Surf Forecasts:
Thompsons Bay surf forecast from 5 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Wednesday 12 Aug, 5PM (local time) - 7ft (2.1m), 9s period, SE swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Monday 10 Aug, 5AM (local time) - 11ft (3.5m), 9s period, SSW swell with 1,930 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Wednesday 5 Aug, 11PM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 10s period with ESE 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 05) at 11PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.9m and 10s period with a secondary swell of 0.8m and 6s. Another secondary swell of 1.2m and 6s is also forecast. 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 3.5m 9s and forecast to arrive on Monday (Aug 10) at 5AM. 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 3s period and expected on Saturday (Aug 08) at 8AM.
| Wave Type | Time (SAST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 11PM (Wed 5th Aug) | 3ft (0.9m) 10s |
| Best Surf | 5PM (Wed 12th Aug) | 7ft (2.1m) 9s |
| Most Powerful | 5AM (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. Look, I’ve been staring at the charts for Thompsons Bay and, honestly, it’s a pretty bleak stretch ahead. We’ve got a long, dry spell with nothing worth paddling out for until the middle of next week. The first week is basically a write-off – a whole lot of poor surf conditions with onshore winds and tiny, weak swell. You’re better off doing the gardening.
Then, finally, on Wednesday, 12 August, things start to turn. The morning shows a real shift – glassy conditions, a clean 4 ft swell from the SSW with a nice long period of 12 seconds, and the combined energy is a solid moderate 889. That’s a proper groundswell, and it’ll be peeling with some shape. The afternoon gets even better: the swell bumps up to 7 ft from the SE, period drops to 9 seconds, but the energy is strong at 1005 and it’s dead flat calm, glassy as a mirror. This is the standout of the whole outlook. For the more experienced crew, this afternoon session will be a gem – clean, powerful, and all to yourself if you’re lucky. The water temp is about average for this time of year, nothing to write home about.
Thursday, 13 August keeps the run going, but it’s a step down. The morning has clean 5 ft sets from the ESE with a period of 8 seconds and moderate energy (457), still glassy. The afternoon drops to 4 ft, same direction, but it gets a bit ordinary. From Friday, 14 August onwards, it’s back to the cross-shore chop and poor conditions, with the swell hanging around 3 ft to 4 ft but all messed up by the wind. The last few days of the outlook show a bit more size – 6 ft on the 20th and 7 ft on the 21st – but the wind is still cross or cross-onshore, so it’s messy and lumpy. Not worth getting excited about.
Rusty, signing off.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 28°C on Thu morning, min 17°C on Fri night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the S on Thu afternoon, calm by Fri night). | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryModerate rain (total 19mm), heaviest on Tue afternoon. Warm (max 22°C on Sat night, min 14°C on Sun night). Winds increasing (light winds from the WSW on Sun morning, gales from the SSW by Sun night). | ||||||||||||||||||
Thursday 6 | Friday 7 | Saturday 8 | Sunday 9 | Monday 10 | Tuesday 11 | ||||||||||||||
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) | ESE 10 | E 10 | SSW 17 | SSW 16 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | E 9 | E 10 | SSW 16 | SSW 14 | E 10 | SSW 16 | SSW 8 | S 9 | S 9 | SSE 9 | S 8 | SSE 8 | S 13 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 154 | 120 | 162 | 85 | 104 | 98 | 83 | 99 | 140 | 465 | 117 | 138 | 1633 | 1802 | 1693 | 1050 | 781 | 773 | 1070 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | off | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross-on | on | cross-off | cross | cross | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on |
High Tide | 8:05AM1.35m | 8:49PM1.41m | 9:22AM1.20m | 10:32PM1.30m | 11:42AM1.17m | 00:36AM1.35m | 1:26PM1.32m | 1:52AM1.49m | 2:25PM1.53m | 2:43AM1.65m | 3:10PM1.72m | 3:24AM1.77m | |||||||
Low Tide | 2:06AM0.50m | 2:17PM0.49m | 3:16AM0.63m | 3:39PM0.64m | 5:15AM0.68m | 5:52PM0.66m | 7:06AM0.57m | 7:31PM0.52m | 8:10AM0.39m | 8:30PM0.35m | 8:55AM0.22m | 9:16PM0.20m | |||||||
 |  |  |  | | | | | | | | |  |  | |  | | |  | |
 | — | 6:35 | — | — | 6:35 | — | — | 6:33 | — | — | 6:33 | — | — | 6:33 | — | — | 6:31 | — | — |
 | 5:24 | — | 5:24 | — | — | 5:25 | — | — | 5:27 | — | — | 5:27 | — | — | 5:28 | — | — | 5:28 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 11 |
Temp °C | 21 | 28 | 21 | 19 | 20 | 20 | 19 | 24 | 25 | 22 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 16 | 17 | 16 | 15 | 16 | 16 |
Feels °C | 20 | 25 | 18 | 17 | 19 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 20 | 20 | 19 | 18 | 18 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 9 | 12 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 10 | E 10 | ENE 7 | E 10 | E 9 | E 9 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | SSW 14 | S 14 | S 13 |
| kJ | 154 | 120 | 121 | 85 | 83 | 83 | 83 | 87 | 92 | 83 | 117 | 85 | 60 | 68 | 68 | 92 | 449 | 494 | 1070 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ENE 6 | ENE 6 | SSW 17 | SSW 16 | S 6 | S 6 | SSW 12 | SSW 17 | SSW 16 | E 10 | SSW 14 | SSW 16 | — | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | E 10 | E 10 | E 9 | SE 8 |
| kJ | 44 | 26 | 162 | 80 | 35 | 24 | 57 | 99 | 140 | 46 | 75 | 138 | — | 51 | 44 | 121 | 89 | 62 | 341 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 18 | SSW 17 | ENE 6 | NE 6 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | SSE 5 | SSW 12 | SSE 7 | E 10 | SSE 7 | NE 6 | — | — | SE 10 | — | — | — | E 10 |
| kJ | 34 | 119 | 16 | 9 | 104 | 98 | 8 | 45 | 16 | 92 | 21 | 5 | — | — | 39 | — | — | — | 118 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | S 5 | S 6 | — | SSE 5 | NNE 5 | NE 4 | ENE 5 | SSW 14 | SSW 6 | S 5 | SSW 8 | S 9 | S 9 | SSE 9 | S 8 | SSE 8 | SE 8 |
| kJ | — | — | 46 | 81 | — | 11 | 2 | 14 | 103 | 465 | 54 | 83 | 1633 | 1802 | 1693 | 1050 | 781 | 773 | 458 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 6 | 174 | 6 | 39 | 118 | 0 | 42 | 42 | 39 | 39 | 2585 | 1247 | 756 | 941 | 93 | 39 | 1268 | 39 |
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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