
Surf Forecasts:
Buffalo Bay Wildside surf forecast from 6 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Thursday 6 Aug, 11AM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 13s period, SW swell with cross-onshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Sunday 9 Aug, 5AM (local time) - 11ft (3.5m), 13s period, SW swell with 4,619 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Thursday 6 Aug, 11AM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 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 Thursday (Aug 06) at 11AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 3.0m and 13s period with a secondary swell of 0.7m and 10s. The wind is predicted to be cross-onshore 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 Sunday (Aug 09) at 5AM. Winds are predicted to be onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.3m 6s period and expected on Friday (Aug 07) at 8PM.
| Wave Type | Time (SAST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 11AM (Thu 6th Aug) | 10ft (3.0m) 13s |
| Best Surf | 11AM (Thu 6th Aug) | 10ft (3.0m) 13s |
| Most Powerful | 5AM (Sun 9th Aug) | 11ft (3.5m) 13s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Buffalo Bay Wildside over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's take a look at what's on the cards for Buffalo Bay Wildside over the next couple of weeks.
We've got a solid run of south-west groundswell on the way, but it's gonna be a bit of a wild ride. The first decent swell hits Thursday the 6th, but it's a big one. We're looking at 10 feet of swell from the SW with a 13-second period. Moderate wave energy is pushing through, but the problem is the wind is cross-onshore which will make it choppy. On top of that, the swell is just too big for this break, so it's a pass for a paddle.
Friday the 7th is where things start to get really interesting. The morning has a clean 8 feet SW swell with a 14-second period, and the wind is a clean cross-offshore from the east at 9 mph. This is a solid setup, but the wave energy is strong. This is expert territory with a swell over 8 feet. The afternoon holds even better with a 10-foot SSW swell, 15-second period, and still clean cross-off wind. The energy is very strong. Again, only for the experts.
Saturday the 8th gets messy. The morning is a 8 feet SW swell with a 13-second period, but the wind is onshore and choppy. The energy is still strong, but it's not going to be pretty. The afternoon is a bit better with a 7 feet SW swell, but a 9 mph onshore wind makes it a rough one.
Sunday the 9th is a write-off. Big swell at 10 feet in the morning, but the wind is strong and cross-onshore, making it lumpy. The afternoon is even worse with 12 feet from the SSW and a 19 mph southerly wind. That's a mess.
The next few days are messy as well. Monday the 10th has 8 feet SW swell with a cross-onshore wind, and the energy is moderate. The swell is still on the big side. Tuesday the 11th has a cleaner morning with 8 feet SSW swell and a 9 mph cross-offshore wind, but it's still pretty big for most.
The Standout
Now, on to the real gold. If you can wait, Wednesday the 12th of August is the absolute highlight. The morning has a 5 feet SSW swell, but the period is a massive 20 seconds – that's a very long period groundswell. The wind is light offshore from the ENE at 6 mph, and the wave energy is moderate. This is a beautiful, clean setup for experienced surfers. It's a point break, so that long period will wrap in nicely.
Thursday the 13th is also a cracker. The morning sees 7 feet SSW swell with a 17-second period, and the wind is a dead calm glassy from the north at 3 mph. The wave energy is strong. This is pure, clean, powerful surf. The afternoon is clean too with 6 feet from the SW, but the morning is the real winner.
Into the second week, the swell drops but the quality stays high. Friday the 14th of August has a 4 feet SW swell with a 14-second period and clean cross-off wind. The energy is moderate. The water temp is about 62°, which is pretty normal for this time of year.
The window from the 12th to the 14th is the best we've got. Clean, glassy conditions, strong but manageable south-west swell, and that long period will make for some dreamy lines. The 12th morning is the pick of the bunch for the experienced crew. The 13th morning, with that glassy 7 feet SSW swell, is the one for the advanced surfers.
After that, things get smaller and weaker. The 16th and 17th have some clean 4 to 5 feet swells, but it's inconsistent and the energy is dropping. The 18th has a glassy morning with 6 feet from the SW, but it's still a bit small. The 19th and 20th are marginal with the wind turning onshore again.
The final days of the run, the 21st of August, look poor with strong onshore winds and rain. Not worth a look.
Overall, the first week is a tale of two halves – big, messy, and too big for the break, then a clean, powerful, and long-period window for the experts. The second week is smaller and more inconsistent, but there are still a few glassy moments to be had. The best of the best is the 12th morning with that 20-second groundswell and offshore wind. That's a special one.
