Surf Forecasts:
Thompsons Bay surf forecast from 14 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Tuesday 15 Sep, 5AM (local time) - 8ft (2.5m), 9s period, ENE swell with offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Monday 21 Sep, 2PM (local time) - 13ft (4.0m), 10s period, SSW swell with 2,931 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Tuesday 15 Sep, 5AM (local time) - 8ft (2.5m), 9s period with ENE 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 Tuesday (Sep 15) at 5AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 2.5m and 9s period with a secondary swell of 0.4m and 13s. The wind is predicted to be offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Thompsons Bay in the next 16 days are 4.0m 10s and forecast to arrive on Monday (Sep 21) at 2PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.5m 4s period and expected on Saturday (Sep 19) at 2AM.
| Wave Type | Time (SAST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 5AM (Tue 15th Sep) | 8ft (2.5m) 9s |
| Best Surf | 5AM (Tue 15th Sep) | 8ft (2.5m) 9s |
| Most Powerful | 2PM (Mon 21st Sep) | 13ft (4.0m) 10s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Thompsons Bay over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
G'day, I'm Rusty. Let’s break down what's coming for Thompsons Bay.
First off, it’s not a pretty start. Strong cross-shore winds and messy conditions dominate the early forecast. Water temp sits at about 68°F at the start, a touch cooler than usual for the season.
Kicking off Monday 14 September, we’ve got a 8ft ENE swell with a short 7-second period, and a stiff 28 mph cross wind. The combined energy is moderate (928), but it’s cross-chop central. Afternoon gets bigger at 12ft with even worse wind. No good.
Tuesday 15 September drops to 6ft from the east with a 9-second period, but the wind stays onshore or cross-on. Energy around 650. Still a no-go. Wednesday 16 is similar – 6ft east swell, light cross-onshore breeze, poor quality.
Thursday 17 September is marginal – 4ft to 5ft east swell, light winds, but the quality is only borderline. Not worth getting excited about.
Friday 18 September brings a big jump: 10ft SE swell in the morning with a 20 mph cross wind and strong energy (2248). By afternoon it’s 13ft with near gale cross-onshore winds. That’s blown out and more for kite surfers than paddlers.
Now, Saturday 19 September morning is your best bet. A solid 10ft SE swell with an 11-second period, light cross-offshore breeze from the WSW at just 9 mph, and energy a strong 1871. The report says clean. For an intermediate surfer, this is the session. Swell direction matches the optimum and the offshore wind will groom the waves. It’s a fairly consistent spot, though expect some company on a Saturday.
Sunday 20 fades to 8ft ESE but the breeze picks up and quality dips.
Monday 21 September sees another strong pulse – 13ft SSW swell with light cross-shore wind in the morning and very strong energy (3095). Afternoon gets hammered by 28 mph cross wind. Morning might be an expert-only window, but 13ft is big and the swell direction isn’t ideal.
The second week gets patchy. A long-period SSW groundswell with 13–16-second periods arrives Wednesday 23 and Thursday 24. Thursday 24 afternoon turns glassy – 3ft SSW swell, 16-second period, moderate energy (727). Clean but tiny.
From there to 29 September it’s mostly cross-shore winds and lumpy conditions. Swells range from 2ft to 10ft but wind rarely plays ball. The 29th morning offers a clean cross-offshore breeze with an 8ft ENE swell, but the period is short (8 seconds) and it’s only marginal.
