Surf Forecasts:
Thompsons Bay surf forecast from 15 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Wednesday 22 Jul, 5AM (local time) - 7ft (2.2m), 15s period, S swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Wednesday 22 Jul, 5AM (local time) - 7ft (2.2m), 15s period, S swell with 2,177 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Wednesday 15 Jul, 8PM (local time) - 6ft (1.9m), 11s 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 Wednesday (Jul 15) at 8PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.9m and 11s 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 2.2m 15s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Jul 22) at 5AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.6m 3s period and expected on Wednesday (Jul 22) at 11AM.
| Wave Type | Time (SAST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 8PM (Wed 15th Jul) | 6ft (1.9m) 11s |
| Best Surf | 5AM (Wed 22nd Jul) | 7ft (2.2m) 15s |
| Most Powerful | 5AM (Wed 22nd Jul) | 7ft (2.2m) 15s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Thompsons Bay over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
G’day, I’m Rusty. Let’s have a look at what’s cookin’ for Thompsons Bay over the next couple of weeks.
Alright, straight up—this is a pretty quiet run for Thompsons Bay. The first bit of decent surf doesn’t pop up until Thursday the 16th, so there’s a dead patch from now until then. After that, there are a few windows of clean, rideable waves, but nothing that’ll have you sprinting for your board. The standout session is Thursday morning, the 16th. You’ll get a 5ft easterly swell with a 10-second period, and the wind is glassy—dead calm. That’s clean, lined-up waves for the intermediate crew. The combined energy is moderate (538), so it’s got a bit of push without being a handful. Water temp is around 71°, which is about average for this time of year, so no surprises there.
The other half-decent window is Friday afternoon, the 17th—smaller at 4ft, but glassy again, so you could still find a fun little wave if you’re patient. Then we hit a wall of poor conditions through the weekend and into the following week. The wind turns cross or cross-onshore, and the swell gets messy. Around Wednesday the 22nd, there’s a long-period SSW groundswell (14–16 seconds) coming through, with combined energy over 1300, so it’s powerful. But the wave comment flags marginal conditions, and the wind is light cross-shore, so it’s not clean. Still, for a point or reef setup, that long-period energy could wrap in nicely—but this is a sheltered spot, so don’t expect it to fire.
Thursday the 23rd brings a massive 16ft SSW swell with combined energy at 5547—that’s strong to very strong. But it’s cross-onshore and choppy, and at that size, it’s only for experts. Honestly, it looks more suited to kitesurfing than paddle surfing. The Friday the 24th drops to 7ft, but the wind is onshore, so it’s sloppy.
After that, the final week of July fades into small, weak, cross-shore slop. Nothing worth chasing. So, if you’re keen, get out Thursday morning, the 16th. That’s your best bet. The rest is a write-off or a gamble.
Stay wet,
Rusty
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 21°C on Wed morning, min 16°C on Fri morning). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 26°C on Sun morning, min 17°C on Sat morning). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the S on Sun afternoon, calm by Sun night). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wednesday 15 | Thursday 16 | Friday 17 | Saturday 18 | Sunday 19 | Monday 20 | Tuesday 21 | |||||||||||||||
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) | E 10 | E 10 | E 11 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | S 12 | S 11 | S 11 | S 10 | S 10 | SE 12 | SSW 13 | SSW 12 | S 8 | S 14 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 725 | 770 | 723 | 520 | 440 | 327 | 279 | 234 | 234 | 196 | 194 | 278 | 282 | 639 | 814 | 458 | 202 | 225 | 947 | 256 | 1813 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | on | cross-on | cross-off | glassy | on | glassy | on | glassy | off | cross | cross | off | glassy | cross-on | cross-off | cross | cross | off | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off |
High Tide | 4:40PM1.87m | 4:53AM1.83m | 5:20PM1.90m | 5:31AM1.80m | 5:59PM1.87m | 6:07AM1.72m | 6:37PM1.80m | 6:43AM1.62m | 7:13PM1.68m | 7:19AM1.49m | 7:51PM1.55m | 7:58AM1.35m | 8:34PM1.40m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 10:23AM0.03m | 10:45PM0.11m | 11:02AM0.01m | 11:26PM0.14m | 11:39AM0.03m | 00:05AM0.20m | 12:15PM0.10m | 00:43AM0.30m | 12:50PM0.21m | 1:20AM0.41m | 1:27PM0.34m | 2:01AM0.53m | 2:06PM0.49m | 2:49AM0.64m | |||||||
 | |  | | |  | | | |  | | | | | | | | | | | | |
 | 6:48 | — | — | 6:48 | — | — | 6:48 | — | — | 6:47 | — | — | 6:47 | — | — | 6:46 | — | — | 6:46 | — | — |
 | — | 5:13 | — | — | 5:14 | — | — | 5:14 | — | — | 5:15 | — | — | 5:15 | — | — | 5:15 | — | — | 5:15 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 21 | 20 | 19 | 20 | 20 | 19 | 19 | 20 | 18 | 21 | 22 | 22 | 26 | 22 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 20 | 20 | 21 | 20 |
Feels °C | 20 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 18 | 20 | 19 | 20 | 19 | 19 | 20 | 20 | 23 | 15 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 17 | 17 | 19 | 21 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 10 | E 10 | E 11 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | S 12 | S 11 | E 10 | S 10 | S 10 | SE 12 | ENE 6 | SE 11 | SSW 12 | S 14 |
| kJ | 725 | 770 | 723 | 520 | 440 | 327 | 279 | 234 | 234 | 196 | 194 | 278 | 282 | 94 | 814 | 458 | 202 | 82 | 79 | 256 | 1813 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 9 | SSW 9 | SSE 10 | S 9 | SSW 9 | S 7 | SSW 9 | SSW 12 | S 13 | SSW 11 | S 13 | E 10 | E 10 | SE 13 | E 10 | SSE 10 | SSW 10 | SSW 13 | ENE 6 | SE 11 | SE 11 |
| kJ | 15 | 17 | 22 | 15 | 80 | 24 | 26 | 49 | 92 | 93 | 88 | 121 | 90 | 46 | 69 | 69 | 132 | 225 | 16 | 79 | 58 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 12 | SSE 11 | SSW 9 | S 4 | SSE 8 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | S 10 | — | ENE 5 | S 10 | ENE 6 | NE 6 | NE 6 | SE 13 | SE 13 | S 8 | SE 11 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 |
| kJ | 3 | 12 | 8 | 3 | 7 | 40 | 33 | 2 | — | 4 | 48 | 22 | 10 | 6 | 88 | 79 | 42 | 147 | 15 | 15 | 14 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | SSW 4 | — | — | — | — | — | NE 4 | NE 5 | NE 6 | — | — | S 11 | — | NE 7 | ENE 4 | NE 6 | SSW 12 | S 8 | — |
| kJ | — | — | 9 | — | — | — | — | — | 4 | 10 | 24 | — | — | 639 | — | 2 | 43 | 151 | 947 | 217 | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 39 | 39 | 0 | 0 | 258 | 0 | 39 | 0 | 0 | 25 | 42 | 0 | 0 | 626 | 0 | 42 | 600 | 0 | 277 | 39 | 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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