J-Bay Surf Break

Lat Long: 34.05° S 24.93° E

Issued: 7 am 04 Jul 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's J-Bay sea temperature is
17.5° C

1.7°C colder than average for this time of year

J-Bay surf forecast is for near shore open water. Breaking waves will often be smaller at less exposed spots.


J-Bay surf forecast from 4 Jul 2026:

  • Best quality surf: Thursday 9 Jul, 5AM (local time) - 11ft (3.5m), 14s period, SSW swell with glassy winds.
  • Most powerful swell: Thursday 9 Jul, 5AM (local time) - 11ft (3.5m), 14s period, SSW swell with 4,460 kJ wave energy.
  • Next surfable swell (1★+): Saturday 4 Jul, 11PM (local time) - 5ft (1.6m), 12s 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 Saturday (Jul 04) at 11PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.6m and 12s period with a secondary swell of 1.4m and 9s. The wind is predicted to be cross-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 5AM. Winds are predicted to be glassy at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.3m 5s period and expected on Wednesday (Jul 08) at 8AM.

Wave TypeTime (SAST) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+)11PM (Sat 4th Jul)5ft (1.6m) 12s
Best Surf 5AM (Thu 9th Jul)11ft (3.5m) 14s
Most Powerful 5AM (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 folks, Rusty here. Let's have a look at what Jeffreys Bay has in store for us over the next couple of weeks.

We’ve got a solid run of surf kicking off straight away this weekend, with the standout window shaping up to be the middle of next week. There’s a bit of a lull in the second week, but it picks back up towards the very end of the 16-day window. The water is sitting at 64°F right now, which is a bit colder than usual for this time of year, so maybe a steamer is the call.

The action fires up on Saturday, July 4th. The morning is looking prime with a clean 7ft swell pushing in from the SE, with a solid 12-second period. The wind is a light cross-off from the NW, and the wave energy is pumping (1701). This is excellent surf for the experienced crew. By the afternoon, the wind swings SE and turns cross-on, making it a bit wonky with tide issues, so get your session in early.

Sunday, July 5th is another good one. The morning serves up clean 5ft waves from the SE, still with that long 11-second period. By the afternoon, the wind drops to glassy conditions, making for some smooth 4ft waves from the ESE. This is the pick of the weekend for the intermediate surfers who want it clean and easy.

Then we hit the real highlight. Monday, July 6th morning is glassy with a building 6ft SW groundswell. But the true standout is Tuesday, July 7th afternoon. You’ve got a solid 7ft swell from the SW, a long 12-second period, and the wind is holding cross-off from the SW. The wave energy is strong (1362) and the surf is absolutely firing for the experienced folks. This is the session to pencil in.

We get a bit of a pulse on Wednesday, July 8th with a bigger 8ft SW swell, but the wind is a stiff 25 km/h cross-off. It’s still clean, but it’s getting into that expert-only territory. The real magic, if you can wait, is Thursday, July 9th morning. It's dead calm and glassy with a 10ft SSW groundswell at 14 seconds. The energy is huge (3966). This is a serious, powerful swell that will be a dream at J-Bay’s point, but it’s strictly for experts and the very brave. That same energy carries through into Friday morning, July 10th, with 10ft waves and glassy conditions again.

After that, the wheels come off for a bit. Friday afternoon, July 10th through the weekend get blown out by strong onshore winds, turning the surf poor. Sunday, July 12th afternoon does calm down to glassy conditions, but the swell has dropped right off to a weak 4ft from the E.

The following week is pretty quiet. From Monday, July 13th to Wednesday, July 15th we have inconsistent, weak swell in the 2ft to 5ft range, with moderate cross-off winds. There’s nothing really worth getting excited about. Things look a little better on Saturday, July 18th afternoon when a new 5ft SW swell at 14 seconds rolls in with a gentle cross-off breeze, putting some energy back in the water (1103). It’s not the star of the show, but it’s a promising sign for the last day of the period. Sunday, July 19th keeps that clean 5ft to 5ft SW swell going with light cross-off winds, a decent way to finish the outlook.

Overall, don't sleep on the first week. The absolute standouts are Tuesday afternoon and Thursday morning. The second week is mostly a wash, but that last weekend looks like it could redeem things. Keep an eye on it.

Rusty.

Short Range Forecast

Mostly dry. Warm (max 22°C on Sun afternoon, min 14°C on Sat morning). Wind will be generally light.

Days 4-6 Weather Summary

Light rain (total 3mm), mostly falling on Wed night. Very mild (max 19°C on Tue afternoon, min 14°C on Tue night). Wind will be generally light.

