
Surf Forecasts:
J-Bay surf forecast from 3 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Friday 3 Jul, 2PM (local time) - 7.5ft (2.3m), 11s period, SE swell with offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Thursday 9 Jul, 8PM (local time) - 11ft (3.5m), 14s period, SSW swell with 4,704 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Friday 3 Jul, 2PM (local time) - 7.5ft (2.3m), 11s period with SE 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 Friday (Jul 03) at 2PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 2.3m and 11s period with a secondary swell of 2.1m and 9s. 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 3.5m 14s and forecast to arrive on Thursday (Jul 09) at 8PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.4m 6s period and expected on Wednesday (Jul 08) at 2PM.
| Wave Type | Time (SAST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 2PM (Fri 3rd Jul) | 7.5ft (2.3m) 11s |
| Best Surf | 2PM (Fri 3rd Jul) | 7.5ft (2.3m) 11s |
| Most Powerful | 8PM (Thu 9th Jul) | 11ft (3.5m) 14s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for J-Bay over the next 16 days.
Updates in hr min s Forecast update imminent
Alright, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s on the cards for J-Bay.
We’re kicking off with a solid run of surf. The water temp is sitting at 64°, which is a bit colder than normal for this time of year, so you’ll want a decent wetsuit.
Friday morning, July 3rd, we’ve got a nice 7ft SE swell rolling in with an 11-second period. The wind is a cross-off from the NW, keeping things clean. The combined energy is strong at 2159, so there’s plenty of push. This is excellent for experienced surfers. Friday afternoon turns glassy with a northerly breeze dropping to nothing, and the swell bumps up a touch to 8ft from the SE – a stunning afternoon on the cards.
Saturday the 4th holds that quality. Morning sees a 7ft SE swell with a longer 12-second period, clean under a NW cross-off. Afternoon goes glassy again with an ESE breeze and a slightly smaller 6ft SE swell. This is prime J-Bay.
Sunday the 5th morning still has clean 5ft surf from the SE, but it’s dropping. The afternoon turns cross-on from the south, and the quality dips – it’s getting marginal.
Monday the 6th brings a change. The swell swings to the SW, 7ft with a 12-second period. Morning is glassy with a NNW breeze – that’s your best bet for the day. The afternoon gets an onshore easterly, so morning all the way.
Tuesday the 7th and Wednesday the 8th keep the SW swell going, 7ft to 8ft, 12-14 seconds. Winds are cross-off from the WSW, keeping it clean. By Wednesday afternoon, the swell is pushing 10ft and the energy is cranking at 3298 – this is big and powerful, for experienced surfers only now.
Thursday the 9th sees the swell pumping. Morning is 8ft from the SSW, 14 seconds, but the wind goes onshore from the SE, so it’s not clean. Afternoon gets even bigger – 12ft SSW, 15-second period, very long period groundswell, but onshore winds again. This is heavy, messy, and for experts only if they can find a window.
Friday the 10th and Saturday the 11th are messy with onshore and cross-on winds from the east, swell still big at 8ft to 10ft from the SSW. Not great for paddle surfing – this setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing.
We hit a rough patch from Sunday the 12th through Monday the 13th. Poor surf, onshore winds, rain, and dropping swell. Tuesday the 14th morning offers a small reprieve with a clean 4ft easterly swell under a NW cross-off, but it’s weak.
Now, here’s the standout. The forecast is pointing to something special around the 16th and 17th of July. On Thursday the 16th morning, we’ve got a massive 16ft SW swell with a 12-second period, and the wind is offshore from the west, 15 km/h – gentle offshore and clean. The energy is off the charts at 6973. This is exceptional surf for expert surfers only – it’s huge. Thursday afternoon gets even bigger at 18ft SW, but it goes cross-shore.
Then Friday the 17th morning is glassy, 13ft SW swell – clean and powerful. And Saturday the 18th keeps the run going: 12ft S swell, 12 seconds, with light NNW wind in the morning and glassy conditions in the afternoon.
