Surf Forecasts:
Buffalo Bay Wildside surf forecast from 26 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Tuesday 1 Sep, 2PM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 13s period, SW swell with cross-onshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Tuesday 1 Sep, 8PM (local time) - 13ft (4.0m), 14s period, SW swell with 5,808 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Thursday 27 Aug, 2AM (local time) - 7ft (2.1m), 12s period with SSW 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 (Aug 27) at 2AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 2.1m and 12s period with a secondary swell of 2.0m and 7s. Another secondary swell of 2.5m and 8s is also forecast. The wind is predicted to be offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Buffalo Bay Wildside in the next 16 days are 4.0m 14s and forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Sep 01) at 8PM. Winds are predicted to be onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 2.3m 7s period and expected on Sunday (Aug 30) at 8AM.
| Wave Type | Time (SAST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 2AM (Thu 27th Aug) | 7ft (2.1m) 12s |
| Best Surf | 2PM (Tue 1st Sep) | 10ft (3.0m) 13s |
| Most Powerful | 8PM (Tue 1st Sep) | 13ft (4.0m) 14s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Buffalo Bay Wildside over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, Rusty here, checking out the surf for the Wildside stretch of Buffalo Bay. We've got a bit of a mixed bag coming our way over the next couple of weeks, so let's break it down.
The water is sitting at 60°, which is a noticeable 3° colder than usual for the time of year. That'll feel a bit brisk on the paddle out.
We've got a slow start. Nothing really happening until Thursday, the 27th. Wednesday the 26th has some decent size, with 6ft swell from the S, but that 16 mph E wind is going to mess it up. Not worth the look.
Thursday the 27th is where it gets interesting. The morning is a standout. The swell is still a solid 7ft from the SSW, with a nice 12-second period, packing moderate energy (1460). The best part? Glassy. E wind at just 3 mph. It's going to be clean as a whistle. This is the pick of the first week. The afternoon drops to 5ft S swell, but still clean with a light cross-off breeze.
Friday the 28th is a write-off. Onshore wind and dropping swell. Saturday and Sunday morning also look poor due to onshore conditions. However, Sunday the 30th afternoon shows a glimmer. The wind goes completely glassy, and we get a 5ft SW swell with a long 13-second period (1089 energy). That will be clean but the sets will be a bit more spaced out. Monday the 31st is marginal, and Tuesday the 1st of September morning has some size (6ft) but onshore wind.
Now, the second week gets wild. Tuesday the 1st of September afternoon sees a massive jump to 12ft from the SW (4441 energy) but it's blowing 25 mph onshore. That's not paddle surfing, that's survival. Wednesday the 2nd and Thursday the 3rd are also oversized and windy.
The real standout in the second week is Friday the 4th of September. Massive swell is forecast, with 21ft from the ESE. This is over 8ft, so strictly for experts only. The energy reading is off the charts at 12551 – that's very strong wave energy. The wind looks good on Friday afternoon with a light cross-off breeze, and Saturday the 5th morning has a gentle offshore. The period is a very long 12-13 seconds, which means these swells will be powerful and will want to break a bit straighter on the beach, so the best waves will be found if it lines up right.
After that, things back off quickly. Sunday the 6th is back to onshore and choppy, and the following week drops right down to small 3ft to 4ft clean surf on the 8th of September. There's a bit of a lully 5ft windswell mid-week on the 9th but it's short period and messy.
