J-Bay Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, surfers, Rusty here. Let’s talk about what’s ahead for J-Bay over the next couple of weeks.

We’ve got a 16-day window that starts with a bang, but it’s a bit of a mixed bag after that. The standout is clearly the first couple of days, with a huge pulse of SW groundswell. The water is sitting at 55°, which is a whopping 10° colder than usual for this time of year – that’s seriously unusual, so you’ll want a thick steamer and some booties.

The first call is for Wednesday morning, the 19th of August. The waves are a solid 10 ft from the SW, with a period of 13 seconds. The swell energy is absolutely pumping at (2702), and the wind is glassy from the SW at just 3 mph. This is going to be a clean, powerful beast. For experienced surfers only at that size, but it’s world-class J-Bay at its finest. The afternoon is still good, 10 ft SW but the wind picks up to 16 mph, making it cross-off but still clean.

Thursday the 20th of August is the real standout. Morning sees a solid 13 ft SW swell at 14 seconds, with energy off the charts at (5729). The wind is a gentle cross-off from the WSW. This is the pick of the trip for experienced surfers; it’s going to be big, powerful, and clean. The afternoon drops to 11 ft but holds the energy high at (4886).

Friday the 21st of August, the swell drops to 8 ft SW, but the wind turns onshore from the ESE. By the afternoon it’s messy with 16 mph onshore winds and poor conditions. Saturday the 22nd of August is no good for surfing – the wind is howling from the WSW at 25 mph in the morning. That’s kite-surfing territory, not paddle surfing.

Sunday the 23rd of August brings a reprieve. The morning is excellent with a clean 8 ft SW swell at 11 seconds, and a light cross-off wind from the SSW. That’s a great session for intermediates. The rest of the first week is a bit of a write-off with onshore winds and dropping swell, though there are some clean, cross-shore windows on Monday the 24th and Tuesday the 25th of August mornings, but the wind is onshore.

The second week is a longer period of quiet. There’s a significant gap from the 25th of August afternoon right through to the 31st of August. The swell is often small and the wind is mostly onshore or poor. A few days have big wind – like the 28th of August with 25 mph cross-off winds, but the swell is a messy 4 ft from the WSW. The 29th of August has an 11 ft pulse but it’s onshore and messy.

The 31st of August morning shows some promise with a clean 6 ft SW swell at 14 seconds and a moderate cross-off wind. The 1st of September has a solid 6 ft SW swell at 15 seconds with a fresh offshore wind from the W – that could be a clean, long-period groundswell. That’s a promising option for the start of the month, but it’s a long-range call.

Overall, the first two days are the best on offer. If you’re an expert, hit Wednesday the 19th and Thursday the 20th of August for the biggest, cleanest swell. After that, keep an eye on the 31st of August and the 1st of September for cleaner conditions.

Rusty.

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