Surf Forecasts:
Thompsons Bay surf forecast from 10 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Saturday 15 Aug, 8PM (local time) - 6.5ft (2.0m), 12s period, E swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Monday 10 Aug, 5PM (local time) - 11ft (3.5m), 9s period, S swell with 2,322 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Wednesday 12 Aug, 11PM (local time) - 7ft (2.2m), 9s period with SE 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 12) at 11PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 2.2m and 9s period with a secondary swell of 0.5m and 11s. The wind is predicted to be glassy 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 5PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives.
| Wave Type | Time (SAST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 11PM (Wed 12th Aug) | 7ft (2.2m) 9s |
| Best Surf | 8PM (Sat 15th Aug) | 6.5ft (2.0m) 12s |
| Most Powerful | 5PM (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. Let’s have a look at what’s coming up for Thompsons Bay.
Honestly, the next couple of weeks are a pretty grim stretch. We’ve got a massive gap with almost nothing worth paddling out for. The first real sniff of anything decent doesn’t come until Thursday the 13th of August, and even then it’s only just a glimpse. Before that, it’s a write-off: Monday the 10th through to Wednesday the 12th are all blown out, with strong winds, messy cross-chop, and solid, ugly swell mixing in. It’s just not surfable.
Thursday morning the 13th is the one window that stands out. The water temp is sitting at 71°F which is pretty much average for this time of year, nothing wild. We’ve got a clean-looking 6 ft swell from the ESE with a 9-second period. That period isn’t anything special, but the wind is light, a gentle cross-off breeze coming out of the SW. That combo should give us some halfway decent, workable waves at Thompsons Bay. The combined energy is moderate (633) and it’s a sheltered spot, so it could be alright for a session if you’re an intermediate surfer. But it’s a fleeting moment.
Thursday afternoon the wind swings, and we’re back into light cross-onshore and small wind ripples. Friday the 14th is marginal at best with 5 ft ESE swell and light cross-onshore. Saturday the 15th and Sunday the 16th are both in the “marginal” category – inconsistent, 6 ft to 7 ft E swell with 11-second period, which is long enough to give some shape but the cross-onshore or cross winds will keep it bumpy. Combined energies around 900-1000, moderate, but not clean.
From there it just fades off into nothing. The rest of the week from the 17th through to the 25th is mostly poor, with fresh to strong onshore winds and lumpy, messy conditions. There’s a spike on the 25th with a raw 10 ft S swell, but with 16 mph SSW winds and a 8-second period, it’s just a messy, cross-shore chop-fest. That’s for experts only, and even then it doesn’t look fun.
Honestly, if you’re set on a paddle, Thursday the 13th morning is your only real shot. The rest is either blown out, marginal, or a full-on mess. Keep an eye on the forecasts though – things can shift.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastHeavy rain (total 49mm), heaviest during Mon morning. Very mild (max 18°C on Wed night, min 14°C on Mon morning). Winds decreasing (strong winds from the SSW on Mon afternoon, calm by Wed night). | Days 4-6 Weather SummarySome drizzle, heaviest during Thu night. Very mild (max 19°C on Fri afternoon, min 15°C on Thu morning). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Monday 10 | Tuesday 11 | Wednesday 12 | Thursday 13 | Friday 14 | Saturday 15 | Sunday 16 | |||||||||||||||
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) | S 9 | S 9 | SSE 9 | SSE 8 | SSE 8 | SE 10 | SE 9 | SE 9 | SE 9 | ESE 9 | SE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | E 10 | ESE 10 | E 11 | E 11 | E 12 | E 11 | E 11 | E 10 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 1744 | 2322 | 1288 | 891 | 587 | 978 | 1291 | 973 | 743 | 449 | 281 | 300 | 293 | 423 | 680 | 894 | 850 | 1215 | 976 | 850 | 720 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | cross | cross | cross | cross-on | cross-on | on | on | cross-off | cross-off | cross-on | cross-off | cross-on | cross-on | off | cross | cross | off | cross-on | cross-on | off |
High Tide | 2:25PM1.53m | 2:43AM1.65m | 3:10PM1.72m | 3:24AM1.77m | 3:49PM1.88m | 4:01AM1.86m | 4:25PM1.97m | 4:35AM1.89m | 4:58PM2.00m | 5:07AM1.87m | 5:30PM1.97m | 5:38AM1.81m | 6:00PM1.88m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 8:10AM0.39m | 8:30PM0.35m | 8:55AM0.22m | 9:16PM0.20m | 9:33AM0.07m | 9:55PM0.10m | 10:08AM-0.03m | 10:31PM0.05m | 10:41AM-0.07m | 11:04PM0.05m | 11:13AM-0.05m | 11:36PM0.10m | 11:43AM0.03m | 00:06AM0.19m | |||||||
 |  |  | | |  |  | | |  | | | |  |  | | | | | | | |
 | 6:33 | — | — | 6:31 | — | — | 6:31 | — | — | 6:30 | — | — | 6:28 | — | — | 6:28 | — | — | 6:26 | — | — |
 | — | 5:28 | — | — | 5:28 | — | — | 5:29 | — | — | 5:29 | — | — | 5:30 | — | — | 5:30 | — | — | 5:30 | — |
mm | 13 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 10 | 4 | 4 | 4 | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 15 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 18 | 16 | 18 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 18 | 19 | 19 | 18 | 19 | 19 | 18 |
Feels °C | 8 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 16 | 13 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 18 | 18 | 17 | 18 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 10 | E 9 | E 10 | E 10 | E 9 | SE 10 | SE 9 | SE 9 | SE 9 | ESE 9 | SE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | E 10 | ESE 10 | E 11 | E 11 | E 12 | E 11 | E 11 | E 10 |
| kJ | 44 | 43 | 98 | 153 | 109 | 978 | 1291 | 973 | 743 | 449 | 281 | 300 | 293 | 423 | 680 | 894 | 850 | 1215 | 976 | 850 | 720 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NE 7 | — | SE 11 | SSW 14 | SSW 11 | S 11 | SSW 13 | SSW 11 | SSW 11 | S 11 | S 10 | E 11 | S 8 | S 7 | SSW 16 | S 9 | E 13 | S 13 | S 12 | S 11 | S 10 |
| kJ | 2 | — | 59 | 70 | 170 | 388 | 92 | 135 | 91 | 149 | 100 | 110 | 44 | 40 | 24 | 6 | 87 | 13 | 24 | 22 | 19 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | S 13 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | S 26 | S 24 | S 15 | SSW 19 | E 10 | SSW 16 | SSW 18 | SSW 17 | S 9 | S 15 | S 14 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 12 | S 17 |
| kJ | — | — | 4 | 123 | 222 | 192 | 13 | 11 | 38 | 35 | 78 | 89 | 63 | 28 | 7 | 4 | 15 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 6 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 9 | S 9 | SSE 9 | SSE 8 | SSE 8 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | 1744 | 2322 | 1288 | 891 | 587 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 443 | 277 | 258 | 741 | 941 | 941 | 93 | 39 | 0 | 0 | 39 | 0 | 6 | 42 | 0 | 42 | 42 | 0 | 42 | 42 | 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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