Bottom line: get out on Saturday 19 September morning. That’s the standout. Clean, solid swell, right direction, light offshore breeze. Crowds possible, but that’s the one.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 6mm), mostly falling on Tue afternoon. Warm (max 26°C on Mon afternoon, min 17°C on Wed night). Winds decreasing (strong winds from the NE on Mon afternoon, light winds from the W by Tue night). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryHeavy rain (total 112mm), heaviest during Fri morning. Warm (max 22°C on Sat afternoon, min 17°C on Thu morning). Winds increasing (calm on Thu night, near gales from the SSW by Fri afternoon). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Monday 14 | Tuesday 15 | Wednesday 16 | Thursday 17 | Friday 18 | Saturday 19 | Sunday 20 | |||||||||||||||
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 8 | ENE 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | ESE 9 | SE 9 | SE 10 | SE 10 | SE 11 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | E 10 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 655 | 1725 | 1604 | 601 | 606 | 580 | 586 | 510 | 379 | 340 | 541 | 838 | 1544 | 2723 | 1902 | 1780 | 1424 | 772 | 1000 | 725 | 861 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross | cross | cross-off | cross-on | on | off | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross | cross | glassy | cross | cross-on | cross | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross | cross | cross |
High Tide | 5:22PM1.89m | 5:32AM1.74m | 5:47PM1.75m | 5:57AM1.61m | 6:10PM1.60m | 6:21AM1.47m | 6:34PM1.43m | 6:46AM1.30m | 7:00PM1.26m | 7:19AM1.13m | 7:45PM1.09m | 11:46AM1.01m | 00:35AM1.09m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 11:09AM0.03m | 11:29PM0.13m | 11:35AM0.14m | 11:54PM0.24m | 12:01PM0.28m | 00:19AM0.38m | 12:26PM0.45m | 00:45AM0.53m | 12:53PM0.62m | 1:19AM0.70m | 1:29PM0.80m | 3:00AM0.86m | 6:08PM0.89m | ||||||||
 | |  |  |  | | |  |  |  | |  |  | | | | | | | |  | |
 | 5:54 | — | — | 5:54 | — | — | 5:52 | — | — | 5:50 | — | — | 5:50 | — | — | 5:48 | — | — | 5:48 | — | — |
 | — | 5:45 | — | — | 5:46 | — | — | 5:46 | — | — | 5:47 | — | — | 5:47 | — | — | 5:49 | — | — | 5:49 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | 3 | — | — | — | 3 | 5 | 3 | 17 | 30 | 18 | 38 | 1 | — | — | — | — | 1 |
Temp °C | 25 | 26 | 23 | 23 | 22 | 19 | 22 | 23 | 20 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 20 | 22 | 20 | 24 | 24 | 22 |
Feels °C | 19 | 19 | 15 | 23 | 21 | 19 | 22 | 21 | 15 | 16 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 12 | 12 | 19 | 21 | 20 | 21 | 20 | 20 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 9 | S 15 | SSW 14 | E 9 | E 9 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | S 8 | SSW 13 | SE 10 | SE 10 | SE 11 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | E 10 |
| kJ | 138 | 121 | 63 | 601 | 606 | 580 | 586 | 510 | 379 | 340 | 541 | 201 | 127 | 1997 | 1902 | 1780 | 1424 | 772 | 1000 | 725 | 861 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 14 | S 9 | — | SSW 12 | SSW 3 | S 11 | SSW 10 | SSW 16 | SSW 14 | SSW 15 | S 8 | SSW 15 | E 10 | E 9 | E 10 | E 9 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | SSW 12 | SSW 18 |
| kJ | 81 | 2 | — | 49 | 2 | 21 | 10 | 26 | 37 | 21 | 161 | 169 | 231 | 81 | 88 | 41 | 44 | 18 | 16 | 14 | 30 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 18 | — | — | — | SSW 12 | SW 17 | S 12 | — | — | SW 15 | SSW 14 | NE 8 | SSW 13 | SSW 12 | SSW 11 | SSW 16 | SW 11 | — | SW 13 | SW 15 | SSW 11 |
| kJ | 54 | — | — | — | 27 | 12 | 11 | — | — | 54 | 18 | 2 | 346 | 56 | 24 | 50 | 30 | — | 42 | 8 | 12 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ENE 7 | ENE 8 | ENE 9 | — | — | — | — | S 5 | S 7 | S 7 | — | ESE 9 | SE 9 | SE 10 | W 4 | — | ENE 9 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 7 | WSW 3 |
| kJ | 655 | 1725 | 1604 | — | — | — | — | 138 | 279 | 233 | — | 838 | 1544 | 2723 | 6 | — | 26 | 488 | 469 | 334 | 1 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 592 | 522 | 142 | 39 | 42 | 0 | 42 | 941 | 39 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 117 | 117 | 117 | 0 | 42 | 732 | 462 | 258 | 6 |
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.
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