
Surf Forecasts:
J-Bay surf forecast from 15 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Wednesday 22 Jul, 8PM (local time) - 23ft (7.0m), 14s period, SW swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Wednesday 22 Jul, 8PM (local time) - 23ft (7.0m), 14s period, SW swell with 17,078 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Wednesday 15 Jul, 11PM (local time) - 7.5ft (2.3m), 10s period with SW swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for J-Bay this week:
The surf forecast for J-Bay over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Jul 15) at 11PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 2.3m and 10s period with a secondary swell of 1.0m and 16s. The wind is predicted to be offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at J-Bay in the next 16 days are 7.0m 14s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Jul 22) at 8PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.9m 6s period and expected on Saturday (Jul 18) at 5PM.
| Wave Type | Time (SAST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 11PM (Wed 15th Jul) | 7.5ft (2.3m) 10s |
| Best Surf | 8PM (Wed 22nd Jul) | 23ft (7.0m) 14s |
| Most Powerful | 8PM (Wed 22nd Jul) | 23ft (7.0m) 14s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for J-Bay over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, Rusty here, let’s have a look at what J-Bay has on the menu.
We’ve got a solid run of surf coming up, but it’s not all clean and easy. The water’s sitting at 64°, which is a bit colder than normal for this time of year, so you might want to dig out that extra mm of rubber.
The first decent chance rolls in on Wednesday the 15th. Afternoon sees a 7ft SW swell, but it’s a short period at 8 seconds, so the energy’s moderate (1150). The wind is a cross-off from the W at 12 mph, keeping things clean-ish, but it’s not the best quality. A bit of a warm-up.
Thursday the 16th morning is where things start to wake up. A proper 10ft SW groundswell with a long 14-second period rolls in, carrying strong energy (3239). The wind goes offshore from the WNW at 3 mph, and it’s clean. This is for experienced surfers, as that size is too much for beginners.
By Friday the 17th morning, we hit a real standout. The swell holds at 8ft from the SW, period at 12 seconds, with very strong energy (2077). And the wind? Perfect glass from the NW at 3 mph. That’s the kind of morning you drag yourself out of bed for. Clean, lined-up, J-Bay doing what it does best.
Saturday the 18th drops off quick – 4ft S swell with moderate energy (714), cross-off but choppier.
Sunday the 19th sees a spike back up to 10ft SW, but the period drops to 10 seconds and the wind is up at 16 mph. It’s cross-off and clean, but messy and big.
Now, let’s talk about the true standout of this whole forecast. Monday the 21st, morning. That is a serious session. A 13ft SW groundswell, period 14 seconds, with combined energy of 6436 – that’s very strong. The wind is light cross from the NNE at 3 mph, so only slight ripples. This is big, powerful, and for experts only.
But the crown jewel? Thursday the 23rd, morning. 16ft SW groundswell, 15-second period, energy at 11378. The wind is glassy from the WSW at 3 mph. That’s about as good as it gets for big-wave hunting. Absolutely epic, but you’d better be on your game.
After that, the swell stays solid but the wind gets nasty. Thursday the 24th sees a near gale from the WSW at 31 mph – that’s a write-off for surfing, maybe more of a kite day.
Heading into the second week, the pattern holds: big SW groundswell. Friday the 25th morning is a 10ft swell with 15-second period, cross-off wind from the W at 6 mph – clean and strong. Thursday the 30th morning also looks promising with an 12ft SSW swell, 15-second period, glassy wind. Long range and less certain, but the signs are there.
