
Surf Forecasts:
Buffalo Bay Wildside surf forecast from 3 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Thursday 9 Jul, 2AM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 15s period, SSW swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Friday 10 Jul, 5PM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 17s period, SSW swell with 5,223 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Friday 3 Jul, 8PM (local time) - 6.5ft (2.0m), 11s period with SE 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 Friday (Jul 03) at 8PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 2.0m and 11s period with a secondary swell of 1.4m and 10s. 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 3.0m 17s and forecast to arrive on Friday (Jul 10) at 5PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.5m 5s period and expected on Friday (Jul 10) at 8PM.
| Wave Type | Time (SAST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 8PM (Fri 3rd Jul) | 6.5ft (2.0m) 11s |
| Best Surf | 2AM (Thu 9th Jul) | 10ft (3.0m) 15s |
| Most Powerful | 5PM (Fri 10th Jul) | 10ft (3.0m) 17s |
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 have a look at what's on the table for Buffalo Bay Wildside over the next couple of weeks. The water's sitting around 63°, pretty much dead average for this time of year, so nothing weird going on there.
We've got a bit of a wait for the good stuff, but it kicks off proper on Friday, July 3rd. That first afternoon is a write-off with cloudy skies and a light onshore wind making for a messy 7ft SE swell. Not worth paddling out for.
The real window opens Saturday, July 4th. This is your best bet of the whole outlook. Saturday morning is absolute glass – clear skies, a whisper of NW wind at 3 mph, and a clean 7ft ESE groundswell, with a long 13-second period. The energy is solid at 1339, meaning proper waves with some grunt. This is a session for experienced surfers, as the size is pushing into that territory, but the conditions will be pristine. Expect some crowds, though, as it's known to get busy here. Saturday afternoon holds clean with an offshore cross-off breeze and a 6ft swell.
Sunday the 5th drops off a cliff. A cross-onshore wind messes up a dropping 4-5ft ESE swell. Not your day.
Monday the 6th brings a shift. The swell swings around to the SW, and Monday morning sees a clean 6ft swell with a nice 12-second period and a light offshore cross-off breeze. Good energy at 1177. Monday afternoon is cleaner but smaller at 4ft. Worth a look.
Tuesday the 7th is a mixed bag. The morning is a bit messy with a cross-on breeze, but Tuesday afternoon saves it with glassy conditions and a solid 6ft SW swell. Another window for the experienced crew.
Wednesday the 8th gets blown out. A moderate breeze from the west makes a 7ft SW swell choppy and ugly. Thursday the 9th, however, is a standout for the second half of the week. Clean, offshore cross-off winds all day with a building 8-8ft SSW swell, long 14-second period, and massive energy readings (2724). This is expert territory.
Friday, July 10th looks epic on paper but gets too big. Clean cross-off winds with a 8-10ft SSW swell. That 10ft with a 17-second period on Friday afternoon is a monster (5223 energy). It's a groundswell of the highest order, and at a beach break, that long period will make it dump and close out. This is strictly for experts only, and even then, it might be too much for Buffalo Bay.
We get a nice run from Saturday the 11th through Monday the 13th. Saturday the 11th is excellent: glassy morning, clean afternoon, with 8-8ft SSW swells. Sunday the 12th has a glassy morning with a smaller 5ft S swell. Monday the 13th morning is glassy with a 3ft S groundswell (14-second period) – a nice smaller day with good shape.
Then it goes flat and nasty. Tuesday the 14th is a write-off with heavy rain and howling cross-onshore winds. That's a full north of 7 days of poor conditions. Wednesday, July 15th brings a glimmer: glassy morning with a 6ft SW swell packing a massive 16-second period and 2910 energy. That's a real groundswell with serious push, and the glass will make it perfect. But Wednesday afternoon, it's back to 10ft and too big.
Thursday, July 16th is all 10ft+ SSW swell, too big for this break. Friday, July 17th cleans up slightly with a 8ft SSW swell and offshore cross-off winds, but it’s still big. The run finishes on Saturday, July 18th with strong cross-onshore winds and dropping swell.
