Surf Forecasts:
Thompsons Bay surf forecast from 26 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Wednesday 26 Aug, 8PM (local time) - 8ft (2.5m), 17s period, S swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Wednesday 26 Aug, 11PM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 17s period, S swell with 4,396 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Wednesday 26 Aug, 8PM (local time) - 8ft (2.5m), 17s 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 Wednesday (Aug 26) at 8PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 2.5m and 17s period. 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 3.0m 17s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Aug 26) at 11PM. 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+) | 8PM (Wed 26th Aug) | 8ft (2.5m) 17s |
| Best Surf | 8PM (Wed 26th Aug) | 8ft (2.5m) 17s |
| Most Powerful | 11PM (Wed 26th Aug) | 10ft (3.0m) 17s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Thompsons Bay over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s cooking for you fellas at Thompsons Bay over the next couple weeks.
Honestly, it’s a tough stretch ahead. We’ve got a whole lot of days where the wind is just going to mess things up, or the tide’s no good. The first proper run of surfable conditions doesn’t show up until Tuesday morning, 1st of September, so that’s a solid gap of a few days with nothing worth getting wet for.
The swell is mostly coming out of the S or ENE, with periods all over the place. The biggest energy we see is on Wednesday the 26th, with a 7ft S swell at 18 seconds, and the combined energy is pumping hard (2979). But that afternoon, the wind’s straight onshore from the SSE, so it’s a write-off. That long-period groundswell would usually be a treat for a point or reef, but here it’s just messy.
The real standout window is the morning of Tuesday the 1st of September. We’ve got a clean, light cross-off shore from the north at just 3 mph. You’ll find 5ft of ENE swell (period around 9 seconds). It’s a rare moment of clean conditions. The water temp is around 70°, which is pretty much normal for this time of year at Thompsons Bay. The break is fairly consistent, and with a NW offshore direction being ideal, that light northerly is a solid match. Crowds are possible here on a clean day, but early doors you might have it to yourself.
Another one to watch, but don’t get your hopes up too high, is the afternoon of Wednesday the 2nd of September. You’ll get 5ft from the SSW with a long 15-second period, and the wind is light onshore from the SSE. It’s not perfect, but the combined energy (1021) is decent. It’s a marginal one.
Everything else is either blown out by strong cross-shore winds (the NE winds are relentless from the 27th to the 29th, with gusts over 25 mph) or the swell’s too short-period and messy. When the swell gets over 8ft around the 5th and 6th of September, the wind is howling cross-shore, so that’s one for the kite crew, not for a paddle.
So if I was calling it, I’d be saving my energy for Tuesday the 1st of September in the morning. That’s your best shot at something clean and surfable.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 3mm), mostly falling on Wed night. Warm (max 25°C on Fri afternoon, min 16°C on Thu night). Winds increasing (calm on Wed night, strong winds from the NE by Thu afternoon). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 2mm), mostly falling on Sun night. Warm (max 27°C on Sat afternoon, min 17°C on Sat morning). Winds decreasing (strong winds from the NE on Sat afternoon, calm by Mon morning). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wednesday 26 | Thursday 27 | Friday 28 | Saturday 29 | Sunday 30 | Monday 31 | Tuesday 1 | |||||||||||||||
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 18 | S 18 | S 16 | S 14 | S 13 | S 13 | S 13 | ENE 8 | NE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 10 | E 9 | E 9 | ENE 9 | ENE 8 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 758 | 2979 | 3523 | 1487 | 915 | 760 | 455 | 837 | 711 | 649 | 1292 | 877 | 505 | 352 | 240 | 207 | 225 | 246 | 194 | 275 | 176 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | on | cross-off | cross | cross | cross-off | cross | cross | cross-off | cross | cross | cross-off | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off | cross | cross-on | cross-off | cross-on | cross-off | cross |
High Tide | 3:18PM1.67m | 3:24AM1.72m | 3:43PM1.81m | 3:50AM1.81m | 4:09PM1.91m | 4:17AM1.87m | 4:35PM1.97m | 4:44AM1.88m | 5:03PM1.99m | 5:12AM1.86m | 5:31PM1.95m | 5:41AM1.79m | 6:01PM1.86m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 9:05AM0.25m | 9:19PM0.27m | 9:31AM0.13m | 9:46PM0.16m | 9:56AM0.03m | 10:13PM0.08m | 10:22AM-0.03m | 10:41PM0.04m | 10:48AM-0.04m | 11:09PM0.04m | 11:16AM-0.01m | 11:39PM0.09m | 11:46AM0.06m | 00:10AM0.18m | |||||||
 | |  |  | |  | | | | | | | | | | | |  | | | | |
 | 6:16 | — | — | 6:16 | — | — | 6:15 | — | — | 6:13 | — | — | 6:13 | — | — | 6:11 | — | — | 6:09 | — | — |
 | — | 5:36 | — | — | 5:37 | — | — | 5:37 | — | — | 5:37 | — | — | 5:38 | — | — | 5:38 | — | — | 5:39 | — |
mm | — | — | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 21 | 21 | 19 | 21 | 21 | 18 | 24 | 25 | 19 | 25 | 27 | 23 | 21 | 21 | 20 | 21 | 21 | 20 | 24 | 28 | 31 |
Feels °C | 19 | 20 | 20 | 16 | 15 | 12 | 20 | 19 | 13 | 20 | 20 | 16 | 17 | 17 | 18 | 21 | 18 | 20 | 24 | 28 | 29 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 18 | S 18 | S 16 | S 14 | S 13 | S 13 | S 13 | S 12 | S 12 | S 12 | S 12 | S 12 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 10 | E 9 | S 7 | S 7 | ENE 8 |
| kJ | 758 | 2979 | 3523 | 1487 | 915 | 760 | 455 | 297 | 181 | 243 | 187 | 101 | 505 | 352 | 240 | 207 | 225 | 246 | 15 | 14 | 176 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 6 | — | SE 12 | — | S 17 | — | — | SSE 16 | S 15 | SSW 11 | — | SW 10 | SSE 11 | SSE 11 | SSE 10 | S 6 | SSE 6 | SSW 8 | S 9 | S 9 | S 19 |
| kJ | 45 | — | 6 | — | 278 | — | — | 86 | 165 | 12 | — | 4 | 40 | 23 | 21 | 47 | 26 | 21 | 2 | 2 | 7 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 14 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | SSE 13 | — | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | S 5 | S 11 | S 9 | SSW 19 |
| kJ | 82 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 18 | — | 10 | 11 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 35 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | ENE 5 | ENE 7 | NE 7 | ENE 7 | ENE 8 | NE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 9 | SSW 4 | S 6 | S 7 | — | — | ENE 4 | E 9 | ENE 9 | SSW 5 |
| kJ | — | — | — | 128 | 533 | 487 | 418 | 837 | 711 | 649 | 1292 | 877 | 22 | 160 | 130 | — | — | 20 | 194 | 275 | 143 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 19 | 39 | 0 | 732 | 891 | 314 | 462 | 592 | 447 | 471 | 741 | 138 | 172 | 118 | 0 | 42 | 776 | 0 | 42 | 0 | 898 |
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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