Kool-a-Sun Sunscreen

Coffee Bay Surf Report

← All surf spots  ·  Coffee Bay fishing times →

SURF RATING
FAIR
★★★☆☆
Fair — worth a paddle: chest-to-head-high waves on short, wind-driven swell, with a little cross-shore texture.
WAVE
2.0 m
SWELL
1.4m @ 6s
WIND
5 km/h Cross-shore
WATER
18.9°C

★★★☆☆

Fair — worth a paddle: chest-to-head-high waves on short, wind-driven swell, with a little cross-shore texture.

Swell: 1.4 m @ 6 s (ESE)

Wave height: 2.0 m

Wind: 5 km/h N Cross-shore

Sea temp: 18.9 °C · Wetsuit: 3/2 mm full wetsuit

Best window today: 08:00–10:00 (lightest wind)

🧬 Break DNA
47% match
Today: rideable but not classic
🌊 Wave type
Beach & point
🧭 Best swell
ESE groundswell, 11–16s
💨 Best wind
WNW offshore
🏄 Board
Shortboard
📈 Skill
Intermediate–advanced
Ideal wind & swell are derived from the way this coast faces; break type is local knowledge. Match blends today’s swell angle, wind & period.

🌊 Why it’s reading like this right now

Cross-shore windwave direction
  • Short, wind-driven ESE swell at 6s is wrapping into the bank
  • 5 km/h cross-shore wind gives some texture
  • Not fully aligned today — pick your moment on the timeline above.
Coffee Bay surf mission card
Save or screenshot, then send it to your crew on WhatsApp.

🏄 When to paddle out today

🏄 Reading today’s surf…
00:00 — Fun (★★★) · 2.0m chest-head · 5km/h Cross01:00 — Fun (★★★) · 2.0m chest-head · 6km/h Cross02:00 — Fun (★★★) · 2.0m chest-head · 5km/h Cross03:00 — Fun (★★★) · 2.0m chest-head · 4km/h Cross04:00 — Fun (★★★) · 2.0m chest-head · 5km/h Cross05:00 — Clean (★★★★) · 2.0m chest-head · 4km/h Offshore06:00 — Clean (★★★★) · 1.9m chest-head · 5km/h Offshore07:00 — Clean (★★★★) · 1.9m chest-head · 6km/h Offshore08:00 — Fun (★★★) · 1.9m chest-head · 4km/h Cross09:00 — Marginal (★★) · 1.9m chest-head · 6km/h Onshore10:00 — Marginal (★★) · 1.8m chest-head · 10km/h Onshore11:00 — Marginal (★★) · 1.8m chest-head · 12km/h Onshore12:00 — Marginal (★★) · 1.8m chest-head · 14km/h Onshore13:00 — Marginal (★★) · 1.7m chest-head · 14km/h Onshore14:00 — Marginal (★★) · 1.7m chest-head · 16km/h Onshore15:00 — Marginal (★★) · 1.7m chest-head · 16km/h Onshore16:00 — Marginal (★★) · 1.8m chest-head · 16km/h Onshore17:00 — Fun (★★★) · 1.8m chest-head · 15km/h Cross18:00 — Fun (★★★) · 1.8m chest-head · 15km/h Cross19:00 — Marginal (★★) · 1.8m chest-head · 8km/h Onshore20:00 — Fun (★★★) · 1.8m chest-head · 5km/h Cross21:00 — Fun (★★★) · 1.8m chest-head · 5km/h Cross22:00 — Fun (★★★) · 1.8m chest-head · 8km/h Cross23:00 — Fun (★★★) · 1.8m chest-head · 7km/h Crossnow00:0006:0012:0018:0024:00
■ epic   ■ clean   ■ fun   ■ marginal   ■ flat   ■ dawn/dusk · tap an hour

🎒 Pack for this session

🏄 Board
Shortboard
🤿 Wetsuit
3/2 mm full wetsuit
🧴 Bring
Reef-safe sunscreen
🦶 Bring
Booties for the rocks
🌅Dawn window:Best quality, coolest — usually the quietest crowd
Crowd estimate is a comfort/timing proxy from conditions & day of week — not a live crowd count.
Swell & wind
NESW
■ swell in   ■ wind (green=offshore/good)   offshore zone
Spot match
Swell anglePeriodSizeWindSea state
5-day wave & wind forecast
WedThuFriSatSunMon0.0m1.2m2.5m01123now
■ wave height (m)   ── wind (km/h, right)

7-Day Surf Forecast

DayRatingWavePeriodSwellMidday wind
Wed 9 Sep ★★☆☆☆ 1.9 m 6 s ENE 14 km/h Onshore
Thu 10 Sep ★★☆☆☆ 1.6 m 6 s ENE 14 km/h Onshore
Fri 11 Sep ★★★★☆ 1.5 m 9 s SE 16 km/h Cross
Sat 12 Sep ★★★☆☆ 1.4 m 8 s S 22 km/h Onshore
Sun 13 Sep ★★☆☆☆ 2.2 m 8 s SSE 17 km/h Onshore
Mon 14 Sep ★★☆☆☆ 2.9 m 7 s E 21 km/h Onshore
Tue 15 Sep ★★★☆☆ 2.6 m 7 s ENE 10 km/h Cross

Daily peak wave height, mean swell period & direction, midday wind. Rating is our surf-quality score.

🌊 Today's tide (nearest station)

00:0006:0012:0018:0024:00H 02:34L 08:44H 14:58L 21:08now

☀️ Sun & skin — out on the water all day

Sunrise 06:08 · Sunset 17:52 · Peak UV 6

Surfers & anglers get the highest UV dose of anyone. Recommended: SPF 50, reapply every 2 hours and after every session.

Shop SPF 50 sunscreen →

Surf/wave: Open-Meteo Marine. Sun/UV/pressure: Open-Meteo. Tides: Stormglass model. Solunar is an approximate guide. Generated Wed, 09 Sep 2026 00:13 SAST.

Aerial map — Coffee Bay

Crayonised aerial map of Coffee Bay

Hand-styled from NGI 0.25 m national aerial aerial imagery. Surf peaks, channels & hazards are being added spot by spot.

About Coffee Bay — Surf Local Knowledge

Coffee Bay is a remote village on the Transkei Wild Coast, reached by a long winding road down through the hills to a river-mouth bay backed by green cliffs and rondavels. It is one of the most scenic corners of the South African coast, with the celebrated Hole in the Wall rock formation just down the shore, and it carries the raw, undeveloped feel of the whole Wild Coast.

The main draw for surfers is Coffee Bay Point, a right-hand point break that peels off the rocks when a solid south to south-west groundswell meets a west to north-west offshore. There are also beach-break waves in the bay itself. Best for intermediate and advanced surfers when the point is working; it stays largely uncrowded. Being remote Wild Coast, expect no lifeguards, strong rips, rocks and a genuine shark presence — self-reliance is essential.

🦏 This site helps fund pangolin conservation a safe permanent home for the worlds most-trafficked mammal. Support the mission