not too small. The wind is dead calm, so expect it to be as clean as it gets. If you're looking for a wave, that's the one to circle. The afternoon holds up too, with a smaller 5ft S swell (12 seconds) and still glassy. Crowds can happen here, so get in early.
The swell builds through the end of August and into early September. By Monday afternoon, 31 August, we're looking at a punchy 8ft SW swell (11 seconds) with clean cross-off wind. The energy is pumped up to 1433, and the conditions are clean, but this one is winding up for the experienced crew. That's a fair step up.
Now, let's be straight about the second week. Around 5 and 6 September, the models are showing a huge pulse of swell. We're talking 16ft SW on the 5th and 15ft SSW on the 6th, with combined energy readings over 10,000. That's ridiculous power. But here's the kicker: the wind is cross-onshore, and the forecast clearly says the swell is too big for this break. That's expert-only territory, and even then, it's a risk. The setup will be more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing. So, I'd call that a promising but very uncertain prospect for the brave.
The rest of the period is a bit of a washout. There are long gaps with no real recommendations, especially after the 7th of September, where it drops off completely. It's a mixed run, but the Thursday morning on the 27th is the real diamond in the rough. Don't sleep on it.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Very mild (max 17°C on Wed morning, min 11°C on Mon night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 33°C on Sat morning, min 14°C on Wed night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the E on Wed afternoon, calm by Thu night). | |||||||||||||||||||
Sun 23 | Monday 24 | Tuesday 25 | Wednesday 26 | Thursday 27 | Friday 28 | Saturday 29 | ||||||||||||||
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 13 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 11 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 14 | SW 14 | S 13 | SSW 16 | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | S 12 | S 11 | S 11 | S 11 | S 11 | S 11 | SSE 11 | SW 9 |
Wave Graph  | ||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 1352 | 1003 | 638 | 652 | 2323 | 1810 | 2509 | 1858 | 1423 | 1180 | 1197 | 969 | 628 | 821 | 467 | 394 | 410 | 302 | 198 | 1037 |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross | glassy | glassy | cross-on | glassy | cross-on | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | off | glassy | glassy | glassy | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | glassy |
High Tide | 1:41AM1.29m | 2:11PM1.34m | 2:15AM1.43m | 2:39PM1.49m | 2:44AM1.55m | 3:06PM1.63m | 3:12AM1.65m | 3:32PM1.75m | 3:40AM1.72m | 3:59PM1.84m | 4:08AM1.76m | 4:26PM1.89m | 4:37AM1.76m | |||||||
Low Tide | 7:40PM0.65m | 8:02AM0.49m | 8:15PM0.51m | 8:30AM0.35m | 8:44PM0.38m | 8:56AM0.23m | 9:11PM0.26m | 9:21AM0.12m | 9:39PM0.16m | 9:46AM0.05m | 10:07PM0.09m | 10:13AM0.01m | 10:35PM0.06m | |||||||
 |  | | | | | | |  | | | | |  | |  | | | |  | |
 | — | — | 6:56 | — | — | 6:56 | — | — | 6:54 | — | — | 6:52 | — | — | 6:52 | — | — | 6:50 | — | — |
 | 6:02 | — | — | 6:04 | — | — | 6:04 | — | — | 6:05 | — | — | 6:06 | — | — | 6:06 | — | — | 6:07 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 16 | 13 | 16 | 16 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 13 | 17 | 18 | 15 | 21 | 22 | 20 | 23 | 24 | 31 | 33 | 35 | 20 |
Feels °C | 14 | 12 | 15 | 15 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 11 | 13 | 13 | 10 | 21 | 21 | 19 | 21 | 22 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 19 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 11 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | ESE 8 | S 11 | S 11 | S 11 | S 11 | S 11 | SSE 11 | SW 9 |
| kJ | 1352 | 1003 | 638 | 652 | 2323 | 1810 | 2509 | 1858 | 893 | 1180 | 1197 | 969 | 385 | 821 | 467 | 394 | 410 | 302 | 198 | 1037 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SE 11 | SSW 16 | — | E 13 | WSW 12 | SSW 11 | WSW 12 | ESE 8 | S 12 | E 9 | ESE 9 | ESE 8 | ESE 6 | ESE 7 | SW 13 | E 10 |
| kJ | — | — | 80 | 394 | 4 | 696 | — | 3 | 390 | 387 | 193 | 428 | 628 | 275 | 243 | 184 | 107 | 91 | 175 | 138 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | SE 11 | E 9 | — | — | — | — | S 16 | SW 13 | — | S 16 | SW 12 | SW 17 | S 14 | SSE 14 | SW 14 | SW 13 | ESE 8 | SSE 10 |
| kJ | — | — | 5 | 2 | — | — | — | — | 781 | 331 | — | 20 | 355 | 11 | 150 | 215 | 121 | 128 | 63 | 86 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | S 13 | ESE 7 | ESE 7 | — | — | — | — | — | — | NNW 3 | W 4 | — |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1423 | 774 | 468 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 8 | 16 | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 19 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 0 | 38 | 19 | 0 | 19 | 380 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 0 | 3 | 249 | 57 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Garden Route | ||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in South Africa | ||||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | ||||||||||||||||||||
- Map Icons:
Break
Live Wave Height (m)
Live Wind Speed (km/h)
Surf Rating (10 Max)
Ocean Swells (m)- Wind Speed (km/h)
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 Buffalo Bay Wildside 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 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.
Nearest