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Buffels Bay Surf Forecast
/ Cape Town (70 surf breaks) /
Surf Forecasts:
Buffels Bay surfForecast / Cape Town / South Africa
16 Day Weather and Surf, issued 7 pm Tuesday 05 May 2026 SASTForecast update in hr min s Forecast update imminent
Buffels Bay surf forecast is for near shore open water. Breaking waves will often be smaller at less exposed spots.
Today's Buffels Bay sea temperature is
17.8° C
(Which is normal for this time of year)Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Buffels Bay this week:
The surf forecast for Buffels Bay over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Saturday (May 09) at 11AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.3m and 14s period with a secondary swell of 1.3m and 13s. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Buffels Bay in the next 16 days are 6.0m 15s and forecast to arrive on Monday (May 11) at 2PM. Winds are predicted to be offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 6.5m 13s period and expected on Monday (May 11) at 8AM.
| Wave Type | Time (SAST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 11AM (Sat 9th May) | 4.5ft (1.3m) 14s |
| Best Surf | 11AM (Sat 9th May) | 4.5ft (1.3m) 14s |
| Most Powerful | 2PM (Mon 11th May) | 20ft (6.0m) 15s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Buffels Bay over the next 16 days.
Updates in hr min s Forecast update imminent
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 4mm), mostly falling on Wed morning. Very mild (max 17°C on Wed morning, min 15°C on Tue night). Winds increasing (light winds from the SSE on Tue night, strong winds from the SE by Wed afternoon). | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryHeavy rain (total 45mm), heaviest during Sun morning. Very mild (max 18°C on Sat afternoon, min 14°C on Sat night). Winds increasing (light winds from the N on Sat morning, stormy winds from the NNW by Sun night). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wednesday 6 | Thursday 7 | Friday 8 | Saturday 9 | Sunday 10 | Monday 11 | Tue 12 | |||||||||||||||
Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | |
Swell Height Map |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | |||||||||||||
S 11 | S 11 | SSE 11 | SSE 11 | SSE 11 | SSE 12 | SE 13 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 13 | WSW 10 | WSW 12 | WSW 11 | WSW 14 | WSW 15 | WSW 14 | SSW 13 | SW 12 | |
1732 | 1704 | 1814 | 1100 | 837 | 1036 | 316 | 1255 | 1103 | 915 | 639 | 604 | 495 | 3851 | 5983 | 2372 | 14788 | 13279 | 8893 | 1224 | 4591 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | on | on | cross-on | on | on | cross-on | on | cross-off | off | cross-off | off | off | cross-off | off | off | off | off | cross-off | |
High Tide | 5:23AM1.24m | 5:55PM1.19m | 6:01AM1.16m | 6:43PM1.12m | 6:50AM1.07m | 7:48PM1.08m | 8:03AM1.01m | 9:09PM1.09m | 9:35AM1.01m | 10:24PM1.16m | 10:55AM1.07m | 11:22PM1.27m | 11:55AM1.17m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 11:17PM0.41m | 11:38AM0.36m | 11:55PM0.49m | 12:18PM0.43m | 00:44AM0.57m | 1:10PM0.50m | 1:57AM0.62m | 2:22PM0.54m | 3:33AM0.61m | 3:46PM0.53m | 4:54AM0.52m | 4:58PM0.48m | 5:51AM0.39m | 5:54PM0.39m | |||||||
 |  | |  |  | | | | | | | | |  | |  |  | |  |  | | |
 | — | 7:24 | — | — | 7:24 | — | — | 7:26 | — | — | 7:26 | — | — | 7:26 | — | — | 7:28 | — | — | 7:28 | — |
 | 6:00 | — | 6:00 | — | — | 5:59 | — | — | 5:58 | — | — | 5:57 | — | — | 5:55 | — | — | 5:55 | — | — | 5:54 |
— | 2 | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 8 | 18 | 3 | 6 | 8 | 2 | 5 | 19 | 1 | |
Temp °C | 16 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 15 | 18 | 17 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 16 | 17 | 17 | 17 |
14 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 13 | 15 | 14 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 9 | 11 | 8 | |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 11 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SSE 11 | SW 13 | SSE 9 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SE 12 | SSE 12 | WSW 11 | SE 13 | WSW 15 | SW 14 | SSW 13 | SW 13 |
 kJ | 1732 | 255 | 221 | 172 | 837 | 261 | 281 | 1255 | 1103 | 915 | 639 | 604 | 495 | 147 | 93 | 2372 | 7 | 13279 | 2633 | 1224 | 2490 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WSW 12 | WSW 11 | WSW 11 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 20 | SE 13 | S 9 | SSE 16 | SSE 14 | SSE 13 | SSE 13 | SSE 12 | S 16 | SE 12 | SE 11 | — | — | SSW 10 | S 10 | SSE 9 |
| kJ | 260 | 113 | 64 | 69 | 309 | 97 | 316 | 190 | 89 | 763 | 528 | 437 | 314 | 5 | 36 | 33 | — | — | 432 | 148 | 29 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 16 | — | SW 20 | SW 17 | SW 21 | — | WSW 13 | SE 12 | SSE 16 | SSE 14 | SW 15 | — | — | — | SSE 15 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | 161 | — | 15 | 44 | 18 | — | 290 | 248 | 89 | 183 | 305 | — | — | — | 22 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | S 11 | SSE 11 | SSE 11 | — | SSE 12 | — | ESE 3 | SSE 12 | — | — | — | NW 4 | WSW 10 | WSW 12 | NW 8 | WSW 14 | WNW 5 | WSW 14 | W 13 | SW 12 |
| kJ | — | 1704 | 1814 | 1100 | — | 1036 | — | 7 | 692 | — | — | — | 21 | 3851 | 5983 | 1785 | 14788 | 124 | 8893 | 4029 | 4591 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 11 | 40 | 185 | 24 | 24 | 185 | 25 | 24 | 28 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 49 | 456 | 999 | 886 | 995 | 995 | 271 | 271 | 185 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Cape Town | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in South Africa | |||||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||||
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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 Buffels Bay 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 Buffels Bay Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Buffels Bay provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Buffels Bay can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Buffels Bay 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 (Buffels Bay) 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 Buffels Bay 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 Cape Town? If you are looking for accommodation near Buffels Bay, camping, hotels and holiday cottages in Cape Town, consider staying in Cape Town which is 43 km (27 miles) away. Other places in and around Cape Town where you can find information about places to rent, and car hire include Bellville which is 49 km (30 miles) away, Grabouw, Stellenbosch and Kayamnandi.
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