Surf Forecasts:
Thompsons Bay surf forecast from 9 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Friday 10 Jul, 5AM (local time) - 5ft (1.6m), 14s period, S swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Friday 10 Jul, 2PM (local time) - 7.5ft (2.3m), 15s period, S swell with 2,311 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Thursday 9 Jul, 5AM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.4m), 14s period with SSW 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 Thursday (Jul 09) at 5AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.4m and 14s period with a secondary swell of 0.5m and 6s. Another secondary swell of 0.8m and 5s 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 2.3m 15s and forecast to arrive on Friday (Jul 10) at 2PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.9m 5s period and expected on Thursday (Jul 16) at 2AM.
| Wave Type | Time (SAST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 5AM (Thu 9th Jul) | 1.5ft (0.4m) 14s |
| Best Surf | 5AM (Fri 10th Jul) | 5ft (1.6m) 14s |
| Most Powerful | 2PM (Fri 10th Jul) | 7.5ft (2.3m) 15s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Thompsons Bay over the next 16 days.
Alright, Rusty here again, switching to the imperial system.
First up, the water temp is sitting at 72°F, which is about average for this time of year. Not a surprise.
Alright, let’s be real: the next week and a half is a bit of a struggle. There’s a lot of cross-on wind and messy conditions, with most days rated as poor. You’ve got a long stretch of nothing really worth paddling out for, from the 9th of July right through to the 11th. The swell is there, but it’s got a lot of chop on it, and the wind is just not playing the game.
The first real glimmer is on the morning of the 13th of July. It’s a Monday morning, and it’s glassy. Glassy is a beautiful word. The swell is 5 ft from the ESE, but the period is short at 8 seconds, so it’ll be a bit weak and disorganised. Still, with no wind, it’s your best bet for a clean wave in this first week. The energy is moderate (569).
Things stay pretty average through the middle of the week. The wind picks up, the swell gets messy. There’s a bit of swell on the 15th, 6 ft from the ESE, but it’s cross-shore and not clean. It’s a tough period.
Now, look, if you’re a kite surfer, the beach setup on the 16th of July afternoon with a 7 ft S swell and 16 mph cross-on wind might be more your thing than a paddle surfer’s. The swell is over 8 ft on the 19th of July, so that’s experts-only territory, and the wind is still messy.
The standout, if you can call it that, is the morning of the 24th of July. That’s a Friday. We’ve got a solid 10 ft swell from the ENE, with a period of 10 seconds. The energy is strong (2478). The wind is cross-shore from the NE at 12 mph, so it’s not clean, but for a big swell, it's manageable. The wave state is described as marginal, so it’s not a perfect day, but it’s the biggest, most powerful swell in the whole forecast. The problem is the wind and the fact it’s a beach break. Long period swells like this can be a bit too straight at the beach, but it’s the only real power in the window. Keep an eye on it, but don’t get your hopes too high.
So, to sum it up: the 13th of July morning is the cleanest wave, but it’s small. The 24th of July morning has the most grunt, but it’s a bit of a messy beast. That’s all we’ve got.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 8mm), mostly falling on Fri night. Warm (max 20°C on Thu morning, min 17°C on Thu night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 5mm), mostly falling on Sun morning. Warm (max 20°C on Tue morning, min 16°C on Mon morning). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Thursday 9 | Friday 10 | Saturday 11 | Sunday 12 | Monday 13 | Tuesday 14 | Wednesday 15 | |||||||||||||||
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) | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | S 13 | S 15 | S 14 | S 14 | S 13 | S 13 | S 13 | S 12 | S 12 | S 11 | ESE 8 | E 8 | S 12 | SE 9 | ESE 9 | ESE 9 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 179 | 1016 | 775 | 2175 | 2247 | 1483 | 987 | 822 | 848 | 584 | 480 | 369 | 256 | 233 | 259 | 249 | 465 | 599 | 778 | 551 | 684 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | on | glassy | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off | glassy | cross-on | cross-off | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off | cross | cross | off |
High Tide | 10:18AM1.25m | 11:09PM1.43m | 11:55AM1.27m | 00:36AM1.48m | 1:17PM1.37m | 1:46AM1.58m | 2:20PM1.52m | 2:42AM1.69m | 3:11PM1.66m | 3:30AM1.78m | 3:57PM1.79m | 4:13AM1.83m | 4:40PM1.87m | 4:53AM1.83m | |||||||
Low Tide | 4:26PM0.56m | 5:42AM0.57m | 5:58PM0.54m | 7:03AM0.48m | 7:19PM0.45m | 8:06AM0.35m | 8:23PM0.33m | 8:58AM0.22m | 9:16PM0.21m | 9:42AM0.11m | 10:02PM0.14m | 10:23AM0.03m | 10:45PM0.11m | ||||||||
 | |  | | | |  |  | |  | | | | |  | |  |  | | | | |
 | 6:50 | — | — | 6:48 | — | — | 6:48 | — | — | 6:48 | — | — | 6:48 | — | — | 6:48 | — | — | 6:48 | — | — |
 | — | 5:09 | — | — | 5:10 | — | — | 5:10 | — | — | 5:12 | — | — | 5:12 | — | — | 5:13 | — | — | 5:13 | — |
mm | — | — | 1 | — | — | 5 | 1 | — | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 20 | 20 | 20 | 19 | 20 | 19 | 18 | 19 | 19 | 17 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 19 | 18 | 20 | 20 | 18 | 20 | 21 | 19 |
Feels °C | 17 | 17 | 21 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 7 | SSW 14 | S 13 | S 15 | S 14 | S 14 | S 13 | S 13 | S 13 | S 12 | S 12 | S 11 | ESE 8 | E 8 | ESE 8 | SE 9 | ESE 9 | ESE 9 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 |
| kJ | 74 | 1016 | 775 | 2175 | 2247 | 1483 | 987 | 822 | 848 | 584 | 480 | 369 | 256 | 233 | 218 | 249 | 465 | 599 | 778 | 551 | 684 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 15 | ENE 8 | E 8 | E 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ESE 6 | ESE 6 | E 6 | E 7 | SSW 11 | S 11 | S 12 | E 8 | S 10 | S 10 | S 10 | SSE 8 | S 9 |
| kJ | 179 | 24 | 36 | 30 | 19 | 19 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 115 | 76 | 113 | 209 | 160 | 259 | 161 | 104 | 51 | 44 | 21 | 6 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ENE 8 | E 9 | SE 15 | SE 14 | SE 13 | SE 12 | — | — | E 7 | — | — | S 12 | S 15 | SSE 7 | SSW 11 | S 11 | SSW 11 | SSE 9 | SW 16 | SSW 9 | SSE 11 |
| kJ | 35 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 6 | — | — | 26 | — | — | 3 | 104 | 38 | 68 | 149 | 51 | 8 | 10 | 17 | 12 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 7 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | E 6 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ENE 3 | NE 5 |
| kJ | 121 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 49 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 4 | 32 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 6 | 40 | 0 | 22 | 39 | 6 | 6 | 39 | 0 | 117 | 39 | 0 | 0 | 42 | 0 | 7 | 39 | 0 | 42 | 37 | 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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