So, to keep it simple: Thursday the 27th morning is your absolute best bet for clean, manageable size, and good conditions. If you're an expert and hungry for size, Friday the 4th of September is the big one, but it's a long-range call and could shift. Buffalo Bay Wildside sees a fair amount of swell, and this run shows it can go from flat to huge. It's an inconsistent break at times, so when these windows open up, it's worth jumping on them. For the massive swells early September, this break will just be a washing machine for paddle surfing – might be more appealing for the kite crew.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 26°C on Thu afternoon, min 14°C on Wed morning). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the E on Wed afternoon, calm by Fri afternoon). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryModerate rain (total 10mm), heaviest on Sat night. Very mild (max 17°C on Sat morning, min 11°C on Sun night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the WSW on Sat night, calm by Sun night). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wednesday 26 | Thursday 27 | Friday 28 | Saturday 29 | Sunday 30 | Monday 31 | Tuesday 1 | |||||||||||||||
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) | S 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | S 12 | S 12 | S 11 | S 11 | S 11 | S 11 | SSE 11 | SW 10 | SW 13 | SW 8 | SSE 9 | SSE 8 | SSE 7 | SW 11 | SW 13 | SW 14 | SW 13 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
1552 | 2543 | 1310 | 1090 | 638 | 699 | 467 | 335 | 351 | 251 | 167 | 346 | 342 | 423 | 62 | 66 | 70 | 368 | 1791 | 4775 | 4646 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | cross-off | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | on | cross | cross-on | on | on | on | cross-on | on | glassy | on | cross-on | glassy | on | on | cross-on |
High Tide | 3:06PM1.63m | 3:12AM1.65m | 3:32PM1.75m | 3:40AM1.72m | 3:59PM1.84m | 4:08AM1.76m | 4:26PM1.89m | 4:37AM1.76m | 4:54PM1.90m | 5:06AM1.72m | 5:24PM1.85m | 5:38AM1.64m | 5:57PM1.76m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 8:56AM0.23m | 9:11PM0.26m | 9:21AM0.12m | 9:39PM0.16m | 9:46AM0.05m | 10:07PM0.09m | 10:13AM0.01m | 10:35PM0.06m | 10:40AM0.01m | 11:05PM0.06m | 11:09AM0.05m | 11:36PM0.12m | 11:40AM0.14m | 00:11AM0.21m | |||||||
6:54 | — | — | 6:52 | — | — | 6:52 | — | — | 6:50 | — | — | 6:50 | — | — | 6:48 | — | — | 6:47 | — | — | |
— | 6:05 | — | — | 6:06 | — | — | 6:06 | — | — | 6:07 | — | — | 6:07 | — | — | 6:07 | — | — | 6:08 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 8 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 |
Temp °C | 18 | 20 | 16 | 25 | 26 | 20 | 22 | 23 | 20 | 17 | 17 | 16 | 14 | 15 | 13 | 15 | 15 | 12 | 15 | 18 | 15 |
Feels °C | 14 | 14 | 12 | 23 | 24 | 19 | 21 | 23 | 20 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 9 | 11 | 11 | 13 | 13 | 11 | 12 | 15 | 12 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | ESE 8 | S 12 | S 11 | S 11 | S 11 | S 11 | SSE 11 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 8 | SW 11 | WSW 11 | SW 12 | SW 11 | SW 13 | SW 14 | SW 13 |
1552 | 2543 | 1310 | 1090 | 385 | 699 | 467 | 335 | 351 | 251 | 167 | 346 | 342 | 423 | 771 | 583 | 549 | 368 | 1791 | 4775 | 4646 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 13 | WSW 13 | ESE 7 | ESE 8 | S 12 | ESE 9 | E 10 | E 10 | SW 14 | E 11 | E 11 | E 11 | E 11 | SW 13 | SSE 9 | SSE 8 | SSE 7 | SSE 7 | E 10 | ESE 11 | E 10 |
581 | 154 | 426 | 428 | 638 | 289 | 319 | 231 | 200 | 119 | 157 | 127 | 64 | 376 | 62 | 66 | 70 | 36 | 35 | 37 | 18 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 12 | — | — | WSW 12 | SSW 12 | SW 17 | WSW 11 | SSE 14 | WSW 10 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SSE 11 | SSE 10 | E 11 | E 11 | E 11 | E 11 | E 11 | SE 7 | — | — |
462 | — | — | 127 | 299 | 11 | 47 | 160 | 42 | 164 | 175 | 91 | 42 | 64 | 22 | 23 | 38 | 36 | 12 | — | — | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 5 | ESE 7 | E 8 | — | — | — | — | — | E 11 | SW 3 | SW 3 | SW 10 | WSW 8 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
103 | 606 | 767 | — | — | — | — | — | 229 | 2 | 6 | 315 | 587 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 19 | 356 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 19 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 181 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 38 | 0 | 20 | 38 | 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.











