Surf Forecasts:
Thompsons Bay surf forecast from 5 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Wednesday 12 Aug, 5AM (local time) - 4ft (1.2m), 13s period, SSW swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Monday 10 Aug, 2PM (local time) - 13ft (4.0m), 11s period, S swell with 3,776 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Wednesday 5 Aug, 8PM (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 8PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.9m and 10s period with a secondary swell of 0.6m and 6s. Another secondary swell of 0.9m 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 4.0m 11s and forecast to arrive on Monday (Aug 10) 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 0.2m 5s period and expected on Friday (Aug 07) at 11PM.
| Wave Type | Time (SAST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 8PM (Wed 5th Aug) | 3ft (0.9m) 10s |
| Best Surf | 5AM (Wed 12th Aug) | 4ft (1.2m) 13s |
| Most Powerful | 2PM (Mon 10th Aug) | 13ft (4.0m) 11s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Thompsons Bay over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright folks, let me tell you, it’s a bit of a slow grind out there for the next week and a half. The surf windows are few and far between, so you're gonna need some patience. We’re looking at a long stretch of small, messy, and wind-affected waves before things finally start to clean up.
The first real chance of anything decent doesn't show up until Saturday, August 15th. The morning is still a bit iffy with a cross-on wind, but the afternoon is where it’s at. That’s when we finally see some clean conditions. The wind drops right out and it goes glassy. You’re looking at 5.2ft of east swell with a 10-second period, and the energy is moderate at 530. It’s not huge, but it’s the best we’ve seen in a while. The water temp is sitting at 71° Fahrenheit, which is about normal for this time of year.
Before that, we have to wade through a lot of junk. There’s a big pulse of south/southwest swell that rolls in on Monday, August 10th, but it comes with a howling cross-shore wind and rain. The swell heights are pushing 11.5ft to 13ft, and the energy is strong at 3112, but with that wind, it’s going to be a complete mess. This is definitely not a paddle-surfing situation. Honestly, with that much swell and that much wind, it looks way more interesting for kite surfing than anything else. The period is short too, around 9-10 seconds, so it’ll be gutless and lumpy.
The middle of the week following that big blow is still poor. The swell drops, but the wind keeps swinging onshore or cross-shore, keeping everything choppy. We see another pulse of energy on Thursday, August 13th, with 11.5ft on the morning, but again, it’s cross-onshore and rough. The energy is strong at 2784, but it’s just not clean.
So, keep your eye on that Saturday afternoon. It’s just a small window, but it’s the standout. The break is fairly consistent, but the conditions are what will make it worth it. Just remember, it’s a sheltered spot, so it does what it can with what it gets. After that, the surf fades back down into the ordinary range for the rest of the 16-day run. There’s a bit of a tease on Wednesday, August 19th, with some glassy conditions in the afternoon on a small 2.6ft SSW swell, but it’s just ‘surfable’, not noteworthy.
Stay patient, keep an eye on the charts, and be ready for that Saturday afternoon.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 28°C on Thu morning, min 17°C on Wed morning). Winds increasing (calm on Wed morning, fresh winds from the S by Thu afternoon). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryModerate rain (total 19mm), heaviest on Mon morning. Warm (max 26°C on Sat afternoon, min 16°C on Mon afternoon). Winds increasing (calm on Sun afternoon, strong winds from the SSW by Mon morning). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wednesday 5 | Thursday 6 | Friday 7 | Saturday 8 | Sunday 9 | Monday 10 | Tuesday 11 | |||||||||||||||
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) | ESE 10 | E 10 | ESE 10 | E 10 | SSW 17 | S 6 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | E 9 | E 10 | SSW 16 | SSW 14 | E 10 | SSW 16 | SSW 13 | S 10 | S 11 | SSE 10 | SE 9 | ESE 9 | S 13 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 197 | 184 | 154 | 122 | 162 | 92 | 143 | 135 | 83 | 87 | 140 | 508 | 117 | 273 | 700 | 3186 | 3261 | 1513 | 572 | 732 | 673 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | cross | off | cross | cross-on | cross | on | on | cross-off | cross | cross | cross | cross | glassy | cross | cross | cross-on | cross-on | on | cross-on | cross-off |
High Tide | 7:49PM1.56m | 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 | 1:26PM0.34m | 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 | ||||||||
 | |  | |  |  | | | | | | |  | |  |  |  |  |  | |  | |
 | 6:37 | — | — | 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 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 5 | 7 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
Temp °C | 20 | 21 | 21 | 28 | 21 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 19 | 24 | 26 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 20 | 19 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 17 | 18 |
Feels °C | 19 | 20 | 20 | 24 | 18 | 17 | 21 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 20 | 20 | 19 | 17 | 13 | 9 | 9 | 14 | 15 | 16 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 10 | E 10 | ESE 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 9 | S 6 | E 9 | E 9 | E 10 | E 10 | ENE 7 | E 10 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | SSE 10 | SE 9 | S 11 | SE 8 |
| kJ | 197 | 184 | 154 | 122 | 121 | 85 | 47 | 83 | 83 | 87 | 92 | 99 | 117 | 110 | 113 | 83 | 83 | 1513 | 572 | 476 | 281 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ENE 5 | SW 11 | ENE 6 | ENE 6 | SSW 17 | SSW 16 | E 9 | SSW 13 | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | SSW 16 | E 10 | SSW 5 | SSW 16 | E 9 | — | SSW 16 | E 9 | S 12 | SSW 15 | S 13 |
| kJ | 15 | 5 | 45 | 26 | 162 | 81 | 83 | 135 | 83 | 45 | 140 | 66 | 39 | 273 | 142 | — | 51 | 170 | 294 | 360 | 673 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 12 | S 16 | SSW 18 | SSW 17 | ENE 6 | NE 6 | SSW 14 | SSE 6 | SSE 5 | SSE 6 | SSE 7 | SSE 7 | SSW 14 | SSE 7 | NE 5 | — | — | E 9 | S 15 | E 10 | E 9 |
| kJ | 5 | 5 | 34 | 119 | 15 | 9 | 143 | 18 | 5 | 14 | 9 | 5 | 73 | 5 | 4 | — | — | 210 | 224 | 231 | 280 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | ENE 6 | NE 6 | NE 6 | S 5 | S 6 | — | — | — | NE 5 | ENE 6 | SSW 14 | SSW 5 | S 5 | SSW 13 | S 10 | S 11 | — | E 9 | ESE 9 | — |
| kJ | — | 18 | 96 | 64 | 88 | 92 | — | — | — | 24 | 111 | 508 | 46 | 13 | 700 | 3186 | 3261 | — | 239 | 732 | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 42 | 42 | 0 | 25 | 174 | 6 | 6 | 42 | 0 | 42 | 373 | 0 | 68 | 118 | 1393 | 1268 | 2586 | 741 | 682 | 941 | 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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