Buffalo Bay Wildside Surf Break

Lat Long: 34.08° S 22.98° E

Buffalo Bay Wildside Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Issued: 1 pm 29 Jul 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's Buffalo Bay Wildside sea temperature is
17.4° C
0.2° 

Buffalo Bay Wildside surf forecast is for near shore open water. Breaking waves will often be smaller at less exposed spots.


Buffalo Bay Wildside surf forecast from 29 Jul 2026:

  • Best quality surf: Friday 31 Jul, 11PM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 8s period, E swell with offshore winds.
  • Most powerful swell: Wednesday 5 Aug, 8PM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 14s period, SW swell with 3,495 kJ wave energy.
  • Next surfable swell (1★+): Wednesday 29 Jul, 11PM (local time) - 6ft (1.8m), 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 Wednesday (Jul 29) at 11PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.8m and 13s period with a secondary swell of 0.1m and 11s. Another secondary swell of 1.7m and 7s is also forecast. The wind is predicted to be offshore as the swell arrives.

The most powerful waves expected at Buffalo Bay Wildside in the next 16 days are 3.0m 14s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Aug 05) at 8PM. Winds are predicted to be onshore at the time the swell arrives.

Wave TypeTime (SAST) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+)11PM (Wed 29th Jul)6ft (1.8m) 13s
Best Surf11PM (Fri 31st Jul)10ft (3.0m) 8s
Most Powerful 8PM (Wed 5th Aug)10ft (3.0m) 14s

Table - best surf conditions forecast for Buffalo Bay Wildside over the next 16 days.


The Lowdown

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s talk about what’s on offer at Buffalo Bay Wildside. This is a spot that’s a bit of a moody, inconsistent performer, but when the stars align, it can be a real treat. The water temp is sitting at 17°, which is pretty much spot on for this time of year, so no surprises there.

The pattern through this forecast is a bit of a slow burn, then a big, powerful, and potentially wild finale. The first few days are decent, but the real standout window is tucked away further down the line.

We kick off on Wednesday, July 29 with a solid 6ft swell from the SW, carrying some serious energy (1609). The wind is a bit cross-off, so it’s clean, but the rating is only marginal. It’s a warm-up, not the main event. Thursday morning, July 30, is a step up. Clean 6ft SSW swell with an offshore breeze, making for excellent conditions for the experienced crew. The afternoon gets a bit windier, so the morning is the call.

Friday, July 31, dawns clean again with a 5ft ESE swell and offshore wind, but the period drops to 10 seconds. The afternoon sees a jump in size to 8ft, but the period plummets to 7 seconds and the wind turns cross-off. That short period will make for a lumpy, walled-up mess, definitely not the best.

Saturday, August 1, is a beauty. The morning is glassy, with a 8ft ESE swell (1076) and a light north wind. It’s glassy, clean, and the conditions are excellent. That’s your first true highlight. Sunday, August 2, keeps the clean vibes, but the swell drops to 6ft, so it’s a fun, mellow day.

Now, the first week of August is a mixed bag. Monday, August 3, is a bit onshore with a smaller 4ft SW swell, but Tuesday morning, August 4, is glassy with a 4ft SW swell—small but clean for a sneaky session.

Then, we hit the big one. Wednesday, August 5, is a tale of two halves. The morning is glassy with a tiny 3ft swell, but the afternoon? That’s a beast. An 8ft SW groundswell (14 seconds) with glassy conditions and a combined energy of 2574. That’s a serious, powerful wave. This is the standout of the entire forecast. For experienced surfers only.

Thursday, August 6, keeps the big energy with an 8ft SW swell in the morning, but the wind is onshore. The afternoon sees it jump to 10ft SW, but the wind is cross-off and clean. It’s big, but doable for the experts.

From Friday, August 7, through Monday, August 10, the swell just gets massive and messy. 12ft, 10ft, 12ft again—these are huge numbers. The wind is onshore or cross-onshore, and the combined energy is through the roof (3864, 4947, 4518). This is a full-on, heavy water event. The waves are too big for this break, and it’s only for the absolute elite. For the average surfer, this is a total write-off. The setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing.

