Thompsons Bay Surf Break

Lat Long: 29.53° S 31.22° E

Thompsons Bay Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Issued: 1 am 10 Aug 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's Thompsons Bay sea temperature is
21.7° C
0.4° 

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


Thompsons Bay surf forecast from 10 Aug 2026:

  • Best quality surf: Saturday 15 Aug, 8PM (local time) - 6.5ft (2.0m), 12s period, E swell with cross-offshore winds.
  • Most powerful swell: Monday 10 Aug, 5PM (local time) - 11ft (3.5m), 9s period, S swell with 2,322 kJ wave energy.
  • Next surfable swell (1★+): Wednesday 12 Aug, 11PM (local time) - 7ft (2.2m), 9s period with SE 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 Wednesday (Aug 12) at 11PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 2.2m and 9s period with a secondary swell of 0.5m and 11s. 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 3.5m 9s and forecast to arrive on Monday (Aug 10) at 5PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives.

Wave TypeTime (SAST) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+)11PM (Wed 12th Aug)7ft (2.2m) 9s
Best Surf 8PM (Sat 15th Aug)6.5ft (2.0m) 12s
Most Powerful 5PM (Mon 10th Aug)11ft (3.5m) 9s

Table - best surf conditions forecast for Thompsons Bay over the next 16 days.


The Lowdown

G’day, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s coming up for Thompsons Bay.

Honestly, the next couple of weeks are a pretty grim stretch. We’ve got a massive gap with almost nothing worth paddling out for. The first real sniff of anything decent doesn’t come until Thursday the 13th of August, and even then it’s only just a glimpse. Before that, it’s a write-off: Monday the 10th through to Wednesday the 12th are all blown out, with strong winds, messy cross-chop, and solid, ugly swell mixing in. It’s just not surfable.

Thursday morning the 13th is the one window that stands out. The water temp is sitting at 71°F which is pretty much average for this time of year, nothing wild. We’ve got a clean-looking 6 ft swell from the ESE with a 9-second period. That period isn’t anything special, but the wind is light, a gentle cross-off breeze coming out of the SW. That combo should give us some halfway decent, workable waves at Thompsons Bay. The combined energy is moderate (633) and it’s a sheltered spot, so it could be alright for a session if you’re an intermediate surfer. But it’s a fleeting moment.

Thursday afternoon the wind swings, and we’re back into light cross-onshore and small wind ripples. Friday the 14th is marginal at best with 5 ft ESE swell and light cross-onshore. Saturday the 15th and Sunday the 16th are both in the “marginal” category – inconsistent, 6 ft to 7 ft E swell with 11-second period, which is long enough to give some shape but the cross-onshore or cross winds will keep it bumpy. Combined energies around 900-1000, moderate, but not clean.

From there it just fades off into nothing. The rest of the week from the 17th through to the 25th is mostly poor, with fresh to strong onshore winds and lumpy, messy conditions. There’s a spike on the 25th with a raw 10 ft S swell, but with 16 mph SSW winds and a 8-second period, it’s just a messy, cross-shore chop-fest. That’s for experts only, and even then it doesn’t look fun.

Honestly, if you’re set on a paddle, Thursday the 13th morning is your only real shot. The rest is either blown out, marginal, or a full-on mess. Keep an eye on the forecasts though – things can shift.

Rusty.

Short Range Forecast

Heavy rain (total 49mm), heaviest during Mon morning. Very mild (max 18°C on Wed night, min 14°C on Mon morning). Winds decreasing (strong winds from the SSW on Mon afternoon, calm by Wed night).

Days 4-6 Weather Summary

Some drizzle, heaviest during Thu night. Very mild (max 19°C on Fri afternoon, min 15°C on Thu morning). Wind will be generally light.

Monday
10
Tuesday
11
Wednesday
12
Thursday
13
Friday
14
Saturday
15
Sunday
16
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
Rating
(10 max)
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
2
2
0
2
1
1
2
1
1
3
2
1
2
Swell
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Wave
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
3.5
S
9
3.5
S
9
3
SSE
9
2.5
SSE
8
2.1
SSE
8
2.3
SE
10
3
SE
9
2.4
SE
9
2.2
SE
9
1.7
ESE
9
1.4
SE
8
1.5
ESE
8
1.5
ESE
8
1.5
E
10
1.8
ESE
10
1.9
E
11
1.9
E
11
2.1
E
12
2
E
11
1.9
E
11
1.8
E
10
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
1744
2322
1288
891
587
978
1291
973
743
449
281
300
293
423
680
894
850
1215
976
850
720
Wind (km/h)
40
SSW
40
SSW
35
SW
30
SSW
30
S
35
SSE
20
SSE
15
SSE
10
WSW
15
SW
10
SSE
5
WSW
5
S
10
E
10
NW
15
ENE
10
ENE
10
NW
10
E
10
ENE
10
NW
Wind State
cross-on
cross
cross
cross
cross-on
cross-on
on
on
cross-off
cross-off
cross-on
cross-off
cross-on
cross-on
off
cross
cross
off
cross-on
cross-on
off
High Tide
2:25PM1.53m
2:43AM1.65m
3:10PM1.72m
3:24AM1.77m
3:49PM1.88m
4:01AM1.86m
4:25PM1.97m
4:35AM1.89m
4:58PM2.00m
5:07AM1.87m
5:30PM1.97m
5:38AM1.81m
6:00PM1.88m
Low Tide
8:10AM0.39m
8:30PM0.35m
8:55AM0.22m
9:16PM0.20m
9:33AM0.07m
9:55PM0.10m
10:08AM-0.03m
10:31PM0.05m
10:41AM-0.07m
11:04PM0.05m
11:13AM-0.05m
11:36PM0.10m
11:43AM0.03m
00:06AM0.19m
heavy rain
light rain
light rain
light rain
light rain
rain showers
rain showers
rain showers
rain showers
part cloud
part cloud
rain showers
part cloud
clear
clear
clear
part cloud
clear
clear
clear
clear
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
6:33
6:31
6:31
6:30
6:28
6:28
6:26
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
5:28
5:28
5:29
5:29
5:30
5:30
5:30
 mm
13
5
3
3
3
10
4
4
4
1
Temp °C
15
16
16
16
16
17
17
17
18
16
18
17
18
19
18
19
19
18
19
19
18
Feels °C
8
8
9
10
10
12
13
13
16
13
15
16
17
18
17
17
17
18
18
17
18
  • Map Icons:
  • Break
  • 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 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.

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