Surf Forecasts:
Thompsons Bay surf forecast from 29 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Saturday 1 Aug, 2AM (local time) - 7ft (2.1m), 8s period, SSE swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Sunday 2 Aug, 8AM (local time) - 8ft (2.5m), 11s period, SE swell with 1,518 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Saturday 1 Aug, 2AM (local time) - 7ft (2.1m), 8s period with SSE 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 Saturday (Aug 01) at 2AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 2.1m and 8s period with a secondary swell of 1.8m and 9s. Another secondary swell of 1.3m and 9s is also forecast. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Thompsons Bay in the next 16 days are 2.5m 11s and forecast to arrive on Sunday (Aug 02) at 8AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.1m 5s period and expected on Tuesday (Aug 04) at 2AM.
| Wave Type | Time (SAST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 2AM (Sat 1st Aug) | 7ft (2.1m) 8s |
| Best Surf | 2AM (Sat 1st Aug) | 7ft (2.1m) 8s |
| Most Powerful | 8AM (Sun 2nd Aug) | 8ft (2.5m) 11s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Thompsons Bay over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, surfers, Rusty here. Let's take a deep dive into what Thompsons Bay has in store for us over the next couple of weeks. The forecast shows a lot of wind and messy conditions, but there are a few windows where it all comes together.
We start off in a bit of a rough patch. Wednesday the 29th through to the end of the first week is looking pretty grim. The wind is swinging from a cross to a cross-on shore, kicking up a lot of chop. There's some solid swell in the water, around 8ft to 8ft from the SSE, with moderate wave energy (around 1258). But that cross-wind and lumpy surface means the wave quality is just not there. Honestly, with those winds and that size, the setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing.
The real standouts, and the reason to get excited, are two very specific mornings. The first one arrives on Sunday morning, the 2nd of August. The forecast is for glassy conditions, with a clean 8ft swell rolling in from the SE. This is a longer-period groundswell at 11 seconds, which will give those waves some real shape and power, and the combined swell energy will be pushing strong at 1429. This is the best session on offer in the first week. Get on it.
After that, the forecast gets a bit spotty again for a few days, with the wind turning onshore and the swell dropping off. But then we get another golden window. The real long-range standout is Thursday morning, the 13th of August. It's still a bit far out to lock in, but the signs are promising. We’re looking at glassy offshore winds again with a solid 7ft swell from the S. The period is a solid 10 seconds, giving us 1044 units of strong wave energy. It’s set to be another session of very good surf.
For the rest of the second week, the surf looks generally smaller and the wind is all over the place, so those two Sunday and Thursday mornings are your best shots, especially at this break.
Stay stoked,
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastModerate rain (total 19mm), heaviest on Wed night. Very mild (max 19°C on Thu afternoon, min 14°C on Wed night). Winds decreasing (strong winds from the SSW on Thu afternoon, light winds from the WSW by Fri night). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 20°C on Mon afternoon, min 13°C on Sun morning). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wednesday 29 | Thursday 30 | Friday 31 | Saturday 1 | Sunday 2 | Monday 3 | Tuesday 4 | |||||||||||||||
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) | SSE 9 | SSE 9 | SSE 9 | S 9 | SSE 9 | S 9 | SSE 9 | SSE 9 | SSE 8 | ESE 9 | SE 9 | SE 10 | SE 11 | SE 11 | SE 10 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | ESE 9 | ESE 10 | SE 9 | ENE 7 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 990 | 747 | 525 | 766 | 913 | 973 | 1097 | 907 | 602 | 318 | 580 | 919 | 1401 | 1197 | 800 | 588 | 495 | 375 | 221 | 128 | 236 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross | cross-on | cross-off | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross-on | cross-off | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off | glassy | cross-on | cross-off | cross-on | cross | cross-off | cross | cross | cross-off |
High Tide | 4:07PM1.69m | 4:13AM1.74m | 4:35PM1.78m | 4:41AM1.78m | 5:03PM1.83m | 5:09AM1.80m | 5:32PM1.85m | 5:38AM1.77m | 6:01PM1.84m | 6:08AM1.71m | 6:32PM1.78m | 6:40AM1.62m | 7:07PM1.69m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 9:54AM0.19m | 10:07PM0.25m | 10:22AM0.11m | 10:36PM0.20m | 10:49AM0.07m | 11:06PM0.17m | 11:17AM0.05m | 11:35PM0.18m | 11:45AM0.07m | 00:07AM0.21m | 12:15PM0.13m | 00:40AM0.27m | 12:48PM0.22m | 1:19AM0.37m | |||||||
 |  |  |  | |  |  | |  | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
 | 6:41 | — | — | 6:41 | — | — | 6:39 | — | — | 6:39 | — | — | 6:39 | — | — | 6:37 | — | — | 6:37 | — | — |
 | — | 5:21 | — | — | 5:21 | — | — | 5:22 | — | — | 5:22 | — | — | 5:22 | — | — | 5:23 | — | — | 5:23 | — |
mm | 2 | 1 | 16 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 17 | 17 | 15 | 18 | 19 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 17 | 18 | 18 | 17 | 17 | 18 | 16 | 19 | 20 | 19 | 23 | 24 | 21 |
Feels °C | 15 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 20 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 9 | SSE 9 | SSE 9 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | SSE 9 | ESE 9 | SE 9 | SE 10 | SE 11 | SE 11 | SE 10 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | ESE 9 | ESE 10 | SE 9 | ESE 10 |
| kJ | 990 | 747 | 525 | 231 | 265 | 156 | 145 | 66 | 493 | 318 | 580 | 919 | 1401 | 1197 | 800 | 588 | 495 | 375 | 221 | 128 | 83 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 10 | — | SSW 16 | ESE 9 | SSE 8 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | S 11 | S 11 | S 10 | S 10 | S 10 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | E 9 | SSW 12 |
| kJ | 103 | 136 | 79 | 81 | 64 | 50 | — | 90 | 293 | 256 | 19 | 16 | 22 | 20 | 17 | 18 | 17 | 41 | 35 | 41 | 14 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 15 | — | — | — | — | — | SW 13 | SSW 12 | — | — | S 18 | S 14 | S 13 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | S 10 | S 13 | SSW 13 | S 11 |
| kJ | 165 | 158 | 181 | — | — | — | — | — | 42 | 14 | — | — | 6 | 14 | 28 | 26 | 49 | 8 | 13 | 16 | 2 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | SW 4 | S 9 | SSE 9 | S 9 | SSE 9 | SSE 9 | SSE 8 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | NE 4 | NE 5 | ENE 6 | ENE 6 | ENE 7 |
| kJ | — | — | 17 | 766 | 913 | 973 | 1097 | 907 | 602 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 14 | 51 | 28 | 115 | 236 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 37 | 39 | 6 | 368 | 443 | 87 | 277 | 941 | 0 | 12 | 39 | 0 | 0 | 42 | 0 | 42 | 42 | 0 | 42 | 42 | 0 |
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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