
Surf Forecasts:
Thompsons Bay surf forecast from 12 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Saturday 18 Jul, 8PM (local time) - 5ft (1.5m), 16s period, S swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Sunday 19 Jul, 2AM (local time) - 6.5ft (2.0m), 16s period, S swell with 1,913 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Sunday 12 Jul, 5PM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.3m), 12s period with S swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Thompsons Bay this week:
The surf forecast for Thompsons Bay over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Sunday (Jul 12) at 5PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.3m and 12s period with a secondary swell of 0.8m and 5s. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Thompsons Bay in the next 16 days are 2.0m 16s and forecast to arrive on Sunday (Jul 19) at 2AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.6m 6s period and expected on Thursday (Jul 16) at 11PM.
| Wave Type | Time (SAST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 5PM (Sun 12th Jul) | 4.5ft (1.3m) 12s |
| Best Surf | 8PM (Sat 18th Jul) | 5ft (1.5m) 16s |
| Most Powerful | 2AM (Sun 19th Jul) | 6.5ft (2.0m) 16s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Thompsons Bay over the next 16 days.
Yo, Rusty here. Let’s talk about what’s coming up for Thompsons Bay. This is a sheltered, intermediate spot, fairly consistent, and it’s got some action in the next 16 days.
First up, we’ve got a killer window to start. Sunday morning, July 12th is the best of the whole run. Glassy conditions, wind out of the south at just 3 mph, and a clean 5 ft swell from the south with a 12-second period. That’s a groundswell with proper energy—combined energy at 703 (moderate)—and it’s going to be clean as a whistle. Water temp is about average for this time of year. Sunday afternoon is similar, just a touch smaller at 4 ft, still glassy, still great. That’s the standout.
Monday, July 13th, the wind shifts and the quality drops. Morning has a 6 ft swell from the ESE, but it’s a short-period 8-second windswell, and the cross-shore wind at 9 mph will leave it lumpy. Afternoon gets worse with 12 mph winds and poor conditions. Not one to plan for.
Tuesday July 14th through Thursday July 16th is a stretch of marginal surf. Swell heights run from 5 ft to 6 ft, but the period is still short (8-10 seconds), and the wind is cross or cross-on. Energy is moderate (between 442 and 847), but it’s not going to be clean. The morning of the 14th might be the best of a mediocre bunch with light winds.
Friday July 17th is a write-off. Strong cross-onshore winds and messy, choppy conditions. Swell hits 6 ft in the afternoon, but it’s a 6-second period windswell with poor energy—just 494. Hard pass.
Then we get a spike. Saturday July 18th brings a big southerly groundswell. Morning sees 8 ft swell at 16 seconds, afternoon is 8 ft at 15 seconds. That’s a very long period, powerful swell, with combined energy jumping to 3679 (strong) in the morning and 2564 (strong) in the afternoon. This is a lot of water moving. The problem is the wind is light cross-onshore, and at this size, it’s really only for experienced surfers. The long period means it’ll be lining up cleanly at this sheltered bay, but it’s a serious paddle. Crowds are “sometimes” here, so you might have some company. This is another standout, but only if you’ve got the chops.
Sunday July 19th through Tuesday July 22nd is a rough patch. Strong winds, lumpy chop, and poor surf quality. Swell drops off and the period gets short again. The 22nd has a weird mix—morning has 8 ft at 8 seconds with fresh cross-shore winds, just ugly. Afternoon drops to 2 ft but with a 16-second period, but the wind is howling at 25 mph. No bueno.
Wednesday July 23rd through Friday July 25th is a long stretch of marginal to poor surf. Swell is small, mostly under 5 ft, and the wind is cross-on or cross. The periods are long (14-18 seconds), which is nice for shape, but the energy is moderate and the wind is never quite right. The 23rd afternoon has a 3 ft, 18-second swell—pretty but tiny.
Saturday July 26th has a 6 ft swell from the SSW at 16 seconds with moderate cross-onshore wind. Energy is strong (1826), but the wind is chopping it up. Sunday afternoon the 26th sees a 5 ft, 16-second swell with onshore wind, still not pristine.
Then, the capper. Monday morning, July 27th is glassy again. Wind out of the east at 3 mph, clean as can be. The swell is 5 ft from the south with a 16-second period, combined energy of 1411 (strong). This is a proper groundswell, and the forecast says “very good surf conditions.” This could be a gem, but it’s a full 15 days out, so keep an eye on it—long-range forecasts can change. If it holds, it’s a standout.
So, the two true standouts are Sunday July 12th (clean, glassy, 5 ft south swell) and Saturday July 18th (big, powerful 8 ft south groundswell for experts). The 27th is a promising maybe.
