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J-Bay Surf Forecast
/ Eastern Cape (S) (37 surf breaks) /
Surf Forecasts:
J-Bay surfForecast / Eastern Cape (S) / South Africa
16 Day Weather and Surf, issued 7 am Sunday 17 May 2026 SASTForecast update in hr min s Forecast update imminent
J-Bay surf forecast is for near shore open water. Breaking waves will often be smaller at less exposed spots.
Today's J-Bay sea temperature is
17.8° C
(Which is 3.1°C colder than average for this time of year)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 Sunday (May 17) at 11AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.4m and 13s period with a secondary swell of 1.0m and 11s. 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 1.8m 13s and forecast to arrive on Tuesday (May 19) at 2AM. Winds are predicted to be 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 Friday (May 22) at 11PM.
| Wave Type | Time (SAST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 11AM (Sun 17th May) | 4.5ft (1.4m) 13s |
| Best Surf | 11AM (Thu 21st May) | 8ft (2.5m) 8s |
| Most Powerful | 2AM (Tue 19th May) | 6ft (1.8m) 13s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for J-Bay over the next 16 days.
Updates in hr min s Forecast update imminent
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 8mm), mostly falling on Tue afternoon. Warm (max 23°C on Sun afternoon, min 16°C on Sun night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 8mm), mostly falling on Wed morning. Warm (max 21°C on Wed afternoon, min 16°C on Thu morning). Winds increasing (calm on Thu morning, fresh winds from the WSW by Fri afternoon). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Sunday 17 | Monday 18 | Tuesday 19 | Wednesday 20 | Thursday 21 | Friday 22 | Saturday 23 | |||||||||||||||
AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | |
Swell Height Map |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | ||||||||||||||
WSW 13 | WSW 12 | SW 12 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | E 8 | ESE 8 | E 8 | WSW 7 | SSW 17 | SW 13 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 13 | |
610 | 464 | 435 | 623 | 501 | 1102 | 528 | 769 | 673 | 926 | 643 | 655 | 804 | 471 | 264 | 423 | 227 | 258 | 301 | 570 | 563 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
off | cross-off | off | glassy | cross-on | on | on | on | cross-on | on | cross-on | cross-on | glassy | cross-off | off | cross-off | cross-off | off | cross-off | cross | cross-off | |
High Tide | 4:05PM1.62m | 4:20AM1.75m | 4:48PM1.60m | 5:05AM1.65m | 5:35PM1.54m | 5:52AM1.52m | 6:26PM1.46m | 6:43AM1.37m | 7:25PM1.37m | 7:44AM1.23m | 8:37PM1.30m | 9:02AM1.12m | 10:00PM1.28m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 9:56AM-0.02m | 10:06PM0.08m | 10:38AM0.02m | 10:52PM0.13m | 11:22AM0.10m | 11:41PM0.23m | 12:08PM0.20m | 00:36AM0.35m | 1:00PM0.31m | 1:41AM0.47m | 2:01PM0.42m | 3:03AM0.55m | 3:15PM0.49m | 4:35AM0.57m | |||||||
 | |  |  |  |  |  | |  |  | |  |  | | | | |  | | | | |
 | 7:05 | — | — | 7:07 | — | — | 7:07 | — | — | 7:07 | — | — | 7:09 | — | — | 7:09 | — | — | 7:11 | — | — |
 | — | 5:25 | — | — | 5:24 | — | — | 5:23 | — | — | 5:23 | — | — | 5:22 | — | — | 5:22 | — | — | 5:22 | — |
— | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | — | 3 | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
Temp °C | 21 | 23 | 18 | 18 | 19 | 19 | 20 | 20 | 19 | 19 | 21 | 19 | 19 | 20 | 18 | 20 | 20 | 17 | 19 | 20 | 17 |
19 | 20 | 17 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 17 | 17 | 16 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 20 | 19 | 18 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 18 | 19 | 17 | |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WSW 13 | WSW 12 | SW 12 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 13 | SW 13 | ESE 8 | SW 12 | WSW 12 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | E 8 | E 8 | SW 11 | SW 13 | WSW 11 | SW 13 | SW 13 |
 kJ | 610 | 464 | 435 | 623 | 501 | 1102 | 528 | 473 | 241 | 696 | 149 | 94 | 484 | 471 | 264 | 111 | 145 | 238 | 211 | 570 | 563 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 11 | S 11 | S 11 | S 11 | S 12 | S 11 | SSE 14 | SSE 13 | SSE 12 | SW 13 | SSE 12 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 11 | E 8 | SW 16 | SW 14 | WSW 6 | E 11 |
| kJ | 231 | 233 | 255 | 144 | 177 | 146 | 76 | 118 | 138 | 230 | 91 | 82 | 163 | 249 | 141 | 104 | 69 | 258 | 301 | 27 | 57 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 6 | E 6 | E 6 | E 6 | SSW 16 | SSE 16 | SSE 14 | — | SSW 10 | SSE 12 | SSW 9 | SE 11 | WSW 11 | S 13 | S 9 | SSW 18 | SSW 17 | E 12 | E 11 | SSE 7 | SE 7 |
| kJ | 81 | 38 | 26 | 18 | 330 | 49 | 75 | — | 40 | 94 | 16 | 30 | 47 | 14 | 25 | 124 | 197 | 132 | 89 | 35 | 18 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | W 2 | — | SSE 4 | ESE 7 | SSE 8 | SE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | E 8 | SW 2 | W 5 | WSW 7 | WSW 6 | SSW 6 | WSW 6 | — | — |
| kJ | — | — | 1 | — | 5 | 49 | 464 | 769 | 673 | 926 | 643 | 655 | 804 | 1 | 56 | 423 | 227 | 116 | 90 | — | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 31 | 31 | 197 | 197 | 197 | 172 | 172 | 31 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 140 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Eastern Cape (South) | |||||||||||||||||||||
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 J-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 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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