Bottom line: Saturday, July 4th is the absolute standout. Glass, clean, and a solid 7ft groundswell – that's the one to circle. The second best is Thursday, July 9th for the clean, building swell, but it's for experienced surfers. After that, keep an eye on Saturday the 11th and Wednesday the 15th morning for windows of glassy, clean surf, but the swell may be on the bigger side.
-Rusty
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 20°C on Sun afternoon, min 14°C on Fri night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 2mm), mostly falling on Wed night. Warm (max 20°C on Mon afternoon, min 14°C on Wed night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Fri 3 | Saturday 4 | Sunday 5 | Monday 6 | Tuesday 7 | Wednesday 8 | Thursday 9 | |||||||||||||||
PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | |
Swell Height Map | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 11 | SE 12 | ESE 13 | ESE 12 | ESE 12 | ESE 12 | ESE 12 | ESE 11 | SW 12 | SW 14 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | SSW 14 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
969 | 1572 | 1276 | 893 | 647 | 518 | 449 | 335 | 990 | 612 | 1118 | 1144 | 939 | 826 | 1367 | 1703 | 3319 | 2717 | 1933 | 1569 | 2536 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | on | cross-off | glassy | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-on | glassy | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-on | glassy | glassy | cross-on | on | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off |
High Tide | 5:51PM1.60m | 5:54AM1.53m | 6:24PM1.59m | 6:29AM1.47m | 7:01PM1.57m | 7:10AM1.40m | 7:43PM1.53m | 7:59AM1.31m | 8:36PM1.48m | 9:05AM1.23m | 9:46PM1.44m | 10:33AM1.20m | 11:10PM1.43m | 12:05PM1.25m | |||||||
Low Tide | 11:55PM0.35m | 12:05PM0.23m | 00:32AM0.38m | 12:39PM0.27m | 1:14AM0.41m | 1:18PM0.34m | 2:03AM0.46m | 2:05PM0.42m | 3:05AM0.50m | 3:08PM0.50m | 4:23AM0.51m | 4:29PM0.55m | 5:49AM0.47m | ||||||||
— | — | 7:33 | — | — | 7:33 | — | — | 7:33 | — | — | 7:33 | — | — | 7:33 | — | — | 7:33 | — | — | 7:33 | |
5:30 | — | — | 5:30 | — | — | 5:30 | — | — | 5:30 | — | — | 5:31 | — | — | 5:31 | — | — | 5:32 | — | 5:32 | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | — | — | 1 | — |
Temp °C | 18 | 14 | 17 | 19 | 16 | 18 | 20 | 16 | 17 | 20 | 17 | 17 | 18 | 15 | 17 | 17 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 15 | 14 |
Feels °C | 15 | 13 | 15 | 17 | 12 | 15 | 17 | 13 | 15 | 16 | 15 | 14 | 16 | 14 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 12 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 11 | SE 12 | ESE 13 | ESE 12 | ESE 12 | ESE 12 | ESE 12 | ESE 11 | SW 12 | SW 11 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | SSW 14 |
969 | 1572 | 1276 | 893 | 647 | 518 | 449 | 335 | 990 | 476 | 1118 | 1144 | 939 | 826 | 1367 | 1703 | 3319 | 2717 | 1933 | 1569 | 2536 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 11 | SW 10 | SW 9 | SW 9 | SW 8 | SW 9 | WSW 9 | SW 12 | ESE 11 | SW 14 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | SSW 18 | SSW 16 | E 10 | E 11 | E 10 | E 10 | SE 13 |
268 | 322 | 198 | 206 | 98 | 190 | 99 | 217 | 186 | 612 | 121 | 68 | 57 | 38 | 360 | 828 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 7 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WSW 8 | S 10 | SW 11 | SSW 16 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 14 | WSW 8 | S 8 | ESE 11 | E 11 | — | S 22 | SSW 20 | ESE 10 | ESE 9 | E 10 | S 16 | S 16 | SE 15 | — |
120 | 16 | 63 | 173 | 174 | 238 | 147 | 44 | 1 | 143 | 9 | — | 9 | 128 | 18 | 8 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 8 | — | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | WSW 5 | — | — | — | ESE 4 | ESE 5 | ESE 4 |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 48 | — | — | — | 18 | 35 | 36 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 19 | 0 | 19 | 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.











