Surf Forecasts:
Thompsons Bay surf forecast from 25 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Saturday 25 Jul, 11PM (local time) - 5.5ft (1.7m), 10s period, SSE swell with offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Tuesday 28 Jul, 11PM (local time) - 8ft (2.4m), 8s period, S swell with 771 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Saturday 25 Jul, 11PM (local time) - 5.5ft (1.7m), 10s 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 (Jul 25) at 11PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.7m and 10s period with a secondary swell of 0.7m and 14s. 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 2.4m 8s and forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Jul 28) at 11PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.3m 2s period and expected on Sunday (Jul 26) at 11AM.
| Wave Type | Time (SAST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 11PM (Sat 25th Jul) | 5.5ft (1.7m) 10s |
| Best Surf | 11PM (Sat 25th Jul) | 5.5ft (1.7m) 10s |
| Most Powerful | 11PM (Tue 28th Jul) | 8ft (2.4m) 8s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Thompsons Bay over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, Rusty here. Let’s talk about Thompsons Bay over the next couple weeks.
Truth is, it starts off real slow. From Saturday the 25th right through to Monday the 27th, it’s mostly poor surf with cross-shore or cross-on winds and messy waves. Saturday’s got a 1.7m SSE swell but it’s cross-on. Sunday and Monday aren’t any better – lumpy, choppy, not worth the paddle. Water temp’s 73°, which is a little warmer than usual for this time of year.
The first real window for a surf shows up early Thursday the 30th. That morning there’s 1.6m SE swell with the wind dead calm – glassy conditions, perfect for clean waves. The combined swell energy is 573 (moderate). This is the standout of the whole period. It’s not a huge day size-wise, but it’s clean, the break is fairly consistent, and the SE direction is what this spot likes. That said, Thompsons Bay is a sheltered spot, so it doesn’t pump with every swell. Crowds are sometimes expected here, so don’t be surprised if you’ve got company.
Wednesday the 29th morning is also worth a mention – 1.8m SSE swell with a cross-offshore breeze, clean but only a marginal chance. Saturday morning the 1st of August also looks glassy with 1.6m SE swell, again clean but not big.
But those good windows are spread out. From Thursday afternoon through Saturday the 1st, things slide back to marginal or poor. Sunday the 2nd gets a solid 2-2.3m SE swell with strong energy (1060 combined on the Sunday afternoon), but the wind is cross-shore and lumpy – not worth the trouble.
The second week is mostly a write-off for decent surf. From Monday the 3rd through Saturday the 8th it’s all poor conditions. There are big swells in there – Tuesday the 4th sees 2-2.3m ESE swell with very strong energy (1565), but it’s cross-shore again. That longer period swell (12 seconds) at a beach setup? Waves will be fast and hard to manage, and the wind is messy. Honestly, this stretch looks better for kite surfing than paddle surfing.
Sunday the 9th of August brings a 2.5m SSW swell with very strong energy (1679), but with cross-on wind it’s expert-only and still not clean. Take a pass.
