Surf Forecasts:
Buffalo Bay Wildside surf forecast from 17 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Thursday 20 Aug, 8AM (local time) - 11ft (3.5m), 13s period, SSW swell with cross-shore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Sunday 23 Aug, 2AM (local time) - 13ft (4.0m), 13s period, SSW swell with 5,576 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Tuesday 18 Aug, 8PM (local time) - 8ft (2.5m), 13s 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 Tuesday (Aug 18) at 8PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 2.5m and 13s period with a secondary swell of 0.4m and 10s. 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 4.0m 13s and forecast to arrive on Sunday (Aug 23) at 2AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.3m 12s period and expected on Friday (Aug 21) at 2PM.
| Wave Type | Time (SAST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 8PM (Tue 18th Aug) | 8ft (2.5m) 13s |
| Best Surf | 8AM (Thu 20th Aug) | 11ft (3.5m) 13s |
| Most Powerful | 2AM (Sun 23rd Aug) | 13ft (4.0m) 13s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Buffalo Bay Wildside over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, Rusty here. Let's talk about what's on the table for Buffalo Bay Wildside over the next couple of weeks.
Alright, we've got a real mixed bag coming up at Buffalo Bay Wildside. This spot is exposed to swell from the SE, and it's an inconsistent setup that sometimes draws a crowd. The water temp is about average for this time of year.
The week kicks off quiet. Tuesday the 18th and Wednesday the 19th are basically write-offs. We've got a moderate 7ft to 8ft SW swell, but the wind is junk—cross-onshore and a bit choppy. The wave energy is there, but the quality isn't. Not worth paddling out.
Things change in a big way on Thursday the 20th. A solid 12ft SSW swell rolls in with a 13-second period, and the combined energy jumps way up. The wind is light and favorable in the morning. But here's the thing—this is just too much juice for this break. The comments say it's predicted to be too big, so unless you're a seasoned charger looking for a beast, sit this one out.
Now, Friday the 21st morning is a proper standout. The swell drops back to a clean 7ft from the SW, period at 12 seconds, and the wind goes glassy with a slight SE breeze. That's about as clean as it gets. Wave energy is still solid. This is the best session of the first week for experienced surfers.
The weekend goes downhill again. Saturday the 22nd gets blown out with strong cross-onshore winds and a messy 8ft to 10ft swell. Sunday the 23rd has another 10ft swell that's too big for the spot. Not your weekend to shine.
We get another good look on Monday the 24th morning. Glassy conditions again with a 6ft SSW swell, period at 11 seconds. Clean and rideable.
The second week starts to show promise. On Tuesday the 25th, we see a 8ft SW swell with a 14-second period—longer period groundswell, which means better shaped waves but longer lulls. Wind is cross-offshore, so the face will be clean.
Then, Wednesday the 26th morning is another real highlight. Dead calm, glassy conditions, with a 6ft SW swell at 13 seconds. Perfect conditions for an experienced surfer. That's your top pick of the second week.
The end of August and into September keeps a consistent 8ft to 8ft SW swell running, with periods around 13-15 seconds. A standout is Monday the 31st afternoon: clean offshore wind from the ENE and 8ft of SW swell. That's a good setup.
Overall, the best bets are Friday the 21st morning and Wednesday the 26th morning for glassy, clean conditions with solid swell. The spot is inconsistent, so when it lines up, you've got to be on it. And remember, if you're a beginner, anything over 5ft is a handful, and over 8ft is expert territory.
Stay stoked.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Very mild (max 16°C on Mon night, min 12°C on Tue night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummarySome drizzle, heaviest during Sat night. Very mild (max 19°C on Sat morning, min 12°C on Thu night). Winds increasing (calm on Fri night, fresh winds from the SW by Sat afternoon). | ||||||||||||||||||
Tuesday 18 | Wednesday 19 | Thursday 20 | Friday 21 | Saturday 22 | Sunday 23 | ||||||||||||||
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 14 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SSW 13 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SSW 11 | SSW 11 | SW 11 | SW 10 | SSW 13 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 11 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 1089 | 1339 | 1643 | 2272 | 1860 | 1693 | 1476 | 4585 | 3612 | 1914 | 1250 | 665 | 515 | 1303 | 2148 | 5576 | 2770 | 1903 | 1090 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | off | cross-on | cross-on | cross | on | cross | cross-off | glassy | cross | cross | cross-on | on | cross-on | on | cross-on | glassy |
High Tide | 6:38AM1.41m | 6:58PM1.48m | 7:10AM1.26m | 7:31PM1.31m | 7:49AM1.12m | 8:20PM1.16m | 9:23AM1.00m | 10:47PM1.07m | 12:37PM1.04m | 00:51AM1.16m | 1:37PM1.19m | 1:41AM1.29m | |||||||
Low Tide | 00:40AM0.35m | 12:38PM0.38m | 1:11AM0.49m | 1:08PM0.53m | 1:49AM0.63m | 1:47PM0.68m | 2:58AM0.75m | 3:17PM0.82m | 6:04AM0.77m | 6:39PM0.79m | 7:27AM0.63m | 7:40PM0.65m | |||||||
 |  | | |  | | | | | | | |  | | |  | | | | |
 | — | 7:03 | — | — | 7:03 | — | — | 7:01 | — | — | 7:01 | — | — | 7:00 | — | — | 6:58 | — | — |
 | 5:59 | — | 5:59 | — | — | 6:00 | — | — | 6:00 | — | — | 6:00 | — | — | 6:01 | — | — | 6:02 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 16 | 16 | 15 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 13 | 16 | 18 | 14 | 19 | 19 | 15 | 16 | 15 | 13 |
Feels °C | 13 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 15 | 14 | 12 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 15 | 16 | 14 | 15 | 13 | 13 | 16 | 12 | 12 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SSW 13 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SSW 11 | SSW 11 | E 8 | — | SSW 13 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 11 |
| kJ | 1089 | 1339 | 1643 | 2272 | 1860 | 1693 | 1476 | 4585 | 3612 | 1914 | 1250 | 665 | 515 | 1 | — | 5576 | 2770 | 1903 | 1090 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 11 | E 11 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | WSW 11 | WSW 11 | — | — | — | — | — | SW 13 |
| kJ | 81 | 55 | 32 | 31 | 30 | 16 | 16 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 317 | 323 | — | — | — | — | — | 45 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | E 9 | E 8 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 6 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | WSW 3 | SW 7 | — | — | — | — | — | — | SW 11 | SW 10 | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | 8 | 165 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1303 | 2148 | — | — | — | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 1 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 19 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 1 | 1 | 375 | 1 | 1 | 19 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Garden Route | |||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in South Africa | |||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||
- Map Icons:
Break
Live Wave Height (m)
Live Wind Speed (km/h)
Surf Rating (10 Max)
Ocean Swells (m)- Wind Speed (km/h)
FREE! Surf-Forecast.com widget for your website
The surf report / weather widget below is available to embed on third party websites free of charge and provides a summary of our Buffalo Bay Wildside surf forecast. Simply grab the html code snippet that we provide and paste it into your own site. You can choose your preferred language and metric/imperial units for the surf forecast feed to suit users of your site. Click here to get the code.
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.
Nearest