Rusty out.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 3mm), mostly falling on Sun morning. Warm (max 21°C on Tue afternoon, min 16°C on Sun night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 3mm), mostly falling on Fri night. Warm (max 21°C on Wed morning, min 17°C on Wed night). Winds increasing (calm on Wed night, fresh winds from the SSW by Fri afternoon). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Sunday 12 | Monday 13 | Tuesday 14 | Wednesday 15 | Thursday 16 | Friday 17 | Saturday 18 | |||||||||||||||
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) | S 12 | S 12 | SSW 12 | ESE 8 | E 8 | E 8 | SE 9 | ESE 9 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | SSW 7 | SSW 16 | S 13 | S 16 | S 16 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
668 | 472 | 140 | 318 | 292 | 216 | 406 | 626 | 602 | 653 | 575 | 520 | 449 | 392 | 426 | 271 | 308 | 527 | 1138 | 605 | 1913 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | glassy | cross-off | cross | cross | cross-off | cross-on | cross | cross-off | cross-on | cross | cross-off | cross-on | cross | cross-off | cross-on | cross-on | cross | on | cross | cross-off |
High Tide | 2:20PM1.52m | 2:42AM1.69m | 3:11PM1.66m | 3:30AM1.78m | 3:57PM1.79m | 4:13AM1.83m | 4:40PM1.87m | 4:53AM1.83m | 5:20PM1.90m | 5:31AM1.80m | 5:59PM1.87m | 6:07AM1.72m | 6:37PM1.80m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 8:06AM0.35m | 8:23PM0.33m | 8:58AM0.22m | 9:16PM0.21m | 9:42AM0.11m | 10:02PM0.14m | 10:23AM0.03m | 10:45PM0.11m | 11:02AM0.01m | 11:26PM0.14m | 11:39AM0.03m | 00:05AM0.20m | 12:15PM0.10m | 00:43AM0.30m | |||||||
6:48 | — | — | 6:48 | — | — | 6:48 | — | — | 6:48 | — | — | 6:48 | — | — | 6:48 | — | — | 6:47 | — | — | |
— | 5:12 | — | — | 5:12 | — | — | 5:13 | — | — | 5:13 | — | — | 5:14 | — | — | 5:14 | — | — | 5:15 | — | |
mm | 2 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | 12 | 1 | — |
Temp °C | 18 | 18 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 19 | 19 | 21 | 19 | 21 | 21 | 20 | 20 | 21 | 19 | 21 | 21 | 19 | 17 | 18 | 18 |
Feels °C | 18 | 17 | 19 | 17 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 20 | 21 | 20 | 20 | 22 | 21 | 20 | 20 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 12 | S 12 | S 8 | ESE 8 | S 11 | E 8 | SE 9 | ESE 9 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | SSW 16 | S 13 | S 11 | S 16 |
668 | 472 | 115 | 318 | 157 | 216 | 406 | 626 | 602 | 653 | 575 | 520 | 449 | 392 | 426 | 271 | 230 | 527 | 1138 | 371 | 1913 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 5 | ESE 5 | E 6 | S 11 | S 14 | SE 9 | E 9 | SSW 10 | SSW 10 | SSW 10 | SSW 9 | SSE 11 | S 9 | SSE 9 | SSW 15 | NE 6 | SSW 17 | E 10 | E 10 | S 16 | — |
27 | 36 | 54 | 160 | 33 | 77 | 150 | 34 | 19 | 18 | 17 | 11 | 6 | 8 | 84 | 45 | 29 | 194 | 216 | 605 | — | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 9 | E 9 | SSW 12 | S 14 | SE 11 | S 11 | S 10 | SSE 9 | — | S 12 | SE 11 | SSW 9 | SSE 10 | SSW 8 | SSE 11 | — | NE 6 | — | — | — | — |
13 | 13 | 140 | 62 | 5 | 110 | 54 | 8 | — | 3 | 5 | 8 | 11 | 7 | 11 | — | 5 | — | — | — | — | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | E 8 | N 4 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ENE 4 | NE 6 | SSW 4 | SSW 7 | S 7 | — | E 9 | E 9 |
— | — | — | — | 292 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 12 | 115 | 40 | 308 | 168 | — | 295 | 373 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 39 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 42 | 42 | 0 | 42 | 42 | 0 | 42 | 42 | 0 | 42 | 42 | 0 | 116 | 741 | 6 | 93 | 42 |
Best forecast wave conditions in KwaZulu-Natal North Coast | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in South Africa | |||||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the Thompsons Bay Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Thompsons Bay provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Thompsons Bay can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Thompsons 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 (Thompsons 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 Thompsons 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.
Thompsons Bay is 3 km (2 miles) from the city of Ballitoville. If you plan a holiday in KwaZulu-Natal North Coast, look for hotels and other accommodation in Ballitoville. Ballitoville has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.










