
Surf Forecasts:
Thompsons Bay surf forecast from 9 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Thursday 10 Sep, 5AM (local time) - 8ft (2.4m), 8s period, NE swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Monday 14 Sep, 8PM (local time) - 11ft (3.5m), 8s period, ENE swell with 1,861 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Thursday 10 Sep, 5AM (local time) - 8ft (2.4m), 8s period with NE 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 Thursday (Sep 10) at 5AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 2.4m and 8s period with a secondary swell of 1.9m and 8s. Another secondary swell of 0.5m and 11s is also forecast. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Thompsons Bay in the next 16 days are 3.5m 8s and forecast to arrive on Monday (Sep 14) at 8PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives.
| Wave Type | Time (SAST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 5AM (Thu 10th Sep) | 8ft (2.4m) 8s |
| Best Surf | 5AM (Thu 10th Sep) | 8ft (2.4m) 8s |
| Most Powerful | 8PM (Mon 14th Sep) | 11ft (3.5m) 8s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Thompsons Bay over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
G’day, Rusty here. Gotta be straight with you—this stretch is a tough one. Over the next 16 days, Thompsons Bay is pretty much a write-off for decent waves. There’s no standout session in the whole window, and most of the time the wind is just ruining it. The few moments where the swell isn’t horrible get trashed by cross-shore or cross-onshore breezes, and when the wind does ease up, it’s often glassy but the surf is ordinary at best. That’s the reality here.
Starting off on Wednesday 9 September, it’s already messy. The swell is 6 ft from the ENE with a short 7-second period, but a 25 km/h NE cross-wind chops it up—poor conditions. Thursday 10 September and Friday 11 September don’t get any better; Thursday has similar 6 ft to 7 ft ENE swell with cross-winds, and Friday drops to 3 ft to 4 ft but picks up a cross-onshore breeze from the SSW, so it’s lumpy and choppy.
The weekend into the following week stays grim. Saturday 12 September has tiny 3 ft to 3 ft E swell, cross-onshore wind, and weak energy (182–192). Sunday 13 September morning has a long-period 18-second SSW groundswell, but it’s only 2 ft and cross-onshore—hardly worth a paddle. That afternoon, the wind turns onshore from the SE with a 7 ft ENE swell, but it’s marginal, and the conditions are questionable.
Monday 14 September gets ugly: a 10 ft to 12 ft ENE swell with a 7–8 second period, but 45–55 km/h NE cross-winds make it a full-on mess—this is kite-surf territory, not paddle surfing. The combined swell energy shoots up to 1082 to 1853, but with that wind, you wouldn’t want to be out there.
Tuesday 15 September afternoon is the only flicker of hope. The swell drops to 5 ft from the E with an 8-second period, and the wind goes glassy (5 km/h SSE). The wave comment says “surfable waves but very ordinary conditions,” so it’s clean but uninspiring. That’s your best shot, but it’s a weak one.
From Wednesday 16 September onward, it’s back to poor surf with cross-onshore winds and messy conditions. Swell sizes bounce between 5 ft and 12 ft, but the wind never plays ball—strong cross-shore or fresh cross-onshore keeps it lumpy and choppy. By the second week, there’s a marginal moment on Saturday 19 September with 8 ft SE swell (12-second period) and light onshore wind, but it’s still only a 1 out of 10. After that, it’s more of the same: big swell, poor wind, and no quality.
The water temp is 69°F with a -0.8° anomaly—pretty average for this time of year, nothing unusual.
