
Surf Forecasts:
Buffalo Bay Wildside surf forecast from 6 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Thursday 9 Jul, 5AM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 12s period, SW swell with onshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Friday 10 Jul, 2AM (local time) - 11ft (3.5m), 13s period, SSW swell with 4,295 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Monday 6 Jul, 5AM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.3m), 12s 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 Monday (Jul 06) at 5AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.3m and 12s period with a secondary swell of 1.1m and 11s. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Buffalo Bay Wildside in the next 16 days are 3.5m 13s and forecast to arrive on Friday (Jul 10) 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 1.5m 6s period and expected on Wednesday (Jul 08) at 2PM.
| Wave Type | Time (SAST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 5AM (Mon 6th Jul) | 4.5ft (1.3m) 12s |
| Best Surf | 5AM (Thu 9th Jul) | 10ft (3.0m) 12s |
| Most Powerful | 2AM (Fri 10th Jul) | 11ft (3.5m) 13s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Buffalo Bay Wildside over the next 16 days.
Updates in hr min s Forecast update imminent
Alright, Rusty here. Let’s get into it for Buffalo Bay Wildside.
Things kick off on Monday, the 6th, with a solid SW groundswell already running. We’re talking a strong, powerful 6ft swell with a long 12-second period and plenty of energy (1113). The water temp is sitting at 62°, which is pretty much normal for this time of year. Monday morning is looking clean with a light cross-offshore breeze, setting up excellent, lined-up waves for experienced surfers. That's your standout for the first day. The afternoon holds similar surf, though it drops a touch in size to 5ft.
Tuesday the 7th is interesting. Morning is a bit cross-on, so the waves are marginable. But Tuesday arvo? You get a glassy, clean 6ft SW swell (1029) – that’s a prime, clean session on offer. Winds go dead calm, and it’s a real contender for the pick of the early week if you can score it.
Wednesday the 8th takes a turn. Swell builds to 7ft-7ft from the SW, but a solid 9 mph cross-on westerly tears it up. The combined energy jumps to 1859-2503, so there’s plenty of push, but it’s going to be choppy and messy. More of a grunt session than a smooth ride. This setup would be more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing.
Thursday the 9th and Friday the 10th see the swell peak big. We’re looking at 10ft SW groundswell with a very long 13-14 second period. The energy readings are huge: 3133 and 3628. The problem is, this break simply can’t handle that much water. It’s predicted to be too big for Buffalo Bay. Even with favorable wind, it’s just going to be a washing machine. For experts only if they are absolute chargers, but for most, it’s a skip.
Saturday the 11th offers a recovery. Swell drops back to 7ft in the morning but it’s cross-on and messy. The afternoon cleans up nicely with a 6ft SSW groundswell and a clean cross-off breeze (1474). That’s a solid, clean session.
Then we hit a bit of a lull. Sunday the 12th has a small, short-period ESE swell (8 seconds, 6ft) that’s more of a windswell feel. However, the glassy 8ft ESE swell on Sunday arvo (1482) is a fun surprise, though the short period makes it a bit fat and playful. Monday the 13th is glassy both sessions with 7ft and 7ft ESE groundswell (period 9 seconds). That’s clean, mellow, and excellent again – a true sleeper hit for the second week.
After that, things fade. Tuesday the 14th through to Saturday the 19th sees a steady decline in energy and quality. Most days are marginal, with onshore or cross-on winds or simply small, weak swell (down to 3ft and 3ft by the 20th). The combined energy drops from around 1111 down to 243-331, so the ocean goes quiet.
There is a final little bump on Thursday the 16th arvo, with a 8ft SW groundswell going glassy (2099) – that’s a very clean, powerful session if the timing works. But it’s an isolated moment in a generally fading run.
Overall, the best windows are Monday the 6th morning, Tuesday the 7th afternoon, and Monday the 13th all day. Those are your clean, punchy, and crowd-susceptible sessions at this exposed, inconsistent spot. It doesn’t stay flat forever, but there will be quiet days in between.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 2mm), mostly falling on Wed night. Warm (max 20°C on Mon afternoon, min 13°C on Wed night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 4mm), mostly falling on Sat afternoon. Very mild (max 16°C on Fri afternoon, min 12°C on Thu night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Monday 6 | Tuesday 7 | Wednesday 8 | Thursday 9 | Friday 10 | Saturday 11 | Sunday 12 | |||||||||||||||
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 12 | SW 11 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | ESE 8 | SE 8 | SSW 14 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
865 | 650 | 819 | 1065 | 970 | 1417 | 1468 | 1474 | 2089 | 3122 | 2695 | 4295 | 3621 | 3045 | 1761 | 1269 | 816 | 669 | 389 | 805 | 1034 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-on | glassy | glassy | cross-on | cross-on | on | on | on | glassy | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-on | cross-off | cross-on | cross-on | glassy | off |
High Tide | 7:43PM1.53m | 7:59AM1.31m | 8:36PM1.48m | 9:05AM1.23m | 9:46PM1.44m | 10:33AM1.20m | 11:10PM1.43m | 12:05PM1.25m | 00:31AM1.50m | 1:19PM1.36m | 1:38AM1.60m | 2:17PM1.51m | 2:34AM1.69m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 1:18PM0.34m | 2:03AM0.46m | 2:05PM0.42m | 3:05AM0.50m | 3:08PM0.50m | 4:23AM0.51m | 4:29PM0.55m | 5:49AM0.47m | 6:00PM0.52m | 7:05AM0.37m | 7:18PM0.42m | 8:06AM0.25m | 8:21PM0.30m | ||||||||
7:33 | — | — | 7:33 | — | — | 7:33 | — | — | 7:33 | — | — | 7:33 | — | — | 7:33 | — | — | 7:31 | — | — | |
— | 5:30 | — | — | 5:31 | — | — | 5:31 | — | — | 5:32 | — | — | 5:32 | — | — | 5:34 | — | — | 5:34 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | 2 | 1 | — | — |
Temp °C | 18 | 20 | 17 | 17 | 18 | 15 | 18 | 19 | 16 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 16 | 14 | 16 | 15 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 14 |
Feels °C | 16 | 17 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 14 | 14 | 16 | 15 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 12 | 14 | 11 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 13 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 12 | SW 11 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | S 8 | SE 8 | ESE 8 |
865 | 650 | 819 | 1065 | 970 | 1417 | 1468 | 1474 | 2089 | 3122 | 2695 | 4295 | 3621 | 3045 | 1761 | 1269 | 816 | 669 | 317 | 805 | 481 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 11 | ESE 11 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | SSW 18 | SSW 17 | SW 16 | SE 17 | SE 16 | SE 15 | SE 14 | SE 13 | SE 6 | SE 7 | SSE 8 | SSE 8 | SSW 11 | SSW 11 | SSW 14 |
247 | 180 | 123 | 90 | 57 | 38 | 360 | 771 | 720 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 7 | 7 | 153 | 271 | 223 | 204 | 323 | 334 | 1034 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 8 | S 8 | ESE 10 | — | E 10 | SSW 20 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | ESE 9 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | SW 18 | S 14 | S 15 | W 11 |
1 | 1 | 123 | — | 2 | 127 | 31 | 18 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 12 | 142 | 343 | 2 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | SW 7 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | SE 7 | ESE 7 | ESE 7 | ESE 8 | — | — |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | 240 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 440 | 435 | 186 | 389 | — | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 19 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 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.