Best call across the whole outlook: Thursday 30th July morning. Small, glassy, clean – go get it.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 7mm), mostly falling on Mon night. Warm (max 20°C on Mon afternoon, min 14°C on Sun night). Winds increasing (calm on Sat night, fresh winds from the SSW by Tue morning). | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryModerate rain (total 19mm), heaviest on Wed morning. Very mild (max 17°C on Tue afternoon, min 13°C on Wed morning). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the S on Tue afternoon, calm by Thu night). | |||||||||||||||||||
Sat 25 | Sunday 26 | Monday 27 | Tuesday 28 | Wednesday 29 | Thursday 30 | Friday 31 | ||||||||||||||
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 10 | SSE 10 | SE 9 | SSW 13 | S 16 | NE 6 | S 14 | S 6 | SSW 18 | S 7 | SSE 8 | SSE 8 | SSE 8 | SE 9 | SE 9 | SE 9 | SE 9 | SE 9 | SE 9 | SE 9 |
Wave Graph  | ||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 539 | 434 | 312 | 307 | 198 | 202 | 97 | 151 | 438 | 392 | 748 | 457 | 443 | 482 | 408 | 418 | 307 | 247 | 242 | 235 |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | off | cross | cross | cross-off | on | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross-off | cross | cross-off | glassy | cross-on | cross-off | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off |
High Tide | 1:58AM1.34m | 2:30PM1.34m | 2:40AM1.46m | 3:06PM1.47m | 3:14AM1.57m | 3:37PM1.59m | 3:44AM1.67m | 4:07PM1.69m | 4:13AM1.74m | 4:35PM1.78m | 4:41AM1.78m | 5:03PM1.83m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 7:40PM0.66m | 8:16AM0.54m | 8:28PM0.54m | 8:54AM0.41m | 9:05PM0.43m | 9:25AM0.29m | 9:37PM0.33m | 9:54AM0.19m | 10:07PM0.25m | 10:22AM0.11m | 10:36PM0.20m | 10:49AM0.07m | 11:06PM0.17m | |||||||
 |  | | |  | | |  |  |  |  |  | | | | | |  |  | | |
 | — | — | 6:43 | — | — | 6:43 | — | — | 6:41 | — | — | 6:41 | — | — | 6:41 | — | — | 6:39 | — | — |
 | 5:19 | — | — | 5:19 | — | — | 5:20 | — | — | 5:20 | — | — | 5:21 | — | — | 5:21 | — | — | 5:22 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 4 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 9 | 2 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 19 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 17 | 18 | 20 | 20 | 18 | 17 | 17 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 17 | 17 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 18 |
Feels °C | 16 | 17 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 16 | 18 | 16 | 15 | 11 | 12 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 15 | 14 | 15 | 14 | 15 | 15 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | SE 9 | SE 9 | SE 9 | ENE 7 | ENE 6 | S 12 | SSW 18 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | SSE 8 | SSE 8 | SE 9 | SE 9 | SE 9 | SE 9 | SE 9 | SE 9 | SE 9 |
| kJ | 539 | 434 | 307 | 211 | 76 | 102 | 60 | 78 | 438 | 269 | 172 | 457 | 443 | 482 | 408 | 418 | 307 | 247 | 242 | 235 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 12 | SSW 14 | S 14 | SSW 16 | E 9 | E 10 | E 10 | E 9 | E 9 | E 10 | E 9 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 11 | E 11 |
| kJ | 246 | 163 | 312 | 307 | 115 | 118 | 97 | 86 | 41 | 47 | 67 | 110 | 142 | 127 | 85 | 130 | 115 | 122 | 112 | 85 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 9 | E 9 | ENE 8 | — | S 16 | S 16 | SE 8 | ESE 10 | — | — | E 10 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | SSW 14 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | SW 13 |
| kJ | 6 | 6 | 7 | — | 198 | 122 | 10 | 31 | — | — | 67 | 163 | 147 | 127 | 80 | 70 | 115 | 142 | 135 | 44 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | NNE 2 | ENE 4 | NE 6 | NE 6 | SSW 11 | S 6 | S 7 | S 7 | SSE 8 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | — | — | 1 | 34 | 92 | 202 | 69 | 151 | 153 | 392 | 748 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 39 | 0 | 42 | 732 | 37 | 19 | 42 | 40 | 763 | 93 | 39 | 39 | 39 | 0 | 0 | 42 | 0 | 39 | 39 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in KwaZulu-Natal North Coast | ||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in South Africa | ||||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | ||||||||||||||||||||
- Map Icons:
Break
Live Wave Height (m)
Live Wind Speed (km/h)
Surf Rating (10 Max)
Ocean Swells (m)- Wind Speed (km/h)
FREE! Surf-Forecast.com widget for your website
The surf report / weather widget below is available to embed on third party websites free of charge and provides a summary of our Thompsons Bay surf forecast. Simply grab the html code snippet that we provide and paste it into your own site. You can choose your preferred language and metric/imperial units for the surf forecast feed to suit users of your site. Click here to get the code.
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.
Nearest