In short, don’t get your hopes up. If you’re desperate, the glassy window on Tuesday 15 September afternoon might let you float around on some average 5 ft waves, but there’s no real standout here.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 25°C on Thu afternoon, min 17°C on Wed morning). Winds decreasing (strong winds from the ENE on Wed afternoon, calm by Fri night). | Days 4-6 Weather SummarySome drizzle, heaviest during Mon night. Warm (max 27°C on Mon morning, min 18°C on Sun night). Winds increasing (light winds from the NNE on Sat night, near gales from the NE by Mon afternoon). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wednesday 9 | Thursday 10 | Friday 11 | Saturday 12 | Sunday 13 | Monday 14 | Tuesday 15 | |||||||||||||||
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) | ENE 7 | ENE 7 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 6 | SSW 18 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 9 | E 9 | E 8 | ENE 9 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
307 | 607 | 574 | 388 | 474 | 318 | 194 | 173 | 160 | 127 | 99 | 166 | 246 | 557 | 507 | 947 | 1783 | 1051 | 425 | 313 | 641 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross | cross | cross-off | cross | cross | cross | cross-on | cross-on | glassy | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off | cross-on | on | cross-off | cross | cross | cross-off | cross-on | glassy | off |
High Tide | 2:57PM1.80m | 3:09AM1.78m | 3:30PM1.95m | 3:41AM1.87m | 4:00PM2.02m | 4:11AM1.90m | 4:29PM2.03m | 4:39AM1.89m | 4:56PM1.98m | 5:06AM1.84m | 5:22PM1.89m | 5:32AM1.74m | 5:47PM1.75m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 8:41AM0.18m | 9:05PM0.17m | 9:14AM0.04m | 9:37PM0.06m | 9:45AM-0.04m | 10:07PM0.01m | 10:14AM-0.07m | 10:36PM0.00m | 10:42AM-0.05m | 11:03PM0.04m | 11:09AM0.03m | 11:29PM0.13m | 11:35AM0.14m | 11:54PM0.24m | |||||||
6:01 | — | — | 6:00 | — | — | 5:58 | — | — | 5:56 | — | — | 5:56 | — | — | 5:54 | — | — | 5:54 | — | — | |
— | 5:44 | — | — | 5:44 | — | — | 5:45 | — | — | 5:45 | — | — | 5:45 | — | — | 5:45 | — | — | 5:46 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 1 | 1 | — |
Temp °C | 23 | 23 | 20 | 24 | 25 | 22 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 22 | 22 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 20 | 27 | 26 | 23 | 25 | 23 | 22 |
Feels °C | 19 | 17 | 16 | 21 | 22 | 22 | 18 | 18 | 22 | 20 | 21 | 23 | 22 | 24 | 22 | 20 | 18 | 16 | 23 | 22 | 23 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 11 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | ENE 8 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 6 | SSW 18 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | E 9 | E 8 | E 9 |
123 | 86 | 63 | 42 | 20 | 318 | 194 | 173 | 160 | 127 | 99 | 166 | 246 | 276 | 176 | 125 | 68 | 34 | 425 | 313 | 432 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 12 | SW 11 | S 16 | SW 15 | SSE 12 | SSE 11 | SSW 17 | SSW 16 | S 5 | S 6 | S 8 | S 8 | SSE 8 | SSE 8 | S 10 | S 9 | S 9 | SSW 13 | SSW 12 | SSW 11 | SSW 11 |
27 | 5 | 5 | 9 | 15 | 11 | 97 | 80 | 21 | 16 | 45 | 66 | 51 | 24 | 17 | 6 | 2 | 68 | 29 | 25 | 24 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 16 | SW 17 | SW 11 | SSW 15 | S 14 | SSW 19 | SSE 11 | SE 12 | SSW 14 | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | SSW 11 | SSW 10 | SSW 10 | SE 8 | SE 10 | — | — | SSW 4 | SSW 4 | S 26 |
5 | 11 | 4 | 21 | 4 | 37 | 11 | 5 | 37 | 29 | 28 | 24 | 22 | 20 | 16 | 4 | — | — | 2 | 2 | 13 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ENE 7 | ENE 7 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | — | SSW 5 | S 6 | — | E 4 | E 4 | NE 6 | ENE 7 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 9 | — | — | ENE 9 |
307 | 607 | 574 | 388 | 474 | — | 53 | 72 | — | 10 | 20 | 95 | 178 | 557 | 507 | 947 | 1783 | 1051 | — | — | 641 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 514 | 732 | 25 | 346 | 277 | 6 | 118 | 741 | 0 | 42 | 42 | 0 | 42 | 42 | 42 | 721 | 522 | 129 | 42 | 0 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in KwaZulu-Natal North Coast | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in South Africa | |||||||||||||||||||||
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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.