The absolute standout is Thursday the 16th of July – that 16ft SW swell with clean offshore wind is the one to circle. It’s a week and a half out, so keep an eye on it, but if it holds, that’s a session to remember. For the more moderate crowd, Friday the 17th morning is also a serious contender with glassy 13ft surf.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 22°C on Sun afternoon, min 14°C on Fri morning). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 2mm), mostly falling on Wed night. Very mild (max 19°C on Mon afternoon, min 15°C on Tue night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Friday 3 | Saturday 4 | Sunday 5 | Monday 6 | Tuesday 7 | Wednesday 8 | Thursday 9 | |||||||||||||||
AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | |
Swell Height Map | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 11 | SE 11 | SE 12 | SE 12 | SE 12 | SE 12 | SE 12 | ESE 11 | SE 11 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SSW 14 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
1172 | 1396 | 2010 | 1220 | 880 | 671 | 539 | 426 | 286 | 1337 | 1346 | 1510 | 1298 | 1319 | 1336 | 2424 | 3059 | 2681 | 3023 | 4581 | 3985 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | glassy | cross-off | cross-off | glassy | cross-off | cross-off | cross-on | glassy | glassy | on | glassy | cross-off | cross-off | off | cross-off | cross-off | glassy | on | on | cross-on |
High Tide | 5:53PM1.50m | 5:56AM1.43m | 6:27PM1.49m | 6:31AM1.38m | 7:04PM1.47m | 7:11AM1.31m | 7:46PM1.43m | 8:00AM1.23m | 8:38PM1.39m | 9:05AM1.15m | 9:46PM1.35m | 10:31AM1.11m | 11:10PM1.34m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 11:36AM0.18m | 11:57PM0.33m | 12:08PM0.20m | 00:34AM0.36m | 12:41PM0.25m | 1:15AM0.39m | 1:20PM0.31m | 2:04AM0.43m | 2:07PM0.39m | 3:06AM0.47m | 3:08PM0.46m | 4:23AM0.48m | 4:28PM0.51m | ||||||||
7:26 | — | — | 7:26 | — | — | 7:26 | — | — | 7:26 | — | — | 7:26 | — | — | 7:24 | — | — | 7:24 | — | — | |
— | 5:22 | — | — | 5:22 | — | — | 5:22 | — | — | 5:22 | — | — | 5:23 | — | — | 5:23 | — | — | 5:24 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | 2 | — | — |
Temp °C | 16 | 19 | 16 | 16 | 19 | 16 | 18 | 22 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 18 | 18 | 19 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 |
Feels °C | 12 | 15 | 13 | 12 | 17 | 14 | 14 | 18 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 16 | 15 | 17 | 16 | 13 | 15 | 14 | 16 | 14 | 13 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 9 | SE 11 | SE 12 | SE 12 | SE 12 | SE 12 | SE 12 | ESE 11 | SE 11 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SSW 14 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 |
980 | 1396 | 2010 | 1220 | 880 | 671 | 539 | 426 | 278 | 1337 | 1346 | 1510 | 1298 | 1319 | 1336 | 2424 | 3059 | 2681 | 3023 | 4581 | 3985 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 11 | SW 9 | WSW 10 | SW 10 | SW 9 | SW 9 | SW 9 | WSW 9 | WSW 9 | ESE 11 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | SE 9 | ESE 9 | ESE 9 | E 10 | E 10 | ESE 15 | ESE 14 |
1172 | 302 | 281 | 384 | 353 | 231 | 178 | 216 | 119 | 200 | 138 | 90 | 64 | 36 | 22 | 16 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 21 | 20 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 19 | SW 10 | SW 11 | SW 18 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 13 | S 8 | ENE 6 | ENE 7 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | SE 18 | SE 16 | — | — |
7 | 112 | 209 | 81 | 132 | 188 | 171 | 218 | 286 | 5 | 8 | 5 | 18 | 17 | 17 | 8 | 8 | 12 | 10 | — | — | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | WSW 5 | SW 6 | — | — | — | — |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 59 | 223 | — | — | — | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 172 | 197 | 52 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Eastern Cape (South) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in South Africa | |||||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||||
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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.










