Today's Buffalo Bay sea temperature is 16.9 °C
(Normal for this time of year (within 0.2° of average))
| Mean: | 17.1 °C | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Range: | 16.0 °C to 18.3 °C | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Statistics for 05 Aug (1981–2005) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Today, many surfers would wear a spring wetsuit and neoprene boots.
The Buffalo Bay water temperature is rather cool (16 °C) and the air temperature will feel about the same. A good quality spring wetsuit with optional neoprene boots should suffice. No need for wetsuit gloves.
 Map of current South Africa Surface Water Temperatures (based on measurements from oceanographic satellites) |  Map of current South Africa Sea Water Temperature Anomalies (compared with long term averages at this time of year) |
click thumbnails to expand
Below is a graph of Historical Sea Surface Temperature for Buffalo Bay. This has been derived from analysis of two decades of oceanographic satellite measurements of nearby open water. We have calculated the average water temperature variation around the year as well as the extremes that have been observed on each date.
All of the graphs for the surf breaks presented on Surf-Forecast.com are on the same scale to enable comparison between locations around the world.
Buffalo Bay sea temperatures peak in the range 21 to 24°C (70 to 75°F) on around the 3rd of February and are at their minimum on about the 6th of August, in the range 16 to 18°C (61 to 64°F). Buffalo Bay sea temperatures are always warm reach their warmest at the start of February. You'll need a 2mm neoprene top or a shorty at dawn/dusk or if it's windy. The minimum seasonal sea temperatures at Buffalo Bay in the first week of August lend themselves to a 4/3mm wetsuit or a 3/2mm suit and 3mm neoprene boots.
Actual sea surface water temperatures close to shore at Buffalo Bay can vary by several degrees compared with these open water averages. This is especially true after heavy rain, close to river mouths or after long periods of strong offshore winds. Offshore winds cause colder deep water to replace surface water that has been warmed by the sun. Air temperature, wind-chill and sunshine should also be considered before deciding on the kind of wetsuit needed to stay warm when surfing at Buffalo Bay. Refer to our detailed weather forecasts for this information.
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