Summary: The best on offer is Thursday the 23rd morning – massive, glassy, and perfect for experts. Friday the 17th morning is your best call for a slightly smaller, cleaner day that an intermediate can handle. Don’t sleep on Monday the 21st morning either if you’re after big, raw power.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Very mild (max 19°C on Wed afternoon, min 15°C on Wed night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Very mild (max 19°C on Sat afternoon, min 12°C on Mon morning). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wed 15 | Thursday 16 | Friday 17 | Saturday 18 | Sunday 19 | Monday 20 | Tuesday 21 | |||||||||||||||
PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | |
Swell Height Map | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 8 | SW 10 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 11 | SW 11 | S 11 | S 11 | SW 11 | SW 10 | SW 9 | SW 11 | SW 11 | SW 11 | SW 10 | SW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SW 13 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
567 | 988 | 3095 | 2340 | 1703 | 1977 | 1396 | 745 | 357 | 242 | 1834 | 1470 | 863 | 918 | 677 | 935 | 1858 | 6397 | 5956 | 4531 | 3075 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | cross-off | off | cross-off | off | glassy | on | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off |
High Tide | 4:39PM1.70m | 4:52AM1.65m | 5:20PM1.72m | 5:32AM1.59m | 6:00PM1.69m | 6:10AM1.50m | 6:39PM1.62m | 6:48AM1.39m | 7:17PM1.51m | 7:26AM1.26m | 7:58PM1.38m | 8:10AM1.14m | 8:45PM1.26m | 9:10AM1.04m | |||||||
Low Tide | 10:48PM0.10m | 11:04AM0.00m | 11:31PM0.12m | 11:41AM0.04m | 00:12AM0.19m | 12:17PM0.12m | 00:52AM0.28m | 12:52PM0.23m | 1:32AM0.39m | 1:29PM0.36m | 2:16AM0.49m | 2:10PM0.49m | 3:10AM0.59m | ||||||||
— | — | 7:22 | — | — | 7:22 | — | — | 7:22 | — | — | 7:22 | — | — | 7:20 | — | — | 7:20 | — | — | 7:20 | |
5:28 | — | — | 5:29 | — | — | 5:30 | — | — | 5:30 | — | — | 5:30 | — | — | 5:31 | — | — | 5:31 | — | 5:32 | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 19 | 16 | 16 | 18 | 16 | 16 | 17 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 16 | 17 | 17 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 18 |
Feels °C | 14 | 13 | 16 | 17 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 13 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 10 | SW 10 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 11 | SW 11 | SW 10 | S 11 | SW 11 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 11 | SW 11 | SE 11 | SW 10 | SW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SW 13 |
188 | 988 | 3095 | 2340 | 1703 | 1977 | 1396 | 745 | 286 | 242 | 1596 | 224 | 281 | 918 | 677 | 104 | 1858 | 6397 | 5956 | 4531 | 3075 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 11 | SW 15 | E 11 | E 11 | E 11 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | S 11 | WSW 10 | S 11 | S 10 | SSE 10 | SE 10 | SE 12 | E 10 | SE 11 | SE 11 | ESE 11 | SE 11 | E 6 |
250 | 939 | 144 | 146 | 141 | 100 | 98 | 72 | 357 | 115 | 151 | 54 | 33 | 34 | 87 | 18 | 60 | 31 | 45 | 29 | 6 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 17 | E 10 | — | — | — | — | S 15 | S 13 | E 10 | SW 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | — | E 10 | E 10 | — | ENE 9 | ESE 10 |
145 | 128 | — | — | — | — | 18 | 78 | 71 | 77 | 48 | 31 | 31 | 17 | 18 | — | 17 | 8 | — | 17 | 10 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 8 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | WSW 3 | WSW 6 | SW 11 | SW 10 | SW 9 | — | — | SW 11 | — | — | — | — | — |
567 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 53 | 1834 | 1470 | 863 | — | — | 935 | — | — | — | — | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 19 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 183 | 3 | 3 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Eastern Cape (South) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in South Africa | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the J-Bay Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for J-Bay provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at J-Bay can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our J-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 (J-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 J-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.
J-Bay is 19 km (12 miles) from the city of Kruisfontein. If you plan a holiday in Eastern Cape (South), look for hotels and other accommodation in Kruisfontein. Kruisfontein has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.











