
Surf Forecasts:
Buffalo Bay Wildside surf forecast from 7 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Friday 7 Aug, 8PM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 15s period, SW swell with offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Sunday 9 Aug, 2AM (local time) - 11ft (3.5m), 14s period, SW swell with 4,435 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Friday 7 Aug, 2PM (local time) - 8ft (2.5m), 15s 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 Friday (Aug 07) at 2PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 2.5m and 15s period with a secondary swell of 0.5m and 10s. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Buffalo Bay Wildside in the next 16 days are 3.5m 14s and forecast to arrive on Sunday (Aug 09) at 2AM. Winds are predicted to be onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.2m 6s period and expected on Friday (Aug 07) at 11PM.
| Wave Type | Time (SAST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 2PM (Fri 7th Aug) | 8ft (2.5m) 15s |
| Best Surf | 8PM (Fri 7th Aug) | 10ft (3.0m) 15s |
| Most Powerful | 2AM (Sun 9th Aug) | 11ft (3.5m) 14s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Buffalo Bay Wildside over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, let’s switch to feet and miles. It’s all about Buffalo Bay Wildside again. The water is 62°, which is pretty normal for this time of year.
We start quiet, but on Friday the 7th, the swell kicks in. Friday morning you’ve got an 8ft swell from the SW, period of 14 seconds. That’s a ton of energy (2762), and it’s clean with a cross-off breeze. That’s a proper wave, but at that size, it’s for the experienced crew only. The afternoon might be a bit tricky with the tide.
Saturday the 8th is still big at 8ft, but the wind turns onshore, and it gets messy. Skip it. Sunday the 9th is a total loss – strong onshore winds and rain, with the swell at 10ft. The energy is massive (5602 in the afternoon), but it’s a mess. Monday the 10th is also too big for this spot.
Now, Tuesday the 11th. The morning has a 10ft S swell with clean cross-off wind, but again, that’s a big wave for the experienced. The afternoon drops to 6ft, but the wind is a stiff 30 km/h, so it’s a battle.
The real gold is Wednesday the 12th through to Thursday the 13th. Wednesday morning brings a 5ft SSW swell, but the period is a massive 20 seconds – that’s serious groundswell, with long, clean lines. The wind is offshore and light, and the energy is punchy (2248). It’s a bit inconsistent, so you’ll be sitting and waiting, but it’s worth it. Then Thursday the 13th is the absolute best. The morning is glassy, with a 5ft SSW swell, period of 19 seconds, and the energy is pumping (3220). This is the one you want. The afternoon stays clean at 7ft with a SW swell and 18-second period. This is the best stretch of the whole forecast.
After that, it eases off. Friday the 14th and Saturday the 15th are still fun with clean 4ft to 5ft SW swells, but the energy is tailing off. Sunday the 16th has a tiny 2ft swell, but it comes back with a 5ft swell later in the day. The rest of the window into the third week gets smaller and more wind-affected, with a few glassy moments but nothing to get too excited about. The main show is that Wednesday and Thursday.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastHeavy rain (total 24mm), heaviest during Sun afternoon. Very mild (max 19°C on Fri afternoon, min 11°C on Sun morning). Winds increasing (light winds from the NNW on Fri night, fresh winds from the SSW by Sun afternoon). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 6mm), mostly falling on Mon morning. Very mild (max 19°C on Wed afternoon, min 11°C on Tue night). Mainly fresh winds. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Friday 7 | Saturday 8 | Sunday 9 | Monday 10 | Tuesday 11 | Wednesday 12 | Thursday 13 | |||||||||||||||
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 14 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SSW 12 | SSW 11 | SW 11 | SSW 13 | S 13 | SSW 12 | SSW 23 | SSW 20 | SSW 19 | SSW 17 | SSW 19 | SW 18 | SW 16 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
2717 | 3308 | 3192 | 2020 | 1831 | 4435 | 2923 | 3041 | 2679 | 1994 | 1264 | 3102 | 2444 | 850 | 612 | 1544 | 1662 | 1817 | 1712 | 2810 | 1552 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-on | cross-on | on | on | cross-on | on | on | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | off | off | cross-off | off | glassy | cross-off | off |
High Tide | 9:56AM1.14m | 10:48PM1.31m | 12:01PM1.18m | 00:33AM1.38m | 1:23PM1.34m | 1:42AM1.52m | 2:17PM1.54m | 2:33AM1.66m | 3:01PM1.71m | 3:16AM1.75m | 3:41PM1.84m | 3:55AM1.80m | 4:18PM1.92m | 4:31AM1.80m | |||||||
Low Tide | 3:58PM0.63m | 5:38AM0.57m | 6:03PM0.60m | 7:09AM0.44m | 7:29PM0.46m | 8:06AM0.28m | 8:26PM0.29m | 8:51AM0.13m | 9:12PM0.15m | 9:30AM0.03m | 9:53PM0.06m | 10:05AM-0.03m | 10:31PM0.03m | ||||||||
7:16 | — | — | 7:15 | — | — | 7:13 | — | — | 7:13 | — | — | 7:11 | — | — | 7:11 | — | — | 7:09 | — | — | |
— | 5:52 | — | — | 5:52 | — | — | 5:52 | — | — | 5:53 | — | — | 5:53 | — | — | 5:54 | — | — | 5:55 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | 6 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 3 | 2 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 16 | 19 | 16 | 15 | 16 | 14 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 16 | 13 | 14 | 19 | 16 | 18 | 22 | 19 |
Feels °C | 14 | 16 | 14 | 12 | 13 | 12 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 9 | 10 | 15 | 12 | 16 | 19 | 16 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 14 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 14 | E 8 | SW 12 | E 10 | SSW 11 | SW 11 | SSW 13 | S 13 | SSW 12 | SSW 11 | ESE 8 | SSW 19 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | SW 18 | SW 16 |
2717 | 3308 | 3192 | 2020 | 1831 | 4435 | 23 | 2530 | 17 | 1994 | 1264 | 3102 | 2444 | 850 | 427 | 434 | 1662 | 515 | 298 | 2810 | 1552 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 10 | E 10 | ESE 6 | ESE 6 | E 8 | E 9 | — | E 10 | SSW 13 | E 10 | S 10 | WSW 11 | — | S 10 | SSW 23 | SSW 20 | SW 11 | SSW 17 | SSW 19 | S 9 | ESE 8 |
45 | 45 | 75 | 33 | 61 | 54 | — | 31 | 17 | 16 | 771 | 70 | — | 52 | 612 | 1544 | 121 | 1817 | 1712 | 7 | 253 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | E 9 | E 9 | — | — | — | — | — | — | E 10 | — | — | SSW 26 | S 10 | SSW 11 | S 10 | SW 10 | SW 16 | S 9 | S 10 |
— | — | 27 | 27 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 7 | — | — | 65 | 8 | 270 | 50 | 37 | 1210 | 7 | 2 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | ESE 4 | — | WSW 4 | SW 6 | — | SW 13 | SW 12 | SSW 12 | — | — | — | SE 9 | SE 9 | ESE 8 | — | ESE 7 | E 8 | — | ESE 8 | — |
— | 42 | — | 36 | 71 | — | 2923 | 3041 | 2679 | — | — | — | 567 | 560 | 430 | — | 456 | 816 | — | 246 | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 38 | 38 | 3472 | 38 | 80 | 19 | 3 | 3 | 382 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
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.











