
Surf Forecasts:
Buffalo Bay Wildside surf forecast from 15 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Thursday 16 Jul, 2AM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 15s period, SW swell with onshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Tuesday 21 Jul, 11AM (local time) - 15ft (4.5m), 14s period, SSW swell with 7,420 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Thursday 16 Jul, 2AM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 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 Thursday (Jul 16) at 2AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 3.0m and 15s period with a secondary swell of 0.6m and 10s. The wind is predicted to be onshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Buffalo Bay Wildside in the next 16 days are 4.5m 14s and forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Jul 21) at 11AM. Winds are predicted to be glassy at the time the swell arrives.
| Wave Type | Time (SAST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 2AM (Thu 16th Jul) | 10ft (3.0m) 15s |
| Best Surf | 2AM (Thu 16th Jul) | 10ft (3.0m) 15s |
| Most Powerful | 11AM (Tue 21st Jul) | 15ft (4.5m) 14s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Buffalo Bay Wildside over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s talk about what’s shaping up at Buffalo Bay Wildside. This spot can be a bit finicky, but when it comes together, it’s a beauty. The water’s about 62°, which is right where it should be for this time of year.
We’ve got a slow start. Wednesday the 15th is a dud – small, junky wind, a weak 3ft E swell with barely any energy. Thursday morning the 16th is where the fire lights. The swell jumps to 8ft, but the real deal is the glassy conditions and a 14-second groundswell from the SW. This is proper, powerful stuff. It’s a solid size, so this is for the experienced crew only. The glass holds through Thursday afternoon and Friday morning, with the swell steady around 8ft to 8ft. That Friday morning session is a standout – clean, glassy, and solid.
Friday afternoon stays clean with a cross-off wind, but the swell eases a touch. Saturday and Sunday the 18th and 19th drop right off again, with small, messy cross-on wind. Not worth paddling out.
Now, Monday the 20th morning is a sneaky good one. The wind goes dead calm, glassy as a mirror, and we get a clean 6ft SW swell. Not massive, but with zero wind, it’ll be a joy. That’s the pick of the first week for the average surfer.
After that, things get wild. Tuesday the 21st through to Friday the 24th sees a monster swell pulse. We’re talking 13ft to 16ft SW groundswells with periods up to 15 seconds. The energy numbers are insane – over 10,000 on the 21st afternoon. This is huge, dangerous, and way too big for this break. Unless you’re a pro on a gun, give it a wide berth. It’s cleaner on the 22nd afternoon when it drops back to 7ft.
The final week settles down. Saturday the 25th morning is a good one: 6ft SW, glassy, and clean. Sunday the 26th morning is similar with 8ft and glass. Then Monday the 27th is a gem – 5ft SW with a 14-second period, glassy, and perfect conditions. The 27th afternoon is even longer period at 16 seconds, but smaller at 4ft. That super long period will make it break a bit straight, but it’ll be clean, with long lulls between sets.
The end of the month sees another swell pulse on the 28th, with 10ft on Tuesday morning – too big again. The 29th and 30th have clean, manageable 7ft to 7ft swell, but the wind gets up to 15-18 mph on the 30th, so it’s a bit of a battle.
Best Bets: For the best all-round conditions, hit Thursday morning the 16th (8ft SW, 14s, glassy) for the experts. For the rest of us, Monday the 20th morning (6ft SW, glassy) or Monday the 27th morning (5ft SW, 14s, glassy) are the standouts. The 27th is the pick of the whole run – clean, long period, and just a beautiful morning in the water.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Very mild (max 19°C on Wed afternoon, min 13°C on Thu morning). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Very mild (max 18°C on Sat morning, min 12°C on Sun night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wednesday 15 | Thursday 16 | Friday 17 | Saturday 18 | Sunday 19 | Monday 20 | Tuesday 21 | |||||||||||||||
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) | E 9 | SW 11 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 11 | SW 10 | SW 10 | SW 13 | SW 10 | SW 12 | SSW 10 | SW 11 | SW 11 | SSW 11 | SW 11 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
176 | 767 | 3241 | 2633 | 1862 | 1086 | 1302 | 901 | 478 | 250 | 961 | 626 | 1628 | 772 | 606 | 544 | 713 | 2646 | 7420 | 6314 | 4443 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | cross-on | on | glassy | cross-on | glassy | cross-off | cross-off | glassy | cross-on | glassy | cross | cross-on | cross-on | glassy | cross-on | on | cross | glassy | cross-off | cross-off |
High Tide | 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 | 8:12AM1.21m | 8:44PM1.33m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 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 | 2:16AM0.53m | 2:10PM0.55m | 3:12AM0.63m | |||||||
7:31 | — | — | 7:31 | — | — | 7:30 | — | — | 7:30 | — | — | 7:28 | — | — | 7:28 | — | — | 7:28 | — | — | |
— | 5:36 | — | — | 5:37 | — | — | 5:37 | — | — | 5:37 | — | — | 5:38 | — | — | 5:38 | — | — | 5:39 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 18 | 19 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 15 | 17 | 19 | 16 | 18 | 18 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 13 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 17 | 18 | 14 |
Feels °C | 16 | 16 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 15 | 16 | 18 | 15 | 17 | 17 | 15 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 12 | 12 | 15 | 15 | 11 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 9 | SW 11 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 11 | SW 10 | S 11 | SW 13 | SW 10 | SW 12 | SSW 10 | SW 11 | SW 11 | SSW 11 | ESE 12 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 |
176 | 690 | 3241 | 2633 | 1862 | 1086 | 1302 | 901 | 478 | 250 | 961 | 626 | 1291 | 772 | 606 | 544 | 713 | 54 | 7420 | 6314 | 4443 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 7 | SW 17 | E 10 | E 10 | E 11 | E 11 | E 11 | E 10 | S 13 | SW 10 | S 11 | SW 12 | SSE 10 | SW 12 | S 10 | S 9 | SE 12 | E 10 | ESE 11 | ESE 11 | SE 11 |
75 | 594 | 69 | 73 | 82 | 82 | 55 | 51 | 117 | 208 | 154 | 353 | 37 | 200 | 156 | 97 | 38 | 8 | 47 | 47 | 30 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 18 | E 9 | — | — | — | — | — | S 14 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | S 11 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | SE 12 | E 10 | — | E 10 | — | SE 11 |
79 | 142 | — | — | — | — | — | 16 | 51 | 50 | 50 | 84 | 31 | 18 | 17 | 38 | 8 | — | 8 | — | 32 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 7 | SW 9 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | WSW 4 | — | — | SW 12 | — | — | — | WSW 4 | SW 11 | — | — | — |
151 | 767 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 11 | — | — | 1628 | — | — | — | 8 | 2646 | — | — | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 19 | 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.










