Surf Forecasts:
Thompsons Bay surf forecast from 14 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Saturday 15 Aug, 2AM (local time) - 5ft (1.5m), 10s period, E swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Sunday 16 Aug, 5PM (local time) - 6ft (1.8m), 11s period, E swell with 750 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Saturday 15 Aug, 2AM (local time) - 5ft (1.5m), 10s period with E 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 15) at 2AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.5m and 10s period with a secondary swell of 0.2m and 9s. 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 1.8m 11s and forecast to arrive on Sunday (Aug 16) at 5PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.3m 5s period and expected on Monday (Aug 17) at 2AM.
| Wave Type | Time (SAST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 2AM (Sat 15th Aug) | 5ft (1.5m) 10s |
| Best Surf | 2AM (Sat 15th Aug) | 5ft (1.5m) 10s |
| Most Powerful | 5PM (Sun 16th Aug) | 6ft (1.8m) 11s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Thompsons Bay over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, grab a coffee and listen up. Rusty here, with the 16-day outlook for the region.
We’re looking at a pretty tough stretch ahead, if I’m being honest. The opening days are a write-off, with a real sad mix of onshore and cross-shore winds and messy, weak waves. There’s a big gap of nothing good until we get a flicker of life around the 22nd. The water temperature is pretty much what you’d expect for this time of year, nothing to report there.
The only real standout in this entire run is a brief window on Saturday morning, the 22nd of August. That’s the one to circle on the calendar. We’ve got a clean 6ft of swell pushing in from the SSW, with a short period of 6 seconds. The wind will be a light, cross-offshore breeze from the north, making for clean conditions. The combined energy is moderate (577). It’s a short window, but it’s the best we’ll see. Thompsons Bay is an intermediate-level, sheltered spot that’s fairly consistent, and with that offshore wind, it should be scrubbing up nicely. Expect sometimes crowds.
After that 22nd morning, it’s back to the struggle. The 23rd gets hammered by a strong, messy 10ft SSW swell under nasty cross-onshore winds, which is strictly for the experts or the kamikaze crew. That energy is huge (4688), but the wind just ruins it. The rest of the run into the end of the month is a mix of marginal, lumpy, and poor conditions with a lot of cross-shore wind. We see a brief return of moderate energy (1086) on the 25th, but it’s got a lumpy cross-chop to deal with.
Honestly, for the most part, this setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing, with all that wind and chop. If you’re a surfer, you’ve got that one Saturday morning on the 22nd. Make it count.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 23°C on Mon afternoon, min 16°C on Fri night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 2mm), mostly falling on Tue night. Warm (max 22°C on Wed morning, min 17°C on Mon night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||
Saturday 15 | Sunday 16 | Monday 17 | Tuesday 18 | Wednesday 19 | Thursday 20 | ||||||||||||||
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) | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 11 | E 11 | E 11 | E 11 | E 10 | E 10 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 8 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | ENE 6 | NE 7 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 450 | 432 | 494 | 566 | 517 | 750 | 657 | 449 | 417 | 295 | 196 | 152 | 123 | 89 | 126 | 218 | 187 | 255 | 357 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | cross | cross | cross-off | cross | cross | cross-off | cross | cross-on | cross-off | cross-on | cross-on | glassy | cross | cross | cross | on | cross | cross-off |
High Tide | 5:07AM1.87m | 5:30PM1.97m | 5:38AM1.81m | 6:00PM1.88m | 6:07AM1.70m | 6:28PM1.75m | 6:35AM1.57m | 6:56PM1.59m | 7:03AM1.42m | 7:24PM1.42m | 7:33AM1.26m | 8:00PM1.25m | |||||||
Low Tide | 11:04PM0.05m | 11:13AM-0.05m | 11:36PM0.10m | 11:43AM0.03m | 00:06AM0.19m | 12:12PM0.14m | 00:35AM0.31m | 12:40PM0.29m | 1:04AM0.44m | 1:10PM0.46m | 1:36AM0.59m | 1:42PM0.63m | 2:22AM0.74m | ||||||
 |  | | | | | | | | |  |  |  | | | | | | | |
 | — | 6:28 | — | — | 6:26 | — | — | 6:26 | — | — | 6:24 | — | — | 6:24 | — | — | 6:22 | — | — |
 | 5:30 | — | 5:30 | — | — | 5:30 | — | — | 5:31 | — | — | 5:31 | — | — | 5:32 | — | — | 5:32 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 18 | 19 | 21 | 19 | 20 | 20 | 19 | 21 | 23 | 19 | 19 | 20 | 20 | 22 | 22 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 22 |
Feels °C | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 18 | 16 | 17 | 19 | 21 | 17 | 17 | 18 | 20 | 20 | 19 | 21 | 22 | 22 | 20 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 10 | E 10 | S 14 | E 11 | E 11 | S 11 | E 11 | E 10 | E 10 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 8 | E 8 | E 8 | SSW 13 | SSW 14 | ENE 7 |
| kJ | 450 | 432 | 15 | 566 | 517 | 10 | 657 | 449 | 417 | 295 | 196 | 152 | 123 | 89 | 86 | 76 | 187 | 154 | 223 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 9 | S 14 | S 14 | S 13 | S 12 | S 11 | S 10 | SSE 10 | SW 11 | S 16 | S 18 | SSW 16 | S 4 | SSW 5 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | E 8 | — | SSW 15 |
| kJ | 6 | 16 | 4 | 12 | 11 | 9 | 8 | 10 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 26 | 9 | 9 | 126 | 218 | 45 | — | 179 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 15 | S 9 | S 14 | S 8 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 15 | SW 12 | SE 10 | S 9 | S 12 | SSW 11 | SSW 9 | SSW 15 | SSW 6 | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | 18 | 2 | 15 | 1 | 6 | 6 | 9 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 12 | 7 | 43 | 14 | — | — | — | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NE 4 | NNE 4 | E 10 | — | — | E 11 | NNE 5 | NNE 5 | — | SSW 4 | SSW 12 | S 3 | — | — | — | — | NE 4 | ENE 6 | NE 7 |
| kJ | 31 | 13 | 494 | — | — | 750 | 80 | 42 | — | 7 | 31 | 6 | — | — | — | — | 13 | 255 | 357 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 42 | 42 | 0 | 42 | 42 | 0 | 42 | 6 | 0 | 118 | 277 | 0 | 42 | 42 | 13 | 6 | 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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