Tuesday, August 11, is a reset. The swell drops to 5ft, and the wind is cross-off, giving us a clean, very ordinary session. Wednesday, August 12, sees the swell return with a vengeance—7ft SW groundswell (15 seconds) in the morning, building to 10ft by the afternoon. The morning is excellent for experienced surfers. The afternoon is too big again.

Finally, Thursday, August 13, is a nice finish. Clean, offshore wind, with a 8ft SW swell in the morning (1951) and a 7ft SW swell in the afternoon. Both are excellent for the experienced crew.

Best Bets: The absolute standout is Wednesday afternoon, August 5. An 8ft, 14-second SW groundswell with glassy conditions is a rare, clean, powerful treat for experts. Your second-best option is Saturday morning, August 1, with a 8ft ESE swell and glassy conditions, perfect for a fun, clean session.

Rusty, signing off.

Short Range Forecast

Mostly dry. Very mild (max 19°C on Fri afternoon, min 12°C on Thu night). Wind will be generally light.

Days 5-7 Weather Summary

Mostly dry. Warm (max 23°C on Sun afternoon, min 14°C on Tue morning). Wind will be generally light.

Wed
29
Thursday
30
Friday
31
Saturday
1
Sunday
2
Monday
3
Tuesday
4
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
Rating
(10 max)
3
4
4
3
4
4
2
4
4
3
3
3
3
4
3
3
2
3
0
2
Swell
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Wave
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
1.8
SW
13
1.7
SSW
13
1.7
SSW
13
1.6
SW
13
1.5
SW
13
1.6
ESE
10
2.4
ESE
7
2.5
E
8
2.3
ESE
9
2.1
ESE
9
2
ESE
9
1.7
ESE
9
1.7
ESE
9
1.6
ESE
11
1.6
ESE
11
1.3
SW
12
1.3
SW
12
1.1
SW
11
1.1
SW
11
1
E
9
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
1127
1061
932
841
769
492
607
1021
865
729
600
474
463
611
609
481
442
304
262
173
Wind (km/h)
20
E
15
ENE
10
ENE
25
E
15
NE
10
ENE
20
E
10
NE
5
N
5
ESE
5
N
0
ESE
10
E
5
NE
5
W
5
SSW
10
WNW
5
NW
15
WSW
5
NNE
Wind State
cross-off
off
off
cross-off
off
off
cross-off
off
glassy
cross-off
cross-off
glassy
cross-off
off
cross-on
glassy
cross
glassy
cross-on
glassy
High Tide
3:59PM1.64m
4:04AM1.66m
4:28PM1.71m
4:33AM1.68m
4:56PM1.75m
5:01AM1.68m
5:24PM1.77m
5:31AM1.64m
5:54PM1.75m
6:03AM1.58m
6:27PM1.70m
6:39AM1.49m
7:04PM1.62m
Low Tide
10:03PM0.26m
10:15AM0.12m
10:32PM0.22m
10:42AM0.08m
11:02PM0.19m
11:09AM0.08m
11:32PM0.20m
11:37AM0.11m
00:05AM0.23m
12:08PM0.18m
00:40AM0.29m
12:42PM0.27m
1:23AM0.37m
part cloud
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
part cloud
part cloud
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
part cloud
part cloud
clear
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
7:22
7:22
7:20
7:20
7:18
7:18
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
5:45
5:45
5:46
5:46
5:47
5:49
5:50
 mm
Temp °C
17
15
16
18
15
15
19
16
19
21
18
22
23
18
22
22
18
18
17
14
Feels °C
12
12
14
15
11
12
15
12
17
19
16
20
20
15
20
20
17
17
14
13
  • Map Icons:
  • Break
  • Live Wave Height (m)
  • Live Wind Speed (km/h)
  • Surf Rating (10 Max)
  • Ocean Swells (m)
  • Wind Speed (km/h)
Map placeholder
How to use the Wavefinder 
submit an eyeball surf report

Quick surf report for Buffalo Bay Wildside:

join our community of surf reporters

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 locationNearest