Thompsons Bay Surf Break

Lat Long: 29.53° S 31.22° E

Thompsons Bay Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Issued: 7 pm 05 Aug 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's Thompsons Bay sea temperature is
21.8° C
0.5° 

Thompsons Bay surf forecast is for near shore open water. Breaking waves will often be smaller at less exposed spots.


Thompsons Bay surf forecast from 5 Aug 2026:

  • Best quality surf: Wednesday 12 Aug, 5PM (local time) - 7ft (2.1m), 9s period, SE swell with glassy winds.
  • Most powerful swell: Monday 10 Aug, 5AM (local time) - 11ft (3.5m), 9s period, SSW swell with 1,930 kJ wave energy.
  • Next surfable swell (1★+): Wednesday 5 Aug, 11PM (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 11PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.9m and 10s period with a secondary swell of 0.8m and 6s. Another secondary swell of 1.2m 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 3.5m 9s and forecast to arrive on Monday (Aug 10) at 5AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.5m 3s period and expected on Saturday (Aug 08) at 8AM.

Wave TypeTime (SAST) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+)11PM (Wed 5th Aug)3ft (0.9m) 10s
Best Surf 5PM (Wed 12th Aug)7ft (2.1m) 9s
Most Powerful 5AM (Mon 10th Aug)11ft (3.5m) 9s

Table - best surf conditions forecast for Thompsons Bay over the next 16 days.


The Lowdown

G’day, Rusty here. Look, I’ve been staring at the charts for Thompsons Bay and, honestly, it’s a pretty bleak stretch ahead. We’ve got a long, dry spell with nothing worth paddling out for until the middle of next week. The first week is basically a write-off – a whole lot of poor surf conditions with onshore winds and tiny, weak swell. You’re better off doing the gardening.

Then, finally, on Wednesday, 12 August, things start to turn. The morning shows a real shift – glassy conditions, a clean 4 ft swell from the SSW with a nice long period of 12 seconds, and the combined energy is a solid moderate 889. That’s a proper groundswell, and it’ll be peeling with some shape. The afternoon gets even better: the swell bumps up to 7 ft from the SE, period drops to 9 seconds, but the energy is strong at 1005 and it’s dead flat calm, glassy as a mirror. This is the standout of the whole outlook. For the more experienced crew, this afternoon session will be a gem – clean, powerful, and all to yourself if you’re lucky. The water temp is about average for this time of year, nothing to write home about.

Thursday, 13 August keeps the run going, but it’s a step down. The morning has clean 5 ft sets from the ESE with a period of 8 seconds and moderate energy (457), still glassy. The afternoon drops to 4 ft, same direction, but it gets a bit ordinary. From Friday, 14 August onwards, it’s back to the cross-shore chop and poor conditions, with the swell hanging around 3 ft to 4 ft but all messed up by the wind. The last few days of the outlook show a bit more size – 6 ft on the 20th and 7 ft on the 21st – but the wind is still cross or cross-onshore, so it’s messy and lumpy. Not worth getting excited about.

Rusty, signing off.

Short Range Forecast

Mostly dry. Warm (max 28°C on Thu morning, min 17°C on Fri night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the S on Thu afternoon, calm by Fri night).

Days 5-7 Weather Summary

Moderate rain (total 19mm), heaviest on Tue afternoon. Warm (max 22°C on Sat night, min 14°C on Sun night). Winds increasing (light winds from the WSW on Sun morning, gales from the SSW by Sun night).

Thursday
6
Friday
7
Saturday
8
Sunday
9
Monday
10
Tuesday
11
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
Rating
(10 max)
1
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Swell
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Wave
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
0.9
ESE
10
0.8
E
10
0.5
SSW
17
0.4
SSW
16
0.5
SSW
14
0.5
SSW
13
0.7
E
9
0.7
E
10
0.5
SSW
16
1.1
SSW
14
0.8
E
10
0.5
SSW
16
3.5
SSW
8
3.5
S
9
3.5
S
9
2.5
SSE
9
2.4
S
8
2.5
SSE
8
1.8
S
13
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
154
120
162
85
104
98
83
99
140
465
117
138
1633
1802
1693
1050
781
773
1070
Wind (km/h)
5
NW
5
ENE
25
S
15
SSW
15
S
10
SSE
10
N
20
NE
25
NE
20
SW
10
SSE
20
S
65
SSW
40
S
45
S
25
SSW
30
S
35
S
15
SSE
Wind State
off
cross-on
cross-on
cross
cross-on
on
cross-off
cross
cross
cross
cross-on
cross-on
cross
cross-on
cross-on
cross
cross-on
cross-on
cross-on
High Tide
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
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
clear
clear
part cloud
part cloud
part cloud
part cloud
clear
clear
clear
part cloud
clear
part cloud
thunderstorm
light rain
light rain
light rain
light rain
light rain
heavy rain
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
6:35
6:35
6:33
6:33
6:33
6:31
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
5:24
5:24
5:25
5:27
5:27
5:28
5:28
 mm
3
5
1
1
4
5
11
Temp °C
21
28
21
19
20
20
19
24
25
22
20
20
20
16
17
16
15
16
16
Feels °C
20
25
18
17
19
19
20
21
20
20
19
18
18
8
8
8
10
9
12
  • Map Icons:
  • Break
  • Live Wave Height (m)
  • Live Wind Speed (km/h)
  • Surf Rating (10 Max)
  • Ocean Swells (m)
  • Wind Speed (km/h)
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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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