Surf Forecasts:
Thompsons Bay surf forecast from 7 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Thursday 10 Sep, 8PM (local time) - 8ft (2.5m), 8s period, ENE swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Monday 7 Sep, 5PM (local time) - 8ft (2.4m), 16s period, S swell with 2,824 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Thursday 10 Sep, 8PM (local time) - 8ft (2.5m), 8s 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 Thursday (Sep 10) at 8PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 2.5m and 8s period with a secondary swell of 2.1m and 8s. Another secondary swell of 0.4m and 10s is also forecast. 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 2.4m 16s and forecast to arrive on Monday (Sep 07) at 5PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives.
| Wave Type | Time (SAST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 8PM (Thu 10th Sep) | 8ft (2.5m) 8s |
| Best Surf | 8PM (Thu 10th Sep) | 8ft (2.5m) 8s |
| Most Powerful | 5PM (Mon 7th Sep) | 8ft (2.4m) 16s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Thompsons Bay over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, let’s talk in feet and miles per hour for you. Thompsons Bay is a sheltered spot, takes a south swell best, and the water temp is sitting at about 69°F, pretty normal for the time of year.
The 16-day window is a tough one. There’s a big gap with no decent surf for the first several days. The first real recommendation doesn’t show up until the 15th of September, Tuesday afternoon. That’s a long wait. From the 7th right through the morning of the 15th, it’s mostly cross-shore winds, messy chop, and poor surf conditions. A few days have some size, like a 10-foot south swell on the 7th morning with a 17-second period, but the wind is cross and the combined energy is huge (5344), but the wave comment says it’s marginal or questionable. Not worth it. The period is long, so it’s a groundswell, but at a sheltered beach break, that long period can make it break too straight.
The first standout hits on the 15th of September, Tuesday afternoon. Finally, clean conditions. The wind shifts to a light cross-offshore from the west at 9 mph, and the swell is about 5 feet from the east with a 9-second period. The combined energy is moderate (459). The wave comment says “expect good surf conditions.” That’s the one. It’s not huge, but it’s clean, and after all that chop, it’s a winner. Crowds are possible here sometimes, so you might have company.
The 20th of September, Sunday morning, is another one to mark. Light cross-offshore from the WSW at just 3 mph, almost glassy. Swell is about 7 feet from the southeast with a 10-second period, combined energy at 942, moderate. Clean conditions again. That’s a solid morning. But it’s over a week and a half away, so keep it on the radar.
The rest of the period is mostly messy, with strong winds, cross-chop, or onshore conditions. The 17th and 18th have some size, 10 to 13 feet, but the wind is either cross-on or strong cross, and the wave comments are poor. That’s expert-only, if anyone’s brave. On those big windy days, it looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing.
So, bottom line: the first real shot is the 15th of September afternoon, and the 20th morning is another clean one. Everything else is a miss or a mess. Forecasts can change, but right now, it’s a waiting game.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 23°C on Wed morning, min 16°C on Mon night). Winds increasing (calm on Mon morning, strong winds from the ENE by Tue afternoon). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 25°C on Thu afternoon, min 19°C on Thu night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Monday 7 | Tuesday 8 | Wednesday 9 | Thursday 10 | Friday 11 | Saturday 12 | Sunday 13 | |||||||||||||||
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 17 | S 16 | S 14 | S 12 | ENE 7 | ENE 7 | ENE 7 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | ENE 7 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 5226 | 2824 | 1143 | 411 | 444 | 407 | 359 | 766 | 672 | 554 | 549 | 412 | 230 | 203 | 164 | 130 | 127 | 164 | 278 | 1310 | 958 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross | cross | cross-off | cross | cross | cross-off | cross | cross | cross-off | cross | cross | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross | on | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross-off |
High Tide | 1:34PM1.39m | 1:53AM1.48m | 2:20PM1.61m | 2:34AM1.65m | 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 | ||||||||
Low Tide | 7:44PM0.51m | 8:04AM0.37m | 8:28PM0.32m | 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 | ||||||||
 |  |  |  | | | | | | | |  | | | | | | | | | | |
 | 6:03 | — | — | 6:01 | — | — | 6:01 | — | — | 6:00 | — | — | 5:58 | — | — | 5:56 | — | — | 5:56 | — | — |
 | — | 5:43 | — | — | 5:43 | — | — | 5:44 | — | — | 5:44 | — | — | 5:45 | — | — | 5:45 | — | — | 5:45 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 17 | 18 | 18 | 21 | 22 | 19 | 23 | 23 | 20 | 24 | 25 | 20 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 22 | 21 | 20 | 26 | 25 | 23 |
Feels °C | 17 | 16 | 15 | 17 | 16 | 14 | 19 | 17 | 15 | 21 | 22 | 22 | 18 | 18 | 20 | 22 | 20 | 21 | 24 | 22 | 21 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 17 | S 16 | S 14 | S 12 | SSE 10 | SSE 11 | SSE 11 | SSE 11 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | ENE 8 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | S 8 | SSW 17 | SSW 15 |
| kJ | 5226 | 2824 | 1143 | 411 | 173 | 164 | 123 | 90 | 63 | 42 | 20 | 412 | 230 | 203 | 164 | 130 | 127 | 164 | 43 | 164 | 133 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 10 | — | E 10 | SSW 13 | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | S 16 | SW 15 | SE 12 | SSE 11 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | SSW 6 | S 7 | S 7 | S 8 | SSW 17 | SSE 8 | S 10 |
| kJ | 118 | — | 48 | 102 | 46 | 56 | 27 | 13 | 5 | 8 | 6 | 11 | 53 | 44 | 48 | 59 | 67 | 72 | 93 | 20 | 19 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | S 20 | E 10 | SSW 13 | S 16 | S 16 | SW 17 | SW 11 | — | SW 14 | S 20 | SE 11 | SE 12 | SW 13 | SSW 12 | SSW 13 | SSW 11 | SSW 11 | SSW 11 | SE 10 |
| kJ | — | — | 7 | 30 | 57 | 5 | 5 | 11 | 4 | — | 7 | 7 | 4 | 5 | 7 | 14 | 31 | 25 | 40 | 37 | 4 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | E 10 | NE 5 | ENE 6 | ENE 7 | ENE 7 | ENE 7 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | SSW 3 | SSW 5 | SSW 6 | SSW 6 | — | — | ENE 4 | ENE 7 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 |
| kJ | — | 122 | 53 | 148 | 444 | 407 | 359 | 766 | 672 | 554 | 549 | 3 | 56 | 64 | 71 | — | — | 19 | 278 | 1310 | 958 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 42 | 42 | 42 | 514 | 732 | 314 | 314 | 732 | 42 | 42 | 142 | 39 | 305 | 118 | 6 | 118 | 42 | 25 | 42 | 373 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in KwaZulu-Natal North Coast | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in South Africa | |||||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||||
- Map Icons:
Break
Live Wave Height (m)
Live Wind Speed (km/h)
Surf Rating (10 Max)
Ocean Swells (m)- Wind Speed (km/h)
FREE! Surf-Forecast.com widget for your website
The surf report / weather widget below is available to embed on third party websites free of charge and provides a summary of our Thompsons Bay surf forecast. Simply grab the html code snippet that we provide and paste it into your own site. You can choose your preferred language and metric/imperial units for the surf forecast feed to suit users of your site. Click here to get the code.
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.
Nearest