Surf Forecasts:
Thompsons Bay surf forecast from 7 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Monday 7 Sep, 5AM (local time) - 6.5ft (2.0m), 19s period, S swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Monday 7 Sep, 8AM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 18s period, S swell with 5,290 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Monday 7 Sep, 5AM (local time) - 6.5ft (2.0m), 19s 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 Monday (Sep 07) at 5AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 2.0m and 19s period with a secondary swell of 1.1m and 13s. 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 18s and forecast to arrive on Monday (Sep 07) at 8AM. Winds are predicted to be offshore at the time the swell arrives.
| Wave Type | Time (SAST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 5AM (Mon 7th Sep) | 6.5ft (2.0m) 19s |
| Best Surf | 5AM (Mon 7th Sep) | 6.5ft (2.0m) 19s |
| Most Powerful | 8AM (Mon 7th Sep) | 10ft (3.0m) 18s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Thompsons Bay over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, Rusty here. Only one break to talk about for the next 16 days.
That’s Thompsons Bay. It’s a sheltered little spot, so the swell has to come from the right angle. The water is about average for the season. There’s a big gap of poor conditions before we get anything good.
The first real chance comes on Thursday, September 10th in the afternoon. Swell is a small 1.6m from the ENE, with a 9-second period, but the wind goes glassy. That makes it clean as a whistle. The energy is moderate (457). It’s not huge, but it’s the first clean surf on offer.
Then it gets ugly. From Friday the 11th through to Wednesday the 16th, it’s mostly cross or onshore wind, chop, and lumpy surf. The scores are all zeros. Swell runs from 1ft to 2m, but the wind spoils it.
The real standout is a week and a half out. Friday, September 18th in the morning. Swell jumps to 3.5m from the SSE, with a 12-second period – that’s proper groundswell. The energy is very strong (3786). The wind is dead calm, glassy. This is the best on offer, but over 2.5m means it’s for experts only. The direction (SSE) is close to the optimum (SE). It’s a standout, but being so far out, it’s promising, not guaranteed.
The next morning, September 19th, still has a solid 2.3m from the SE with a 12-second period and a light breeze, so it’s worth a paddle if you missed the big one.
So, the first week is pretty flat or blown out, but that Friday glass-off with 3.5m groundswell is the one to get excited about.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastSome drizzle, heaviest during Sun night. Warm (max 23°C on Wed morning, min 16°C on Mon night). Winds increasing (calm on Sun night, strong winds from the NE by Tue afternoon). | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 24°C on Thu afternoon, min 18°C on Wed night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the NE on Wed night, calm by Thu afternoon). | ||||||||||||||||||
Monday 7 | Tuesday 8 | Wednesday 9 | Thursday 10 | Friday 11 | Saturday 12 | ||||||||||||||
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 21 | S 17 | S 16 | S 14 | S 12 | ENE 7 | ENE 7 | ENE 7 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | ENE 6 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 1268 | 5226 | 2824 | 1143 | 411 | 408 | 419 | 359 | 766 | 634 | 434 | 422 | 276 | 199 | 207 | 160 | 127 | 127 | 227 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | glassy | cross | cross | cross-off | cross | cross | cross-off | cross | cross | cross-off | cross | glassy | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off | cross-on | cross | cross-off |
High Tide | 00:53AM1.29m | 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 | ||||||
Low Tide | 7:14AM0.57m | 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 | |||||||
 |  | |  |  | | | | | | | |  |  | | | | | | |
 | — | 6:03 | — | — | 6:01 | — | — | 6:01 | — | — | 6:00 | — | — | 5:58 | — | — | 5:56 | — | — |
 | 5:42 | — | 5:43 | — | — | 5:43 | — | — | 5:44 | — | — | 5:44 | — | — | 5:45 | — | — | 5:45 | — |
mm | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 18 | 18 | 19 | 18 | 22 | 22 | 19 | 23 | 23 | 20 | 23 | 24 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 21 | 22 | 22 | 21 |
Feels °C | 17 | 18 | 16 | 16 | 18 | 16 | 14 | 20 | 18 | 16 | 22 | 23 | 21 | 19 | 22 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 20 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 21 | S 17 | S 16 | S 14 | S 12 | SSE 10 | SSE 11 | SSE 11 | SSE 11 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | S 8 |
| kJ | 1268 | 5226 | 2824 | 1143 | 411 | 173 | 167 | 123 | 90 | 63 | 42 | 422 | 276 | 199 | 207 | 160 | 127 | 127 | 55 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 9 | E 10 | — | E 10 | SSW 13 | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | S 16 | SW 15 | SSE 10 | SSE 11 | SSW 17 | SSW 15 | S 5 | S 7 | S 7 | SSW 12 |
| kJ | 129 | 118 | — | 48 | 102 | 46 | 58 | 27 | 13 | 5 | 8 | 20 | 22 | 94 | 76 | 14 | 65 | 69 | 48 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 10 | — | — | S 20 | E 10 | SSW 13 | S 16 | S 16 | SW 17 | SW 11 | SSE 12 | SSE 12 | SSW 20 | SSE 9 | SE 12 | SSW 15 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | S 16 |
| kJ | 133 | — | — | 7 | 30 | 57 | 5 | 5 | 12 | 4 | 15 | 15 | 38 | 9 | 5 | 42 | 34 | 53 | 21 |
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 | — | SSW 3 | SSW 5 | S 5 | — | — | E 4 | ENE 6 |
| kJ | — | — | 196 | 73 | 143 | 408 | 419 | 359 | 766 | 634 | 434 | — | 6 | 32 | 36 | — | — | 7 | 227 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 42 | 941 | 68 | 514 | 732 | 258 | 514 | 721 | 0 | 721 | 0 | 6 | 118 | 6 | 0 | 42 | 42 | 314 |
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