Thompsons Bay Surf Break

Lat Long: 29.53° S 31.22° E

Thompsons Bay Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Issued: 7 am 29 Jul 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's Thompsons Bay sea temperature is
22.4° C
0.8° 

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 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 TypeTime (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 Forecast

Moderate 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 Summary

Mostly 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
Rating
(10 max)
1
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
3
0
0
2
3
2
2
1
1
2
0
0
1
Swell
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Wave
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
2.5
SSE
9
2.2
SSE
9
1.8
SSE
9
2.2
S
9
2.5
SSE
9
2.5
S
9
2.5
SSE
9
2.4
SSE
9
2.1
SSE
8
1.4
ESE
9
1.9
SE
9
2.1
SE
10
2.4
SE
11
2.3
SE
11
2
SE
10
1.7
ESE
10
1.7
ESE
10
1.5
ESE
9
1.1
ESE
10
0.9
SE
9
1.5
ENE
7
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy 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)
20
SSW
30
SSW
15
WSW
35
SSW
40
SSW
30
SW
30
SSW
25
SSW
15
W
15
SSW
15
S
10
W
5
S
10
E
10
NNW
10
ENE
15
NE
5
N
15
ENE
20
NE
10
N
Wind State
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
rain showers
light rain
rain showers
clear
clear
clear
part cloud
clear
part cloud
part cloud
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
6:41
6:41
6:39
6:39
6:39
6:37
6:37
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
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
  • 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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