Saturday
4
Sunday
5
Monday
6
Tuesday
7
Wednesday
8
Thursday
9
Friday
10
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
Rating
(10 max)
4
3
4
3
3
3
4
2
4
3
4
4
2
3
4
5
4
5
4
0
0
Swell
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Wave
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
2.1
SE
12
1.9
SE
12
1.6
SE
12
1.4
SE
11
1.3
ESE
11
1.2
ESE
11
1.8
SW
12
1.9
SW
12
1.6
WSW
11
2.1
SW
12
2.1
SW
12
2.1
SW
12
2.5
SW
13
2.5
SW
13
2.3
SSW
16
3
SSW
14
3
SSW
13
3
SSW
13
3
SSW
13
2.5
SSW
13
2.5
SSW
13
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
1220
977
671
530
433
323
910
995
571
1281
1298
1189
2305
2013
2543
3940
3172
3160
2938
2144
2303
Wind (km/h)
10
NW
5
SSE
10
NNW
10
NNW
5
S
5
NW
5
NNW
10
E
10
NW
15
WSW
15
SW
15
W
25
W
25
WSW
5
SSW
0
WSW
5
SSE
5
NW
5
WSW
20
SE
20
E
Wind State
cross-off
cross-on
cross-off
cross-off
glassy
glassy
glassy
on
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
off
cross-off
cross-off
cross
glassy
cross-on
off
glassy
on
cross-on
High Tide
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
12:04PM1.15m
00:31AM1.39m
Low Tide
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
5:49AM0.45m
5:58PM0.48m
part cloud
part cloud
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
light rain
cloud
clear
cloud
cloud
light rain
rain showers
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
7:26
7:26
7:26
7:26
7:24
7:24
7:24
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
5:22
5:22
5:22
5:23
5:23
5:24
5:24
 mm
3
1
1
Temp °C
16
19
16
18
22
17
18
19
18
18
19
15
17
18
15
15
15
15
16
16
16
Feels °C
12
16
13
14
19
15
16
16
16
15
16
14
13
13
14
14
15
14
15
14
13
Swell 1
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
2.1
SE
12
1.9
SE
12
1.6
SE
12
1.4
SE
11
1.3
ESE
11
1.2
ESE
11
1.8
SW
12
1.9
SW
12
1.6
WSW
11
2.1
SW
12
2.1
SW
12
2.1
SW
12
2.5
SW
13
2.5
SW
13
2.3
SSW
16
3
SSW
14
3
SSW
13
3
SSW
13
3
SSW
13
2.5
SSW
13
2.5
SSW
13
Energy kJ
1220
977
671
530
433
323
910
995
571
1281
1298
1189
2305
2013
2543
3940
3172
3160
2938
2144
2303
Swell 2
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
1.4
SW
10
1.4
SW
9
1.4
SW
9
1.2
WSW
9
1.2
WSW
9
0.9
WSW
9
0.9
ESE
11
0.8
ESE
11
1.1
SW
13
0.6
ESE
10
0.5
ESE
10
0.4
ESE
10
0.3
ESE
9
0.8
SSW
18
1.8
SW
12
0.2
ESE
16
0.2
ESE
16
0.2
ESE
15
0.2
ESE
14
1.4
S
16
Energy kJ
400
353
287
202
211
116
204
143
386
67
56
35
17
395
940
26
24
21
18
977
Swell 3
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
0.4
SW
18
0.5
SW
16
0.6
SW
15
0.6
SW
15
0.8
SW
14
0.8
SW
13
0.2
S
8
0.3
E
7
0.8
ESE
10
0.2
E
7
0.2
E
10
0.3
E
10
0.2
E
10
0.2
ESE
9
0.2
ESE
11
0.2
E
9
Energy kJ
81
132
188
171
218
242
5
8
118
4
8
17
8
8
11
7
Wind waves
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
0.8
WSW
4
1.3
SW
6
0.2
ENE
9
1.3
E
5
Energy kJ
20
132
8
86
Nearest Offshore or Glassy
Rating
(10 max)
4
3
4
3
3
3
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
5
4
5
4
4
4
Distance (km)
0
6
0
0
0
0
0
19
0
2
0
0
140
3
3
0
3
0
0
197
197
Best forecast wave conditions in Eastern Cape (South)
Rating
(10 max)
4
4
4
3
3
3
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
5
5
5
5
4
Best forecast wave conditions in South Africa
Rating
(10 max)
4
4
4
3
3
3
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
5
5
5
5
4
5
4
Header Global
Rating
(10 max)
5
5
5
9
6
5
6
8
7
5
5
9
8
9
9
5
7
5
4
8
4
  • Map Icons:
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  • Live Wave Height (m)
  • Live Wind Speed (km/h)
  • Surf Rating (10 Max)
  • Ocean Swells (m)
  • Wind Speed (km/h)
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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.

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