Surf Forecasts:
Jacobs Bay surf forecast from 16 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Thursday 16 Jul, 5AM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 14s period, SW swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Tuesday 21 Jul, 5PM (local time) - 11ft (3.5m), 14s period, SW swell with 4,509 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Thursday 16 Jul, 5AM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 14s period with SW swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Jacobs Bay this week:
The surf forecast for Jacobs Bay over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Thursday (Jul 16) at 5AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 3.0m and 14s period. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Jacobs Bay in the next 16 days are 3.5m 14s and forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Jul 21) at 5PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives.
| Wave Type | Time (SAST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 5AM (Thu 16th Jul) | 10ft (3.0m) 14s |
| Best Surf | 5AM (Thu 16th Jul) | 10ft (3.0m) 14s |
| Most Powerful | 5PM (Tue 21st Jul) | 11ft (3.5m) 14s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Jacobs Bay over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Hey folks, Rusty here. Let's talk about what's on the cards for Jacobs Bay.
Right now, you're in a waiting game. There's no rideable surf at the very start, but things kick off from Thursday, July 16, and we've got a solid 16-day window ahead. The overall pattern is a classic winter run: a few solid days of surf, then a lull, followed by a couple of proper, powerful pulses. The standout window is definitely late July.
Thursday, July 16 brings the first real chance. We've got a SW swell running at 8.2ft with a long 13-second period, packing some serious punch – the combined energy is strong at 2494. The morning looks cleanest with a cross-offshore SSE breeze at 9 mph. This is good, experienced surf, but the wind gets a bit messy by the afternoon. That 8.2ft swell is pushing into expert territory, so it's not a beginner's day.
Friday, July 17 the swell drops to a more manageable 5.9ft, still from the SW with an 11-second period, and the combined energy is moderate at 787. Both morning and afternoon see clean conditions with a light cross-offshore breeze. This is a much better day for a wider range of surfers.
Saturday, July 18 is the first top-tier morning. The swell is a nice 4.6ft from the SW, and the wind is glassy out of the WNW at only 3 mph. That's the good stuff – butter-smooth faces. Get out there early for the best of it.
Sunday, July 19 through Monday, July 20 the conditions turn marginal with cross-shore winds making it a less appealing option.
Tuesday, July 21 brings a huge swell – 9.8ft to 11.5ft from the SW with a long 15-second period. The combined energy is very strong. It's big, powerful, and looks pretty ugly with a choppy cross-onshore wind. Not the one.
Wednesday, July 22 and Thursday, July 23 are still pumping with 9.8ft to 8.2ft swells, but the forecast notes the swell is too big for this break.
Friday, July 24 sees the swell drop back to 5.6ft, and the morning looks clean with a cross-offshore SSE breeze at 12 mph. A solid, clean option.
Now, here's the true standout. Saturday, July 25 and Sunday, July 26 are no-joke, legit swells. We're looking at 11.5ft to 13.1ft from the SW with a very long 14-15 second period. The winds are clean, but this is an absolute beast. The forecast says it's too big for this break. Strictly for the most experienced.
Monday, July 27 is the real, realistic standout. The swell has backed off to a powerful 7.5ft from the SW, still with a long 14-second period and strong combined energy. The morning is clean with a gentle cross-offshore breeze. This is the perfect balance of size, power, and clean conditions.
The rest of the week into the end of July looks solid but lumpy, with some big, clean pulses on Thursday, July 30 (9.8ft, offshore, glassy) and Friday, July 31 (14.8ft, glassy), but again, those sizes are for experts only.
