Buffalo Bay Wildside Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Grab your board and let’s get into it. The next couple of weeks have a bit of everything, but you gotta pick your moments.

The first real window of clean surf kicks off Friday, August 14th. Buffalo Bay Wildside (East London) is looking fun but a little inconsistent. The morning has a clean 5ft SW swell with a long 16-second period, light NNE cross-off at 6 mph and the water’s a cool 58°, which is 5° colder than usual for this time of year—that’s properly chilly, so a good hood is essential. There’s a solid 1317 of energy backing it, but the inconsistency will keep you on your toes. It’s a better option for the experienced crew, but the waves should be clean and well-shaped.

The rest of that day and into Saturday and Sunday stays in the 3-5ft range with SW swells. Saturday morning looks decent with a clean 4ft and light SE cross-off. Sunday afternoon turns glassy with a 4ft SW swell, but the period drops a bit and the energy fades. These are okay, but nothing on the standout level.

Now, here’s the first real standout. Monday morning, August 17th, the swell bumps up to 7ft from the SW with a 13-second period. It’s glassy with a light SSE breeze, and the energy jumps to 1712. This is the best clean push of the first week. It’s too big for beginners, but for the intermediate and above crew at Wildside, this is going to be firing. The direction is right in that SE optimum, which is exactly what this break wants.

Tuesday morning holds solid at 6ft with a clean ESE cross-off, but Tuesday afternoon picks back up to 7ft with a similar wind, so a solid day. However, by Wednesday morning it’s 7ft but with a WSW onshore wind, and the quality drops. That whole day is a bit of a write-off with the wind messing things up. The swell stays big, but the conditions turn to junk.

Thursday, August 20th, looks like a nice reset. Morning has a clean 6ft SW swell with glassy conditions and a 12-second period. That’s a good one for paddling out without getting hammered. The afternoon gets some cross-onshore, so morning is the go.

Then we have the weekend wall. August 22nd and 23rd see a big jump in size. Saturday afternoon pushes 16ft of SSW swell with a massive 13146 of energy. The period is a long 16 seconds. This swell is way too big for this break, and it’s going to be a washing machine. Sunday is still huge at 13ft. This is not for your paddle board, this is big wave territory and likely looks more interesting for the towing crew or just for watching. The break is exposed, but at this size, it’s all about survival, not style.

After the peak, it settles back down but remains solid through Monday and Tuesday, with around 10ft of SW swell and clean offshore ESE winds. Still too big for the average punter, but the conditions are clean and it could hold some heavy, grinding waves for those who know what they’re doing. By Wednesday August 26th, it's still 10ft, still big.

The last few days of the window, from August 27th onwards, see the swell slowly dropping. Thursday’s got 8ft but wind is onshore, so it’s messy. Friday the 28th is junk, with light rain and moderate cross-onshore winds making it choppy.

The final hope is Saturday morning, August 29th. It’s back down to a clean 5ft SW swell with a light easterly cross-off and a little less energy. It’s a nice clean end to the run, so if you missed the early action, that’s your last call.

So overall, the standout is definitely Monday morning, August 17th and that little pocket on Thursday morning, August 20th. The big stuff around the 22nd-23rd is for the big wave crew only.

Signing off, Rusty.

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