Surf Forecasts:
Buffalo Bay Wildside surf forecast from 9 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Sunday 9 Aug, 11AM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 13s period, SW swell with cross-onshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Sunday 9 Aug, 8PM (local time) - 11ft (3.5m), 12s period, SSW swell with 3,735 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Sunday 9 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 Sunday (Aug 09) at 11AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 3.0m and 13s period with a secondary swell of 0.4m and 8s. 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 12s and forecast to arrive on Sunday (Aug 09) at 8PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.1m 13s period and expected on Saturday (Aug 15) at 8PM.
| Wave Type | Time (SAST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 11AM (Sun 9th Aug) | 10ft (3.0m) 13s |
| Best Surf | 11AM (Sun 9th Aug) | 10ft (3.0m) 13s |
| Most Powerful | 8PM (Sun 9th Aug) | 11ft (3.5m) 12s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Buffalo Bay Wildside over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright folks, let’s talk about Buffalo Bay Wildside. The long-range picture is a tale of two extremes: days of nothing, then some serious juice. Water temp is 62°F, which is about par for the course this time of year.
The first part of the week is a total loss. That Sunday has 10ft of SW swell, but with strong cross-onshore winds, it’s gonna be a total washing machine. The energy is strong (2555) but it’s just too big and blown out. Monday’s not much better, though the afternoon calms down a bit with a 6ft SW, but it’s still not worth the paddle.
The first real standout is Tuesday the 12th. Swell drops to 5ft from the SSW, but the period is a massive 20 seconds. That’s a proper groundswell, and the energy is pumping at (2665). Morning has a light ENE breeze, so it’s clean. It’s not huge, but the quality is top-notch for an experienced surfer.
Then we hit a nice run of smaller, cleaner days. Thursday the 14th morning is perfect: 5ft of SW with a 16-second period, light offshore NNE wind, and it’s clean. This is the most consistent, user-friendly surf of the whole window. The energy is moderate (1409), but conditions are flawless. Friday and the weekend are tiny, around 3ft to 4ft, but glassy as a pond. If you’ve got a log, this is your time.
But the real show is at the end. Look at Friday the 21st. The swell jumps to a massive 15ft from the SW, with an 11-second period, and the energy is off the charts at (5098). The wind is offshore ENE and it’s clean, but this is a beast. This is only for the elite. Saturday the 22nd is still huge, 12ft, and the same story – clean but terrifying. The energy is still very strong (3358).
Then there’s another pulse on Monday the 24th, with a 10ft SSW swell at 17 seconds. Again, the energy is massive (5035), and it’s clean with a light N wind. That long period will make it powerful and lined-up, but at a spot like this, it could be a handful.
The standout of the whole period is Tuesday the 12th for quality-to-size, and Friday the 21st for pure, raw power, though that one’s a big-wave mission. The middle of the window, from the 14th to the 16th, is your best bet for easy, clean, makeable waves.
So, the first few days are a wash. Then we get a cracking Tuesday, a long stretch of clean small surf, and then a proper, dangerous groundswell to finish. Keep your eyes on that Thursday and Friday, and for the love of god, don't paddle out on the 21st unless you know what you're doing.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastHeavy rain (total 37mm), heaviest during Sun afternoon. Very mild (max 16°C on Tue afternoon, min 11°C on Sun morning). Mainly fresh winds. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 26°C on Fri afternoon, min 11°C on Wed morning). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Sunday 9 | Monday 10 | Tuesday 11 | Wednesday 12 | Thursday 13 | Friday 14 | Saturday 15 | |||||||||||||||
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 | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | SSW 11 | SW 11 | S 14 | S 13 | SSW 12 | SSW 23 | SSW 20 | SSW 18 | SSW 17 | SSW 19 | SW 18 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 13 | E 9 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 2522 | 3461 | 2471 | 1549 | 850 | 3597 | 2688 | 789 | 731 | 1544 | 1591 | 1796 | 1432 | 2600 | 1456 | 967 | 614 | 459 | 465 | 352 | 225 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | cross-on | on | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | off | cross-off | cross-off | off | off | cross-off | off | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | glassy | cross-on |
High Tide | 1:23PM1.34m | 1:42AM1.52m | 2:17PM1.54m | 2:33AM1.66m | 3:01PM1.71m | 3:16AM1.75m | 3:41PM1.84m | 3:55AM1.80m | 4:18PM1.92m | 4:31AM1.80m | 4:52PM1.93m | 5:05AM1.75m | 5:26PM1.88m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 7:29PM0.46m | 8:06AM0.28m | 8:26PM0.29m | 8:51AM0.13m | 9:12PM0.15m | 9:30AM0.03m | 9:53PM0.06m | 10:05AM-0.03m | 10:31PM0.03m | 10:39AM-0.04m | 11:06PM0.05m | 11:10AM0.01m | 11:38PM0.12m | ||||||||
 |  |  |  | | |  |  |  | | | | | | | | | | | |  | |
 | 7:13 | — | — | 7:13 | — | — | 7:11 | — | — | 7:11 | — | — | 7:09 | — | — | 7:09 | — | — | 7:07 | — | — |
 | — | 5:52 | — | — | 5:53 | — | — | 5:53 | — | — | 5:54 | — | — | 5:55 | — | — | 5:57 | — | — | 5:57 | — |
mm | 8 | 12 | 8 | 4 | 2 | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 11 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 16 | 13 | 15 | 19 | 16 | 20 | 24 | 21 | 23 | 26 | 24 | 24 | 26 | 19 |
Feels °C | 8 | 6 | 7 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 8 | 12 | 14 | 12 | 16 | 20 | 17 | 18 | 23 | 19 | 22 | 24 | 18 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 13 | E 8 | SSW 12 | SSW 11 | S 10 | S 14 | S 13 | SSW 12 | SSW 11 | ESE 8 | SSW 18 | ESE 8 | ESE 9 | SW 18 | ESE 9 | E 9 | E 9 | ESE 8 | E 9 | SW 13 | E 9 |
| kJ | 2522 | 21 | 2471 | 1549 | 755 | 3597 | 2688 | 789 | 329 | 364 | 1591 | 763 | 560 | 2600 | 708 | 442 | 339 | 290 | 355 | 352 | 225 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 8 | — | SE 7 | ESE 8 | SW 11 | WSW 11 | — | SSW 26 | SSW 23 | SSW 20 | SSW 11 | SSW 17 | SW 16 | — | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 14 | S 12 | SW 13 |
| kJ | 24 | — | 189 | 90 | 850 | 82 | — | 65 | 731 | 1544 | 146 | 1796 | 1210 | — | 1456 | 967 | 614 | 459 | 465 | 3 | 382 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 11 | — | E 10 | — | SSW 14 | — | — | SW 26 | S 10 | SSW 11 | — | SW 10 | SSW 19 | — | — | — | — | — | S 13 | S 12 | S 11 |
| kJ | 9 | — | 17 | — | 317 | — | — | 25 | 18 | 247 | — | 38 | 1432 | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | 3 | 3 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | SSW 12 | — | — | E 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 7 | ESE 7 | ESE 8 | E 8 | ESE 8 | E 8 | E 9 | ESE 9 | E 9 | — | — | — | — | E 9 | W 4 |
| kJ | — | 3461 | — | — | 34 | 24 | 362 | 595 | 640 | 510 | 838 | 1299 | 798 | 560 | 963 | — | — | — | — | 297 | 14 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 1 | 524 | 1 | 472 | 0 | 3 | 19 | 382 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 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.
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