So to wrap it up: the best surf for most of you will be Saturday morning, July 18 with that glassy 4.6ft swell. For the experienced crew looking for the best size with clean conditions, Monday morning, July 27 is your session.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Very mild (max 17°C on Fri afternoon, min 14°C on Wed night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummarySome drizzle, heaviest during Tue morning. Very mild (max 16°C on Sat night, min 13°C on Mon afternoon). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Thursday 16 | Friday 17 | Saturday 18 | Sunday 19 | Monday 20 | Tuesday 21 | Wed 22 | |||||||||||||||
Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | |
Swell Height Map |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | |||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 11 | SW 11 | SW 10 | SW 10 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 11 | SW 11 | SW 11 | SSW 10 | SSW 12 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 13 | WSW 13 | WSW 12 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 3757 | 2494 | 1863 | 1088 | 787 | 647 | 377 | 365 | 369 | 773 | 736 | 617 | 422 | 338 | 301 | 703 | 3466 | 4509 | 3890 | 3088 | 2673 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | glassy | on | glassy | cross | cross | cross-off | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross | cross-on |
High Tide | 4:28AM1.56m | 4:55PM1.65m | 5:13AM1.50m | 5:38PM1.61m | 5:56AM1.41m | 6:19PM1.54m | 6:39AM1.30m | 7:01PM1.44m | 7:25AM1.19m | 7:46PM1.32m | 8:18AM1.09m | 8:38PM1.21m | 9:25AM1.02m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 10:25PM0.07m | 10:40AM0.02m | 11:10PM0.09m | 11:20AM0.08m | 11:55PM0.15m | 12:00PM0.17m | 00:39AM0.23m | 12:40PM0.28m | 1:25AM0.33m | 1:22PM0.40m | 2:14AM0.43m | 2:11PM0.52m | 3:15AM0.51m | 3:17PM0.61m | |||||||
 |  | |  |  | |  | | | | |  | | | | |  | | | | | |
 | — | 7:48 | — | — | 7:48 | — | — | 7:48 | — | — | 7:47 | — | — | 7:47 | — | — | 7:46 | — | — | 7:46 | — |
 | 5:59 | — | 6:00 | — | — | 6:00 | — | — | 6:00 | — | — | 6:00 | — | — | 6:01 | — | — | 6:02 | — | — | 6:02 |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 15 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 17 | 16 | 16 | 17 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 15 | 14 | 15 |
Feels °C | 14 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 15 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 15 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 13 | 12 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 13 | 11 | 12 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 11 | SW 11 | SW 10 | SW 10 | SW 9 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 11 | SW 11 | SW 11 | SSW 10 | SSW 12 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 13 | WSW 13 | WSW 12 |
| kJ | 3757 | 2494 | 1863 | 1088 | 787 | 647 | 377 | 365 | 212 | 773 | 736 | 617 | 422 | 338 | 301 | 703 | 3466 | 4509 | 3890 | 3088 | 2673 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | S 13 | SW 14 | SW 13 | WSW 11 | W 11 | W 10 | W 10 | W 10 | W 10 | SW 16 | W 9 | — | WSW 17 | — | — |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | — | 55 | 158 | 369 | 194 | 184 | 135 | 125 | 92 | 87 | 251 | 25 | — | 30 | — | — |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | SW 16 | S 12 | WSW 11 | S 11 | S 10 | S 10 | S 10 | S 7 | SSW 10 | W 9 | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | — | 10 | 100 | 164 | 57 | 54 | 50 | 67 | 40 | 35 | 58 | — | — | — | — | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | NW 9 | — | NNW 4 | N 4 | — |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 50 | — | 10 | 18 | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 29 | 0 | 28 | 28 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 29 | 0 | 17 | 28 | 0 | 28 | 31 | 82 | 401 | 413 | 82 | 97 | 31 |
Best forecast wave conditions in West Coast | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in South Africa | |||||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||||
- Map Icons:
Break
Live Wave Height (m)
Live Wind Speed (km/h)
Surf Rating (10 Max)
Ocean Swells (m)- Wind Speed (km/h)
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 Jacobs 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 Jacobs Bay Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Jacobs Bay provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Jacobs Bay can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Jacobs 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 (Jacobs 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 Jacobs 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.
Jacobs Bay is 8 km (5 miles) from the city of Saldanha. If you plan a holiday in West Coast, look for hotels and other accommodation in Saldanha. Saldanha has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.
Nearest