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Thompsons Bay Surf Forecast
/ KZN North (23 surf breaks) /
Surf Forecasts:
Thompsons Bay surfForecast / KZN North / South Africa
16 Day Weather and Surf, issued 1 pm Wednesday 27 May 2026 SASTForecast update in hr min s Forecast update imminent
Thompsons Bay surf forecast is for near shore open water. Breaking waves will often be smaller at less exposed spots.
Today's Thompsons Bay sea temperature is
23.5° C
(Which is normal for this time of year)Thompsons Bay surf forecast from 27 May 2026:
- Best quality surf: Thursday 28 May, 2AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.1m), 5s period, NE swell with offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Friday 29 May, 2PM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.7m), 17s period, SSW swell with 315 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Thursday 28 May, 2AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.1m), 5s 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 (May 28) at 2AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.1m and 5s period with a secondary swell of 0.8m and 5s. Another secondary swell of 0.3m and 10s 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 0.7m 17s and forecast to arrive on Friday (May 29) at 2PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.1m 5s period and expected on Wednesday (May 27) at 11PM.
| Wave Type | Time (SAST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 2AM (Thu 28th May) | 3.5ft (1.1m) 5s |
| Best Surf | 2AM (Thu 28th May) | 3.5ft (1.1m) 5s |
| Most Powerful | 2PM (Fri 29th May) | 2.5ft (0.7m) 17s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Thompsons Bay over the next 16 days.
Updates in hr min s Forecast update imminent
Short Range ForecastSome drizzle, heaviest during Fri afternoon. Warm (max 22°C on Wed afternoon, min 19°C on Wed night). Winds increasing (calm on Thu morning, fresh winds from the SSW by Fri afternoon). | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 22°C on Mon afternoon, min 18°C on Sun night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wed 27 | Thursday 28 | Friday 29 | Saturday 30 | Sunday 31 | Monday 1 | Tuesday 2 | |||||||||||||||
PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | |
Swell Height Map |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | |||||||||||||
SE 11 | NE 5 | SSW 9 | SSW 9 | SSW 18 | SSW 18 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | S 8 | SSW 12 | SSW 16 | S 15 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | E 8 | SSW 6 | SE 7 | SSW 11 | |
43 | 73 | 46 | 15 | 66 | 254 | 295 | 169 | 179 | 120 | 99 | 64 | 56 | 144 | 112 | 84 | 76 | 22 | 51 | 23 | 41 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
cross | off | on | cross | off | on | cross-on | cross-off | cross-on | cross-on | glassy | cross-on | cross | cross-off | cross | cross | cross-off | cross-on | glassy | cross-off | on | |
High Tide | 1:50AM1.59m | 2:12PM1.49m | 2:25AM1.64m | 2:47PM1.55m | 2:58AM1.67m | 3:19PM1.60m | 3:29AM1.69m | 3:50PM1.62m | 4:00AM1.69m | 4:21PM1.63m | 4:31AM1.67m | 4:54PM1.61m | 5:02AM1.64m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 7:31PM0.44m | 8:05AM0.37m | 8:10PM0.38m | 8:38AM0.30m | 8:45PM0.33m | 9:09AM0.25m | 9:18PM0.29m | 9:40AM0.22m | 9:50PM0.27m | 10:11AM0.21m | 10:22PM0.28m | 10:42AM0.22m | 10:54PM0.32m | 11:15AM0.25m | |||||||
 |  | |  |  | |  | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
 | — | — | 6:39 | — | — | 6:39 | — | — | 6:39 | — | — | 6:39 | — | — | 6:41 | — | — | 6:41 | — | — | 6:41 |
 | 5:05 | — | — | 5:05 | — | — | 5:04 | — | — | 5:04 | — | — | 5:04 | — | — | 5:04 | — | — | 5:02 | — | 5:02 |
— | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
Temp °C | 22 | 20 | 22 | 22 | 21 | 22 | 22 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 20 | 21 | 21 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 19 | 20 |
21 | 21 | 20 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 20 | 18 | 21 | 20 | 21 | 20 | 19 | 20 | 19 | 19 | 20 | 20 | 22 | 21 | 21 | |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 11 | ENE 5 | ENE 6 | NE 6 | E 6 | SSW 18 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | S 8 | S 8 | S 8 | S 7 | SSW 16 | S 15 | SSW 16 | ENE 6 | E 8 | SSW 6 | SE 7 | ESE 7 |
 kJ | 43 | 32 | 27 | 8 | 11 | 254 | 295 | 169 | 179 | 66 | 86 | 60 | 27 | 144 | 112 | 84 | 43 | 19 | 51 | 23 | 18 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 11 | SSW 10 | SSW 9 | E 7 | SSW 18 | ENE 6 | ENE 6 | E 7 | SSE 6 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 12 | E 8 | E 8 | E 8 | E 8 | ENE 5 | ESE 8 | E 8 | SSW 11 |
| kJ | 23 | 18 | 16 | 8 | 66 | 13 | 8 | 9 | 25 | 120 | 99 | 64 | 56 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 11 | 21 | 20 | 41 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 4 | SE 10 | SE 9 | SSW 9 | SSW 4 | S 9 | SE 8 | — | E 7 | E 7 | E 8 | E 7 | E 8 | SSE 7 | SE 7 | SE 7 | SSW 15 | SE 7 | SE 7 | SSW 6 | E 8 |
| kJ | 3 | 17 | 14 | 15 | 2 | 13 | 3 | — | 8 | 8 | 18 | 17 | 18 | 15 | 12 | 12 | 76 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 11 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ENE 5 | NE 5 | SSW 9 | SSW 4 | SW 3 | — | SSW 5 | S 6 | — | — | — | — | ENE 4 | ENE 5 | ENE 4 | ENE 5 | NE 5 | SSW 4 | — | — | ENE 5 |
| kJ | 9 | 73 | 46 | 2 | 4 | — | 87 | 59 | — | — | — | — | 10 | 24 | 12 | 32 | 65 | 22 | — | — | 13 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 42 | 0 | 40 | 90 | 1 | 40 | 941 | 0 | 118 | 42 | 0 | 42 | 42 | 0 | 42 | 42 | 0 | 116 | 1 | 1 | 9 |
Best forecast wave conditions in KwaZulu-Natal North Coast | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in South Africa | |||||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||||
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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.
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