Surf Forecasts:
Buffalo Bay Wildside surf forecast from 13 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Thursday 16 Jul, 2AM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 15s period, SW swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Thursday 16 Jul, 2AM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 15s period, SW swell with 3,532 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Wednesday 15 Jul, 2AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.1m), 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 Wednesday (Jul 15) at 2AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.1m and 9s period with a secondary swell of 0.4m and 12s. Another secondary swell of 0.5m and 5s is also forecast. 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 3.0m 15s and forecast to arrive on Thursday (Jul 16) at 2AM. Winds are predicted to be glassy at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 3.0m 8s period and expected on Sunday (Jul 19) at 8PM.
| Wave Type | Time (SAST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 2AM (Wed 15th Jul) | 3.5ft (1.1m) 9s |
| Best Surf | 2AM (Thu 16th Jul) | 10ft (3.0m) 15s |
| Most Powerful | 2AM (Thu 16th Jul) | 10ft (3.0m) 15s |
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 bit of a slow start, but there's some serious size on the horizon, so keep your wits about you.
We're looking at a spot that's exposed, but it's inconsistent, so it takes the right combo to fire. The water temp is about average for this time of year, nothing to write home about.
Right now, Tuesday the 14th, we've got a small 5ft swell from the ESE, but it's hanging in there with a clean offshore wind. The energy is moderate at 379, but it's just a marginal session. Wednesday the 15th is a write-off in the morning – poor conditions. The afternoon sees a jump in energy to 1353 from a SW swell at 5ft, but the wind is a bit cross-on, so it's still only marginal.
Now, Thursday the 16th is where it gets interesting. We've got a solid 8ft SW groundswell rolling in with a 14-second period, and the wind is glassy in the morning. That's excellent surf, but at that size, it's for experienced surfers only. The swell energy is strong at 2708. This is the first real standout. This quality holds through Friday the 17th and into Saturday morning the 18th, with glassy conditions and a dropping swell from 8ft to 6ft – still excellent for the experienced crew.
Saturday afternoon the 18th gets a bit bumpy with a cross-on wind, and Sunday the 19th is a complete mess with strong winds and a 10ft swell that's just too big for this break. That big swell hangs around for a few days, from the 19th through the 23rd of July, with waves over 8ft and often hitting 10ft. It's too big for this spot, and the wind is often cross-on or onshore, making it a no-go for paddle surfing. Honestly, for that stretch, the setup looks more interesting for kite surfing.
The waves drop back down on the 24th and 25th, but the conditions are marginal at best. Then we get another pulse on the 26th of July: a very long-period 16-second SW groundswell at 8ft. The energy is very strong at 3635, and with a clean offshore wind and glassy conditions on the 27th, this is another standout window for the experts. The 28th brings another 10ft swell that's too big again, but the 29th finishes with a more manageable 5ft, though the wind is a bit messy.
So, to sum it up: the best on offer is Thursday the 16th and Friday the 17th for the first big pulse, and then Sunday the 26th and Monday the 27th for the second. Both windows offer excellent, glassy conditions and proper groundswell, but this is big-wave territory for the skilled crew. Keep your eyes on the horizon.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Very mild (max 19°C on Thu afternoon, min 14°C on Tue morning). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 21°C on Sat afternoon, min 14°C on Sat night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Tuesday 14 | Wednesday 15 | Thursday 16 | Friday 17 | Saturday 18 | Sunday 19 | Mon 20 | |||||||||||||||
Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | |
Swell Height Map |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | |||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 9 | ESE 8 | ESE 9 | ESE 9 | E 9 | SW 11 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 11 | SSW 10 | S 12 | S 12 | S 11 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 10 | SSW 12 | SSW 11 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 344 | 268 | 294 | 206 | 180 | 617 | 3532 | 2633 | 1890 | 1086 | 1493 | 1287 | 741 | 885 | 760 | 629 | 773 | 2196 | 1654 | 2072 | 2166 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross | on | on | cross-off | cross-on | on | glassy | glassy | glassy | cross-on | glassy | cross-off | cross-off | glassy | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross |
High Tide | 3:23AM1.77m | 3:53PM1.76m | 4:08AM1.79m | 4:37PM1.83m | 4:50AM1.77m | 5:18PM1.85m | 5:30AM1.70m | 5:58PM1.81m | 6:09AM1.60m | 6:37PM1.73m | 6:47AM1.48m | 7:15PM1.61m | 7:27AM1.34m | 7:56PM1.47m | |||||||
Low Tide | 9:15PM0.19m | 9:43AM0.05m | 10:03PM0.12m | 10:24AM0.00m | 10:48PM0.10m | 11:03AM0.00m | 11:31PM0.12m | 11:41AM0.05m | 00:12AM0.20m | 12:17PM0.14m | 00:52AM0.30m | 12:52PM0.26m | 1:32AM0.42m | 1:29PM0.40m | |||||||
 |  | |  | | | | |  | | |  | | | | | | | | | | |
 | — | 7:31 | — | — | 7:31 | — | — | 7:31 | — | — | 7:30 | — | — | 7:30 | — | — | 7:28 | — | — | 7:28 | — |
 | 5:35 | — | 5:36 | — | — | 5:36 | — | — | 5:37 | — | — | 5:37 | — | — | 5:37 | — | — | 5:38 | — | — | 5:38 |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 16 | 17 | 17 | 14 | 18 | 18 | 15 | 18 | 19 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 16 | 20 | 21 | 16 | 17 | 15 | 14 | 15 | 18 |
Feels °C | 15 | 16 | 15 | 13 | 16 | 15 | 14 | 17 | 18 | 15 | 17 | 17 | 14 | 18 | 19 | 14 | 12 | 10 | 13 | 13 | 16 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 9 | ESE 8 | ESE 9 | ESE 9 | E 9 | SW 11 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 11 | SSW 10 | S 12 | S 12 | S 11 | SW 12 | SSE 11 | SSE 10 | SSW 12 | SSW 11 |
| kJ | 344 | 268 | 294 | 206 | 180 | 617 | 3532 | 2633 | 1890 | 1086 | 1493 | 1287 | 741 | 885 | 760 | 629 | 773 | 256 | 135 | 2072 | 2166 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 10 | SSW 10 | SW 9 | SW 12 | SW 6 | SW 17 | E 10 | E 10 | E 11 | E 11 | E 11 | E 10 | S 13 | SW 10 | ESE 6 | ESE 6 | SSE 11 | E 9 | SSW 13 | SSE 10 | SSW 20 |
| kJ | 125 | 81 | 42 | 55 | 64 | 594 | 96 | 75 | 79 | 82 | 81 | 78 | 273 | 192 | 53 | 43 | 469 | 39 | 158 | 64 | 38 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 9 | SSE 9 | S 9 | SW 9 | SW 12 | E 9 | — | — | — | — | — | — | E 10 | ESE 6 | SW 9 | SW 13 | E 7 | — | E 9 | E 10 | E 9 |
| kJ | 43 | 28 | 41 | 21 | 53 | 142 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 50 | 55 | 128 | 132 | 24 | — | 16 | 7 | 7 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | WSW 3 | SW 3 | SW 5 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | WSW 4 | — | SW 12 | SW 10 | — | — |
| kJ | — | 2 | 3 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 7 | — | 2196 | 1654 | — | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 19 |
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.
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