Alright, you know the score. The forecasts can always change, and a blank run never lasts long around here. Keep your eyes on the charts.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastModerate rain (total 12mm), heaviest on Sat night. Warm (max 20°C on Fri afternoon, min 12°C on Sat night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryHeavy rain (total 39mm), heaviest during Sun morning. Very mild (max 16°C on Tue afternoon, min 10°C on Sun morning). Mainly fresh winds. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Thursday 6 | Friday 7 | Saturday 8 | Sunday 9 | Monday 10 | Tuesday 11 | Wednesday 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 13 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 14 | SSW 15 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SSW 12 | SW 12 | SW 11 | SSW 11 | SSW 13 | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | SSW 23 | SSW 20 | SSW 18 | SSW 17 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
3357 | 2483 | 2113 | 2717 | 3778 | 3192 | 2020 | 1708 | 4145 | 3078 | 3340 | 1674 | 1511 | 1897 | 2884 | 1632 | 1001 | 764 | 1560 | 1898 | 1626 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-on | on | on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | off | off | cross-off | off |
High Tide | 8:19AM1.23m | 9:00PM1.37m | 9:56AM1.14m | 10:48PM1.31m | 12:01PM1.18m | 00:33AM1.38m | 1:23PM1.34m | 1:42AM1.52m | 2:17PM1.54m | 2:33AM1.66m | 3:01PM1.71m | 3:16AM1.75m | 3:41PM1.84m | 3:55AM1.80m | |||||||
Low Tide | 2:22PM0.53m | 3:41AM0.58m | 3:58PM0.63m | 5:38AM0.57m | 6:03PM0.60m | 7:09AM0.44m | 7:29PM0.46m | 8:06AM0.28m | 8:26PM0.29m | 8:51AM0.13m | 9:12PM0.15m | 9:30AM0.03m | 9:53PM0.06m | ||||||||
7:16 | — | — | 7:16 | — | — | 7:15 | — | — | 7:13 | — | — | 7:13 | — | — | 7:11 | — | — | 7:11 | — | — | |
— | 5:51 | — | — | 5:52 | — | — | 5:52 | — | — | 5:52 | — | — | 5:53 | — | — | 5:53 | — | — | 5:54 | — | |
mm | 1 | 2 | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | 6 | 15 | 11 | 8 | 2 | 2 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 15 | 13 | 13 | 16 | 20 | 16 | 14 | 15 | 14 | 11 | 13 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 13 | 14 | 16 | 13 | 16 | 19 | 18 |
Feels °C | 13 | 10 | 12 | 14 | 17 | 14 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 9 | 13 | 15 | 14 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 14 | SSW 15 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 14 | SW 13 | E 9 | SW 12 | SW 11 | SSW 11 | SSW 13 | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | SSW 11 | ESE 8 | SSW 18 | ESE 8 |
3357 | 2483 | 2113 | 2717 | 3778 | 3192 | 2020 | 1708 | 4145 | 3078 | 27 | 1674 | 1511 | 1897 | 2884 | 1632 | 1001 | 366 | 310 | 1898 | 474 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | ESE 6 | ESE 6 | E 8 | E 9 | E 9 | — | SSE 8 | E 10 | SE 7 | — | SSE 11 | SSE 11 | SSW 23 | SSW 20 | SW 10 | SSW 17 |
88 | 65 | 48 | 45 | 45 | 72 | 22 | 68 | 37 | 24 | — | 463 | 16 | 122 | — | 40 | 93 | 764 | 1560 | 108 | 1626 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | E 9 | E 9 | — | — | — | — | SSW 14 | E 10 | — | — | — | SW 26 | S 13 | SW 11 | S 10 | SSW 22 |
— | — | — | — | — | 28 | 15 | — | — | — | — | 65 | 17 | — | — | — | 26 | 85 | 169 | 74 | 616 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | E 10 | — | WSW 4 | SW 6 | — | — | SSW 12 | — | SE 7 | — | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 7 | ESE 7 | — | ESE 7 | E 8 |
— | — | — | — | 46 | — | 31 | 108 | — | — | 3340 | — | 134 | — | 207 | 201 | 273 | 405 | — | 469 | 750 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 1 | 1 | 19 | 0 | 19 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 38 | 180 | 2961 | 80 | 382 | 19 | 3 | 3 | 382 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 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.











